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Nadine Heinrich asked how long the deadlock provision has been in the contract. It was noted that was included in the original agreement. Ms. Heinrich stated that she would like to see that provision remain within the agreement, explaining that there are two members from each city and therefore a deadlock could happen. Mr. Piton stated that there is a difference between equipment and fees. He explained that in terms of equipment, and what is needed to provide a service, a fifth person could make the determination about what is needed to provide fire services based on their expertise. He noted that fees are different and there will need to be consensus found between the two groups, as a fifth vote could not force Nowthen to pay a higher amount than it is willing/able to pay. Debra Musgrove commented that the equipment seems to be separate with both cities having their own equipment. She stated that she would prefer to see the deadlock provision related to fees, to prevent a situation that an agreement cannot be reached, and this continues for years. Mr. Piton stated that termination of the original agreement was already implemented and therefore expiration would occur on December 31, 2021. He stated that Nowthen has agreed to pay more for certain items, above the amount in the original agreement, but agreement has not been made on the $160,000. Ms. Musgrove stated that if there is a contract with agreed upon rates for 2020 and 2021, she would consider removing Item E. Ms. Heinrich stated that this is the organizational flow of the Joint Powers Board and therefore she would not support removing Item E. Kurt Ulrich stated that even if there is an agreed upon contract for services for 2020 and 2021, the deadlock provision should remain. He provided the example of an emergency which has a large cost and noted that the group could disagree on how those costs should be split, therefore there should be a provision that would address a deadlock situation. Mr. Piton commented that the group is attempting to develop a temporary JPA to get through the remainder of the time and explained that there is a difference between rates and fees. He stated that his concern is that the deadlock provision could result in a fifth party agreeing with the imposition of fees for 2021 that have not been agreed upon by Nowthen. He stated that he believes that the group must come to an agreement on fees, rather than relying on a fifth party to make the decision on the fee amount. Mr. Ulrich stated that the group could circle back to that provision if an agreement is made on all the other terms. Ramsey Fire Board / May 27, 2020 Page 2 of 8