Lakeville City Council — Transcript
Monday, November 24, 2025
Firefighters' Defined Benefit Plan Update
Deployment of License Plate Reader (LPR) Technology
Special Revenue Funds and Budget Items Review
2025 Year Preview and Final 2026 Budget Packet
League of Minnesota Cities Conference Update
Votes (3)
Lake of Fire Release Benefit Proposal (Firefighters' Pension)
The discussion centered on a proposal to revise the firefighters' defined benefit plan. This included a revenue-sharing model of state aid funds to support full-time firefighters (9% for two years, then 30% after the SAFER grant expires in 2027), a reduction of the vesting schedule to 10 years for 100% vesting, and an increase in the benefit level to the state maximum of $20,000 per year of service. The plan aims to improve recruitment and retention for both paid-on-call and full-time firefighters, ensuring the fund remains robust.
Deployment of Statewide License Plate Reader (LPR) Technology
The Police Department presented a plan to deploy 20 Flock LPR cameras strategically at major city access points. The technology aims to combat regional crime by capturing vehicle 'fingerprints' (license plate, make, model, color, unique characteristics) to provide real-time alerts and investigative leads for stolen vehicles, warrants, and crime patterns. The department emphasized balancing public safety with privacy concerns, highlighting features like 30-day data retention, no facial recognition, strict access controls, and a public-facing dashboard for transparency. The first-year cost is projected at $60,050, with subsequent annual costs of $60,000.
Generous Gift from Family
Moved by Unknown [34:03] · Seconded by Unknown [34:03]
A brief announcement was made regarding a generous gift from a family to the city, which was quickly moved for acceptance.
Notable Quotes (6)
Thanks everyone for again allowing us to participate in the discussion around uh the future of our most valuable recruiting and retention tool which is our confined benefit plan.
Our proposal outlines uh the next two years being a revenue share of roughly 9% of our state aid allocation... And then once that grant runs its course, which is at the end of 2027, um we outlined a much more substantial contribution of 30% of the state aid to um help subsidize those funds that um the grant will not be there to to cover. Thankfully all of those projections or the projections that ran um show that we can do this and the fund will stay well above that 110% funding level that we committed to at the city.
Okay. that was what motivated this 180. Um I think that just in terms of there are certain aspects of contribution that are more attractive um like being able to invest your uh funds before the age of 50. Um but really the math here supports this being a better option for the defined benefit plan at 20,000 being a better option for firefighters today.
So, how do we find the middle ground of making our community and public safer uh balancing those concerns about public privacy? And we really think we we found some middle ground here with the VR technology.
And the important thing with a digital or a vehicle fingerprint is we don't necessarily need the license plate of a suspect vehicle because criminals so often change the license plate. So, when we go steal a license plate of a like vehicle and change that regularly, it's help your your criminal activity. So if we have that that fingerprint of the vehicle, we can zone in on say just red trucks in this time frame that have a yellow bumper st.
So, private businesses can choose to share with public safety, but but it will never go the other way. Public safety will never share one point you had said something about there's no real time traffic, but there's real time What's the difference?
Ordinances & Resolutions (12)
Internal document detailing the Lake of Fire Release Benefit Proposal.
Federal grant supporting firefighter positions, impacting the pension plan and city budget.
Governs LPR technology usage and special revenue fund restrictions, including data retention.
Referenced as an example of a good LPR policy.
Example of LPR transparency for the public, showing data retention and usage.
City plan outlining community values and strategic priorities, used to justify LPR deployment.
Internal policy governing LPR usage, data access, and auditing for the police department.
Reviewed for increases in revenues and fund transfers.
Final review of the city's 2026 budget, including levy and expenditure changes.
Financial document detailing the annual tax assessment, specifically for 2026.
City policy used to evaluate the financial health and long-term viability of budget proposals.
Agenda for a future retreat, including discussion topics from the LMC conference.