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MINUTES OF THE <br />ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING <br />Monday, April 11, 2016 <br />7:00 o'clock p.m. <br />4. FIRE SERVICE (continued) <br />Printup stated he brought his utility bill and that it increased again. Printup stated that does not relate to <br />fire service and response times, but that when he sees tax dollars going outside the City, he takes another <br />look and will bring it up every year. <br />Printup asked whether it makes sense to have a separate contract for six percent of the parcels in the City <br />that have on average 20 calls a year. Printup asked whether it makes sense to have a separate contract for <br />an average of three medical calls per year. Printup questioned whether it makes sense to have a separate <br />contract when they are talking about emergency calls that police can respond to first. Printup asked if it <br />makes sense for Orono to pay more than $20,000 a year more for fire protection than is necessary for 20 <br />calls per year. Printup further questioned whether it makes sense for Orono to have a contract written in <br />1962, which is 54 years old. Printup stated if anything, it is shedding light on something that the City <br />needs to review and that they perhaps need to delve into the contract. <br />Printup stated much of the concern from the affected parties is the response time but that mutual aid and <br />auto start can help. Printup indicated he has a philosophical belief that if the City can provide a same or <br />similar service that requires less tax dollars, he has a duty to continue to stand between the taxpayers and <br />the tax spenders. Printup stated he is glad this has finally seen the light of day because the Council has <br />discussed this on a number of occasions over a number of years but has never called a public hearing on it <br />before. Printup stated he continues to believe that Orono has a larger area that has one service provider, <br />one contract, and that changing fire departments would mean taking the hard step forward and asking the <br />Long Lake Fire Department to provide service. <br />Cornick stated when this process started, he wanted to remain neutral and see if there was a compelling <br />reason to make a change. Cornick stated in his view he does feel the Council has enough information but <br />at this point he does not see a compelling reason to change. Cornick indicated he would be against a <br />change at this point. <br />Cornick asked if the motion to continue with Wayzata should have a date attached to it. Cornick asked <br />whether the City should go with the contract for two or three years more and then reconsider it. <br />Loftus stated currently the City has a one-year contract and that the current contract would go through the <br />end of the year. <br />Walsh stated he appreciates the public input and that he would like to have public dialogue about <br />everything since government does things too often in the dark and the citizens do not get to see the <br />discussions. Walsh noted Fire Chief Van Eyll actually calculated the response times and that he picked <br />various points throughout the City. <br />Walsh stated in the past the western part of Orono was serviced by Maple Plain, which is a lot closer than <br />Long Lake, but that was changed to bring most of Orono under one contract. Walsh stated if he <br />approached the Fire Chief and asked him to cut things to make up the $20,000, he would likely need to <br />get rid of some fire trucks or other equipment. Walsh stated in his view there is some sort of disconnect <br />between one fire department charging over $20,000 for fire service and another department charging a <br />little over $8,000, which is where the open dialogue is important. <br />Page 8 of 32 <br />