Minutes - Council Work Session - 05/01/2012

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Fire Chief Kapler explained that without the Fire Marshal position, the prevention side, licensing, and sirens will not happen and part of a stable community is assuring prevention issues are adequately addressed. Mayor Ramsey stated he does not disagree with moving the Fire Secretary to Police because efficiencies can be gained. In addition, a Police Secretary was lost so maybe there could be some shared duties. Councilmember Tossey advised that option was brought up with the Personnel Committee and the decision about filling that position was delayed because the Committee is thinking about putting Fire with Police and eliminating the Fire Secretary. Or, whether to keep that position and then not fill the transcriptionist position. City Administrator Ulrich stated that is what the internal posting policy accomplishes, filling vacancies. Councilmember McGlone noted the Police Department Secretary had certain clearances and training, so the Fire Secretary may not have those qualifications. Fire Chief Way stated that is correct and described the benefit of having two part-time positions with flexibility for extra hours or covering duties should a staff person take some time off. Councilmember Strommen asked about training time, time loss, or downsides. Fire Chief Kapler explained they are looking at merging, a two - discipline approach, and it will depend on skill set He acknowledged there will be a learning curve unless the position is filled internally since there is specialized software training and the position is responsible for generating Fire Department payroll information and tracking attendance requirements. The Council agreed with the suggestion of Mayor Ramsey to recess this discussion to accommodate those in attendance for the Fire Study and HRA items. Discussion of the 2013 budget resumed after Item 2.03. Mayor Ramsey recessed the meeting at 7:57 p.m. The meeting was reconvened at 8:03 p.m. 2.03: Discussion on Shared Fire Services Fire Chief Kapler reviewed the staff report and asked the Council if it had any questions to bring back to the Study Group. He indicated the Study Group would like to know by June 1st whether or not the Council wants to pursue shared services. Councilmember Strommen stated the decision is whether to continue to explore shared fire services and issues that need to be resolved. She explained the Study Group decided to ask each community whether it was committed to move forward with exploration. Councilmember Strommen stated she had enjoyed being part of this collaborative group, which did exceptional job of standing back and thinking "outside the box" in how to provide a core service in a City Council Work Session / May 1, 2012 Page 11 of 15