Minutes - Council - 02/24/2009 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Councilmember Jeffrey stated that he sat in on the meetings and was initially skeptical about this idea, but, if this is approved, the City would add 1.68 officers to ensure that the City will not lose any coverage in Ramsey. He stated that this will be reviewed annually to ensure that the coverage in Ramsey is maintained. Councilmember Dehen stated that he thinks in times of budget crunching, the City needs to look outside the box for additional services and revenues and he thinks collaboration is a good thing with our neighbors. He stated that he thinks the City can partner with Nowthen to provide police coverage. He noted that fire department services are shared and thinks collaboration among cities can help save money. Councilmember Wise stated that he thinks this is a win/win situation for both Cities. He stated that he thinks Ramsey can dedicate more man-hours than the County Sheriff's department. He stated that he thinks Ramsey residents may even gain from having access to the officers covering Nowthen. Councilmember Elvig stated that he was also skeptical of this idea at first, but this is an additional $278,000 coming into the City. He asked if there were concerns at the County level. Police Chief Way stated that there weren't any concerns raised at the meetings by the County Attorney. Councilmember Elvig stated that collaboration and brotherhood of Cities is a big issue for him. Councilmember Look stated that he attended a conference over the weekend and one of the discussion topics was sharing services with your neighbor. He stated that it was refreshing to hear that Ramsey was ahead of the curve in this. Motion by Councilmember Look, seconded by Councilmember Dehen to forward a proposal and letter of intent to the City of Nowthen for police services, providing them with a breakdown of costs for the City of Ramsey to provide police coverage. Further Discussion: Police Chief Way noted that there are some people present that would like to make a statement on this topic. Ed Egley, 9591 Inverness Lane, stated that he has read some of the Police Chief's work and it is exceptional, but he does have concerns with this proposal. He noted that he has recently retired after 25 years in law enforcement. He stated that he has concerns about liability, for example, if there is excessive force or a wrongful death, who will pay the tab. He asked if the paperwork and administrative costs were factored into the proposal. He asked if 1.68 officers are enough to cover the contract, especially with investigative services. He stated that he would like to know if Nowthen cancels the contract, what would happen with those officers and whether they would be terminated. He stated that he would like the Council to keep in mind that new hires will take a few years to get up to current standards. He stated that he has concerns about contract officers getting into trouble up there because if it is a critical incident, the City will be without those officers for several hours because other patrol officers in Ramsey will respond. He stated that he is concerned that Ramsey residents will suffer. He City Council! February 24, 2009MPage 13 of 19