03-14-2016 Council Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING Monday, March 14, 2016 7:00 o'clock p.m. CITY ADMINISTRATOR'S REPORT (continued) Levang noted they are talking about a difference of $162 a year for fire service that they are currently paying and that a homeowner's cost will be reduced to $45 a year. Levang stated the question is whether the homeowners want the response time reduced for $117, which needs to be a big consideration. Levang indicated she is open to a public hearing so they can talk to the residents but that she also has a concern with how the fire department will get there given the upcoming construction. Levang stated she wants people to understand that for $117 less per year this is the change they will get and that in her view the residents will be happy to spend $162 a year to get the type of service they are currently getting. Van Eyll agreed the response times will be longer. Walsh stated he understands those issues but that there are other parts of Orono that do not get that fast of service and that the other 94 percent of Orono is paying for this area to get faster service. Levang commented there is also the possibility that these residents are happy with Wayzata. Walsh stated he can see people on the other end of the spectrum questioning why their response times are 10 or 11 minutes. Printup noted the western edges of Orono were serviced by another fire department in the past and that it is not a new conversation in Orono. McMillan noted the response time for the western area decreased where the response time in this case would increase. McMillan asked whether this will impact people's insurance. Van Eyll stated it would depend on how it is being dealt with by the insurance companies. Van Eyll stated if the insurance companies are following ISO standards, it can impact it. If they are not and are going by strictly road miles, it may not impact it. McMillan asked if the insurance company is notified of a change in fire departments. Van Eyll stated if they subscribe to the ISO, they would be. Van Eyll noted the fire department does receive a number of e-mails asking what the response time is and how close a residence is located to a fire hydrant. Van Eyll stated the insurance companies will need to review the policies and determine that. Printup asked if the insurance companies take into consideration mutual aid by nearby fire departments. Van Eyll stated for structure fires they will take that into consideration but in general they will look at road miles from the primary response. Van Eyll noted they receive calls from Minnetonka Beach insurers asking if Long Lake is the primary response because they are the closest and Long Lake tells them they are not. Walsh noted Maple Plain used to service part of Orono and that this is not a new conversation. Levang stated some people may get an increase in their insurance rates and that the City needs to be transparent about all of these issues. Page 35 of 37