Minutes - Council Work Session - 09/24/2019

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Fire Chief Kohner replied that there would be no loss in coverage as Nowthen currently does not come into Ramsey unless there is a structure fire. He stated that if they enter into a mutual aid agreement, the response would be the same but there would be no additional charge. City Administrator Ulrich stated that is one of the biggest misperceptions as the JPA was sold on the fact that Nowthen would service the northern boundary, but Ramsey can respond more quickly than Nowthen. He stated that the theory made sense but in practice it has not proven true. Councilmember Riley asked if this would require Ramsey to build a third fire station. Fire Chief Kohner stated that would not be needed at this time, noting that perhaps in 20 or 30 years, based on growth something may need to be considered. Councilmember Riley asked if something has changed in the past 12 years that makes the JPA not make sense. Fire Chief Kohner stated that the cities have gone in two different directions as Ramsey continues to grow and build while Nowthen has not, therefore there is a disparity between the needs of the communities. Councilmember Menth asked what would happen to Nowthen if Ramsey severs these ties. Fire Chief Kohner stated that those are elements that would need to be worked through, but those would be the decision of Nowthen on how to provide service; whether it would utilize its own City staff for administrative services or whether it would choose to find a better fitting JPA with another community. Councilmember Musgrove acknowledged the work that Fire Chief Kohner has put into this topic. She stated that he determined a formula to review with the Board, noting that it is easy to look at the numbers and determine that this is not working for Ramsey, but they also reviewed this from a personnel and operational standpoint as well. She asked Fire Chief Kohner to provide additional input on the operational challenges. Fire Chief Kohner explained that there are essentially two different departments and it becomes difficult to manage time between two funding sources, two budgets, and two cities. He stated that although the cost allocation formula equated to 16.9 percent, he is spending more than 16.9 percent of his time on Nowthen related issues. Councilmember Musgrove asked for information on the contract's two-year timeframe. Fire Chief Kohner stated that the contract provides language which states at any time, either party can provide a two-year notice to cancel the contract. He noted that would make sense for departments that need to split equipment, but he would hope that the split would not take that long. He stated that his concern would be that if Nowthen does not have a plan on how to move forward, that would cause uneasiness for the firefighters at station three. He stated that he would City Council Work Session/September 24,2019 Page 4 of 10