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1 <br /> <br />CITY OF LONG LAKE <br />450 Virginia Avenue, PO Box 606 <br />Long Lake, MN 55356 <br />Phone / 952.473.6961 <br /> <br />October 12, 2022 <br /> <br /> <br />Orono City Council <br />City of Orono <br />2750 Kelley Parkway <br />Orono, MN 55356 <br />[VIA US MAIL AND EMAIL] <br /> <br />RE: Response to Offer for the Transition of the Long Lake Fire Department to Orono <br /> <br />Members of the Orono City Council, <br /> <br />The City Council of the City of Long Lake has reviewed your letter dated September 27, 2022 in <br />which the City of Orono proposed an offer to purchase the Long Lake Fire Department (the <br />“LLFD”) in exchange for a combination of a lump sum payment and the provision of services for <br />a set rate, over a ten year period. As you are aware, our cities have been engaged in ongoing <br />negotiations related to the future of fire services over the past several months through our <br />respectively nominated subcommittee members. Throughout these discussions, the <br />subcommittees have collaborated on designing a mutually agreeable third party oversight <br />model that would result in Long Lake relinquishing control of the LLFD in favor of a board on <br />which both cities would have weighted representation but neither would have complete <br />control. The City of Long Lake believes the offer by our subcommitte members to relinquish <br />control is a significant compromise. Substantial time and effort was put forth to reach an <br />equitable design for this third party entity, whether in the form of a JPA, Fire District, or other <br />comparable management entity. <br /> <br />Your September 27th letter amounts to an abrupt and substantial departure from this path in <br />favor of a renewed proposal to transition full control of the LLFD to Orono and to designate <br />Long Lake a contract city with minimal meaningful rights or say related to operations or <br />management and no interest in present or future assets of the LLFD, even to the level of <br />contribution. Long Lake continues to believe that the best long-term solution for the provision <br />of fire services for both of our communities is a district or JPA model that involves the <br />collaboration and contribution of multiple communities. This position is corroborated by <br />numerous national and state-backed blue ribbon reports and best practices reviews which <br />continue to recommend and encourage consolidation models to maximize efficiency, maintain <br />or improve service, and control costs. Moreover, we have heard nearly every member of the <br />Orono Council acknowledge this truth and express it is a path that will most likely be followed <br />at some point. <br />