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Councilmember Specht thanked Civil Engineer IV Linton for all of the work he has done for the <br /> City and the community over the last 21 years. <br /> Mayor Heineman asked if the Stormwater Specialist position they are looking to create exists in <br /> other cities or if this is something the City is coming up with. <br /> City Engineer/Public Works Director Westby said the position does exist in several other cities. <br /> Administrative Services Director Lasher added that when she did the compensation study she <br /> found that there were six or seven other comparable cities that have a Stormwater Specialist. <br /> Councilmember Riley stated the addition of a Stormwater Specialist makes perfect sense as this is <br /> primarily the work Civil Engineer IV Linton is doing. <br /> The consensus of the Council was in support of hiring a Stormwater Specialist. <br /> 2.02: Discussion Regarding Fire Department Staffing <br /> City Administrator Hagen reviewed the Staff report concerning fire department staffing. <br /> Councilmember Riley asked what the Fire Inspector would do once the firefighter who is currently <br /> on leave has returned. <br /> Fire Chief Kohner explained that the role of the Fire Inspector is code compliance and code <br /> enforcement through inspections and plan reviews.He noted that this role will make a direct impact <br /> on responding to calls; however,the duties of the Fire Inspector are vastly different from the duties <br /> of a firefighter. <br /> Administrative Services Director Lasher noted that fire call volume is up 27%. <br /> Councilmember Stewart asked what it would look like if they waited on hiring for this new role. <br /> Fire Chief Kohner explained that fire calls are consistent throughout the year and they do not see <br /> a busier time than others. He shared that there have been double digit increases in calls for service <br /> for the last nine years. He said if they were to wait on hiring for this new position it would be very <br /> taxing on the current full-time Staff. <br /> Councilmember Buscher shared that she is fully supportive of the new position and thinks they <br /> should be brought on as soon as possible. She added that a lot of these calls are likely medical <br /> calls. She noted that they need to make sure that this increase in call volume is being addressed in <br /> the future. <br /> Mayor Heineman noted that they want to lessen the financial impact of this as much as possible; <br /> however, with calls increasing and not wanting to push this issue further down the road, he is <br /> supportive of hiring for this new Fire Inspector role. <br /> City Council Work Session/February 11, 2025 <br /> Page 2 of 9 <br />