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contract exists during 2021 but would again return to Nowthen once its department is <br />independently operational. <br />Mr. Ulrich stated that Ramsey would like a date certain that this agreement would end and <br />asked if Nowthen could agree on a date certain other than December 31, 2021. <br />Mr. Piton commented that the date certain would be December 31, 2021. He stated that if <br />COVID-19 would not have occurred, Nowthen would have liked to have a recommendation to its <br />Council in April of 2020. He noted that the schedules were thrown off because of COVID-19 <br />and the related closures and therefore the timeline has been thrown off significantly. He stated <br />that Nowthen did not have a current emergency plan in place and therefore worked with the <br />consultant to develop that plan. He noted that the Relief Bill also took longer because in person <br />meetings could not occur. He stated that they are in the final stages of putting numbers <br />together and preparing a plan to present to the Council. He stated that he hopes to present <br />something to the Council in June, dependent upon the availability of those he needs to meet <br />with. <br />Mr. Breyen noted that the Fire Bill was signed by the Governor today but was anticipated to be <br />done two months ago. <br />Mr. Pilon commented that he is unsure of the number of firefighters that will choose to come <br />over to Nowthen and additional training will be needed for new members. He stated that they <br />will need to convince the Fire Marshal that Nowthen can act independently of Ramsey before <br />obtaining certification. He stated that they are trying to move along as quickly as they can, with <br />the recent challenges that have occurred due to COVID-19. He stated that the timeline for <br />Nowthen will be dependent upon the number of firefighters that agree with the model that is <br />ultimately approved by the Council and choose to go with Nowthen, compared to the number of <br />new firefighters that will need to be trained. He stated that Nowthen will attempt to move <br />forward as quickly as it can and would propose to the Ramsey Council to continue with this <br />contract for 2020 and as far into 2021 as need be until Nowthen can become independent. He <br />stated that Nowthen would find it optimal to continue with the same rates for administrative, <br />relief, and workers compensation for 2021 as they are in 2020. <br />Mr. Ulrich stated that the desire of Ramsey is to be reimbursed for an amount closer to the true <br />cost. <br />Mr. Pilon stated that he did not see in the original contract that upon dissolution there would be <br />a 2400 percent increase in cost. He stated that the two-year termination clause was included <br />because of the time that is necessary to setup an independent fire department. He noted that <br />Nowthen was going to attempt to setup its fire department within one year, but the COVID-19 <br />situation put a delay on that schedule. He stated that while he hopes Nowthen could be <br />Ramsey Fire Board / May 27, 2020 <br />Page 6 of 8 <br />