04-11-2016 Council Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING Monday, April 11, 2016 7:00 o'clock p.m. 4. FIRE SERVICE (continued) Since 1962, Orono has contracted with Wayzata for fire protection for this section. The cost in 2016 is $29,234. Loftus stated the contract cost is calculated using a simple formula, consisting of taking the average number of calls over the past three years, which is approximately seven percent of the total calls that Wayzata responds to. That seven percent is then multiplied by Wayzata's previous year's budget to arrive at Orono's contract cost. Loftus noted Orono did approach the City of Wayzata in 2014 to review the contract and talk about possible adjustments. Wayzata did lower the contract cost by $5,000 and agreed that Wayzata's ladder truck does not necessarily serve Orono residents. That cost was consequently deducted from the contract cost. The current contract excludes Orono from contributing towards the ladder truck and fire station. The Long Lake Fire Department covers the other 94 percent of Orono and they would be able to add this section at a cost of $8,168. If this change is to occur, it would reduce the City's fire cost by approximately $21,000. Loftus noted Orono's total fire budget is $395,000. Currently the average taxpayer covered under the Wayzata contract would incur $1.76 per year on a $250,000 home. In regards to 911 calls, for the past two years the Wayzata Fire Department has averaged a 6.92 minute response time to that area in Orono. The Wayzata Fire Station is on average 1.9 miles away from that section. An educated estimate from Long Lake on the response time is expected to be about 8.64 minutes. The Long Lake Fire Station is located on Willow Drive, which is approximately 3.5 miles from that service area. Loftus noted the National Firefighter Professional Association standard is ten minutes response time, so both agencies would fall within that response time standard. As it relates to a further breakdown of response times, for someone living on North Ferndale, the response time would be 9.23 minutes, Ferndale Road West would have an 8.25 minute response time, and the .Ayrtlewood area would have an 8.45 minute response time. Other areas within Orono would have similar to greater response times. Currently Long Lake responds to residents on Townline Road or Bayside Road, both are in the three to four mile range from the station, and have a response time of 9.4 minutes. Loftus reviewed the call history for Wayzata fire service over the past three years. On average this area had around 20 calls per year, with the number one call being fire detectors without fire and then medical calls. Orono has not had a structure fire in the past three years. Loftus noted the City Council did receive six written comments as well as some e-mails in response to this item. Council Member Printup stated he has brought up this issue several times over the past couple of years and that this is the first time a public hearing has been held on it. Printup stated he wants to make sure, as the Council heads into this, that the discussion not be based on fear and that he would not have brought up this issue if he felt that life, liberty or safety was in jeopardy. Page 2 of 32