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City Council Minutes Page 7 <br /> September 3,2013 <br /> rather than reactive. He further stated the department needs to instill more <br /> leadership throughout its organization. <br /> Mr. Portner noted recent retirements and the fact that there are a number of fire <br /> department members with long tenure that are eligible for retirement. He expressed <br /> concerns with potential turnover and an adequate training/experience within the <br /> department. He stated that the person currently filling the assistant chief's position <br /> is a volunteer paid on-call person. He noted there is a gap with the training and <br /> certifications among the fire department officers. He further stated that there is a <br /> need to backfill the fire chief in the event of a large incident as well as to assist with <br /> the citywide safety program. He stated if the city doesn't take care of these programs <br /> now it will be paying on the back-end with other costs, such as insurance. <br /> Mayor Dietz stated he is not convinced the city need a full-tune parks maintenance <br /> operator and he would be willing to hire for six months as a seasonal position. <br /> Mr. Portner stated the season is more than just summer months due to the amount <br /> of tree work and planning that must be completed. He stated service levels have <br /> increased in the last few years and that the Council should evaluate what services are <br /> important or should be given up for the department if the position is not hired. <br /> Councilinember Westgaard noted the city has had an increase of service levels in <br /> parks due to recent acquisitions, etc. <br /> Mr. Portner stated the human resources position is still being evaluated and he is not <br /> sure what the savings will be due to the ti-inekeeping system. He noted planning work <br /> has increased and staff would like to get by with an intern for another year. <br /> Councilmember Motin questioned if the Planner/Park Planner position should be <br /> pulled back to planning full-tune and someone else should be lured for parks. <br /> Mr. Portner stated this still needs further evaluation and the Parks Comprehensive <br /> Plan needs to be completed. <br /> Mayor Dietz stated he would like to add the police drug task force position to the <br /> budget. He discussed his conversations with the sheriff and noted that 25% of drug <br /> cases are related to Ella River. He further stated the proposed pay for the position <br /> seem too high to the sheriff. <br /> There was discussion on funding and revenue from forfeitures. <br /> Mr. Portner stated a policy discussion should be reviewed for the task force position. <br /> He also noted the environmental technician position is being evaluated due to <br /> changes with the stormwater management plan. He stated there is a need for more <br /> assistance in the department but it is yet to be determined how and where. <br /> Mr. Barnhart noted the Council will see a lot regarding this position in November. <br /> P 0 W E 0 E ® B Y <br />