ITEM 1 Albertville Otsego Joint Fire Advisory Committee.1
Otsezor
MiNNESOTA.
MEMORANDUM
TO: Mayor and City Council
FROM: Lori Johnson, City Administrator
DATE: October 15, 2015
SUBJECT: Albertville Otsego Joint Fire Advisory Committee
In March 2013, the cities of Albertville and Otsego held the first Albertville Otsego Joint Fire
Advisory Committee meeting. As you know, one of the topics of interest from the early stages
of the Committee has been very preliminary and general discussion of fire service options
including a fire district or joint powers agreement (JPA) between the cities of Albertville and
Otsego. Although the topic has not received in depth discussion at the Council level, both City
Councils supported initial exploration of the concept to determine if a JPA is desirable. After
discussion of joint service options, the Committee agrees that a JPA is the preferred option at
this time and recommends continuing to the next phase of JPA analysis and discussion.
Additionally, the Committee feels it is critical that both City Councils are supportive of
considering a JPA before pursuing it further. Therefore, at the September 30, 2105, meeting,
the Committee requested that each City Council meet and provide direction to the Committee
before moving forward. Determining whether a JPA is indeed the right option and determining
how to structure a JPA are complex and this will be a long process. Staff and the Committee
need direction from the Council before undertaking this project. Other than providing that
direction, no Council action is required at this meeting.
Below are discussion items for meeting. The direction on and understanding of the following
items by both City Councils will ensure that the Committee is on the same page, and we are all
working toward a common goal.
1. Submit a grant request for a Shared Services Grant from the State Fire Marshal Division
of the Department of Public Safety. This grant could fund costs related to research and
analysis of a JPA.
2. Financial analysis by City staff
3. Legal review by respective City Attorneys
4. Meetings of City Staff with State, LMC staff and others versed in fire service 1PA's
5. Other research and communication as needed to provide the City Councils with the
pros, cons, risks, benefits, costs, liabilities, future implications, and other pertinent
information necessary to make an informed decision about entering into a JPA
6. Continue to provide information to the Albertville Otsego Joint Fire Advisory Committee
for general discussion and preliminary input.
Upon completion of staff research and analysis, the results will be presented to both City
Councils for discussion and direction to do one of the following: 1. Identify the next steps in the
process; 2. Direct that further action on a JPA should cease. During this process the Committee
will continue to serve in an advisory roll; the decision of whether to enter into a JPA rests
entirely with the Albertville and Otsego City Councils.
The current contract with Albertville expires at the end of 2016; therefore, a logical target start
date for a JPA is January 1, 2017. Given the breadth of items involved, it is aggressive, but not
impossible, to have an agreement signed within that timeframe.
This JPA exploration applies only to Albertville at this time. The existing contracts with Elk River
and Rogers will remain in place as those are vital to providing fire service to Otsego's residents,
and the Rogers and Elk River Fire Departments have provided outstanding service to Otsego.
Further, for your review attached are several documents, some you have received previously,
from the LMC and State Auditor's Office along with a memo from the Albertville City Attorney,
which provide information on JPA's.
To summarize, the Council is asked to provide direction on whether continued discussion of a
JPA with Albertville is desired. If so, a motion to apply for the Shared Services Grant is
appropriate at this time in order to meet the application deadline. If the Council feels that a
more formal approach to this JPA exploration phase is beneficial, a Memorandum of
Understanding could be drafted for consideration at an upcoming meeting.
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