We're getting we're getting worried about you know that's why look at that. I hope if we're here that that long tonight we need two of those things. We're in trouble. All right. Calling to order the October 30th, 2025 Atlantic City Council special meeting. It is 5 it is 5:02 p.m. All council members are present this evening. Um so we will move on to again that this considered a special meeting tonight. So our agenda is slightly different than typical meeting. We're not having open correspondence and some of other items we have on a typical meeting. So with that we'll move on to item number two which is to approve this evening's agenda. >> I'll make a motion to approve this evening's agenda. >> Thank you. Second >> motion and a second. Any further discussion? All those in favor signify by saying I. >> I. Opposed. Motion carries unanimously. Item three, regular business. So 3A is close session pursuant to Minnesota statute 13.05 subdivision 3B attorney client privilege. Uh discussion of open litigation related to the fire services contract. I'll make a motion to go into close session pursuant to Minnesota statute 13D 05 subsection 3D >> second. >> All right. Thank you. Motion and second. Any further discussion? All those in favor? I >> opposed. Motion carries unanimously. All right. So, just a few housekeeping things. We're going to go over um go to the um the back of city hall. close session. The um this is going to continue filming on YouTube live and so we will return after our public after our close session here and then we'll resume the meeting at that time. All right. Thank you. Thank Can you hear All right, I'm going to let you know What did we do before we had those devices? reading newspaper concept. Who's playing tomorrow night? Football >> uh sectional game. Is it home or away? >> Making decisions and gonna make trick-or-treating hard for those guys. already here. on there. All All right, council's back in the council chambers. We're on um item 3 um 8 close session for 7th Minnesota statute 13B.0573B. Um I will entertain a motion to close the closed session. Make a motion to close second. Second that. >> Thank you. Motion and a second. Any further discussion? All those in favor? I opposed. Motion carries unanimously. And um city attorneys, did you want to just briefly summarize? >> Uh thank you, mayor. For public benefit, the city council just adjourned the closed session close to Minnesota statute 13 D.05 subdivision through B train plan privilege and discussed the open litigation related to fire services contract. I believe the council is now prepared to take action. >> All right. Thank you, sir. Okay. Okay, with that, we'll move on. And um just to be clear, we've been meeting since 5:00 pm. That closed mo most of which means it's a closed session and that is why I think the video of this event has been going during that time during our closed sessions. Um so now we'll move on to item 3B, consider approval of Shoreline Fire Department joint powers agreement. So the council has before a joint powers agreement that we've been working on with our partners at the city of Oro for probably the last you know 10 months roughly this entire year. Council member Dick and I were the appointed U representatives uh to that negotiating committee to meet with our peers in Orno, Mayor Tunai and Council Member Persian. And we spent a lot of time with them negotiating and and working out this agreement for the next 20 years. And it it creates a jointly operated fire department called the Shoreline Fire Department. It'll be jointly operated by both cities and be represented by board members, a four member fourperson board um with two representatives from each city or two council member representatives of each city and would operate out of two fire stations. One of which will be called the uh station one will be called the Long Lake station and station two will be called um the Navar station or the OR station at which um off top my head but the point is it'll be reflective of our community both cities and uh it'll be set up for the future really to set that uh create a great fire department for the next 20 years and hopefully well beyond that and it's designed to create to invite other member cities to join as well. We will hope that Minnetonka Beach as a part of our fire arrangement um in in some shape or form. Right now, they're still under contract with 2020 to be served by the Long Lake Fire Department, but there'll be a kind of a trans transition through the Shoreline Fire Department for Antitiga Beach as well. And again, we hope to make it a welcoming and opening fire department for other cities to join in the future. I think this is a really good uh joint powers agreement. It uh there's you know things in it for both cities. There's there's you never never happy and get exactly what you want from any agreement like this. But I think it's as good as it possibly can be for both both cities and really positive step forward in our community particularly what after what the community has been through for the last six plus years in quite the uh sort of the battle over our fire department situation here. So looking very much forward to this. Council member Dick, did you want to mention anything else on the lines? >> Uh no, just um I'm optimistic. I want to thank the um oro negotiators Steve Persian and Bob Dunheim. Um it it was uh you know I felt at times a challenge and at other times we you know laugh had great great uh relationship and I and I said in our last um meeting together that I hope this is just um the first of many more opportunities to collaborate um in the future and uh and and I look forward to that. But um no, I'm I'm pleased where this landed and uh and I'm hopeful for the future of the fire department. Great. All right. And um any other comments from uh those that uh from any council members? And I I don't know if people recognize how much time is a huge commitment. Um and we appreciate it. Community appreciates that a lot of work. >> Same. Thanks for all your work. >> Yeah, I appreciate that. Appreciate that. Well worth it to get to get to this point for sure. So I didn't don't mind it one bit after being able to have such a success after this many years and all that we've been through together. And it's great to go through with all of you. I don't I can't imagine a better council to go through this with a better group of people that's very intelligent and factbased and and uh does research homework and read reads reads up on these things. So appreciate all of you as well getting us to this point and all of our staff as well and our fire chief for putting uh doing a really good great job keeping the department afloat during these last two three years that you've been with us and and uh keeping the firefighters happily engaged in their duty of being firefighters. So thank chief and to our staff. >> All right. So with that in mind um >> if I just for your benefit the uh has prepared uh a couple of alternative resolutions that would cover items B through E. So, it may merit just having some discussion over those items and then electing uh a resolution to approve uh should that be the council's direction. Okay. All right. That would include item C then which is the lease agreement for station one and station two and um consider some continued authorization of execution of lease for station one. That'll be Z Lake will be a signer on this on the uh station one lease agreement. However, the board of the Shoreline Fire Department will be the signer of the lease agreement for um station two. And then it would um we we will maybe come back to Dean a moment. Um We won't be won't be voting on E at this time, but we'll follow up with a little more conversation on that later. Is that after we vote? Is that okay? >> So, mayor, you have um for items B through E, you have two alternative resolutions that are labeled as A and B. Um the uh it's our 2025-37A 2025 option. We elect one of those two potentially. A is an indication to include only items B, C, and E, but not item D. Um the option B resolution would be an approval of items B, C, D, and E. >> All right. So, if we were not interested in the uh the contract extension, then that would be um option A. Correct? Yeah. >> Okay. All right. Um All right. So, I'll make a motion uh for resolution option or number 2025-37 option A. Uh which is a resolution approving the Shoreline Fire Department joint powers agreement approving the lease terms for uh 340 Willow Drive and 3770 Shoreline Drive properties and authorizing execution of uh 340 Willow Drive lease and authorizing the execution of a stipulation for dismissal of open litigation related to the fire services contract. Is that did I correct? >> Okay, thank you. >> So that is the option uh excluding uh item B. >> All right. won't comment with that because I know that we discussed it in the back with respect to the option uh B to say that one of the reasons why we were concerned was in case it wasn't operational uh what would happen it would default back to Long Lake fire responding to fires and the concern about making sure that it's operational and having a stop gap and I'm comfortable with uh approving option A personally because I feel like the council believes it's uh uh have a good relationship with Orno and that that's something that if it did come that the department was not operational before or at the time that the Long Lakes Fire um agreement ends that the parties could work together to find a solution at that time. So, I'm comfortable with um I just wanted to say that. >> Oh, that Yeah, that's good that you did that. And I don't know if we were going to talk about this more later, but with the government shutdown, we don't know, you know, how that's going to impact things. Um getting the EIN number and all of that. So, uh yes, we we discussed that uh in our closed session and and um and we just agreed that we would work with or under that situation to work together to figure that out if if Shoreline Fire Department wasn't ready to go on January 1. >> Correct. And to that point, council member D, you had uh council had discussed an option of of also providing concurrent direction to staff um related to that. So you can do that as a part of your motion. >> Um okay. So uh yes. So I'll include with that motion then direction um to staff to um uh make sure that we have insurance uh in the event that we need to have Long Lake Fire go beyond January 1. Um was there was there more to that than uh than the insurance element? Um >> and to cover payroll. >> Okay. >> To cover necessary payroll um to make sure that we have adequate staff. >> Yeah. In the in the event in the event that >> that we're not ready January 1st, we want to have payroll and insurance so that Long Lake Fire can continue to cover into January, you know, or however long it's needed. >> Correct. protect to protect the residents and our firefighters. >> Okay. Well, you can put that words into that motion. That's what I'd like to make. Did I get a second? >> I'll second that. Let me second that. Yeah. And uh so thank you for that, John. Yeah. And it just, you know, I don't think any either city envisioned this will get down to the end of October to sign this agreement. I think we were in for July 1. So now we're getting out of the wire. There's a lot of things to do just sort of staffwise and paperwork wise and in the next couple months. So, um there's we're just always concerned about that, but um I know our staff and Oro staff that they'll be work our staff will be working with will be will be working uh very hard to get make sure all that gets done and just a lot to a lot to do. Okay. So, a motion and a second. Any further discussion? All right. All those in favor? I opposed. Motion carries unanimously. Great. Awesome. And I meant to open up for public uh a public comment. If anybody want to speak on this, we didn't have an official open correspondence time, but if anybody in the audience was willing or interested in speaking for up to five minutes, you're welcome to do that. here members of council brand milling at 295 Lake View Avenue. Uh sorry I missed the start of the open meeting but uh was monitoring online and didn't look like it started yet. So apologize for being late but it sounds like uh things are going well. Um just want to reflect back if you don't mind uh summer of 2022 when things uh really started to hit the fan uh with the actions of the then or no council and the actions that you guys took were absolutely incredible from council member newcomer November 17 2022 announcing he is not from California and uh all that you did speaking up various council meetings and situations and uh council member Feldman's analytics, John Dybeck and Charlie Miner's uh truth seeeking um you guys are sort of the autocorrect of or no council meetings well auto correct not correct term but you know what I mean uh you guys correct the the public records and stuff is great and council member quali I think uh was the first one to say brief and contract back in 2022 I recognize that and John Pays for legal eagle eyes on this subject I know it was torture and torment for all of you all went above and beyond the call of duty uh it was amazing to watch you guys go um but you held the line you didn't react to craziness and you stayed true and you preserved democracy and did a great job. So, thank you. >> Thank you very much, B. Appreciate that. >> Anybody else? >> Hi, Kelly Grady 271 Green Hill. I am a firewife of the Lawn Lake firefighter and I'm a very proud firewife and I'm also a very proud citizen of Lawn Lake. I uh echo everything that that Brian said. Um I I you know got a lot of flack from people saying like you are constantly coming to these orno meetings. You never talk to your own council members. Um and all of you know how much I actually did talk to you about this issue and I am very excited to see it um come to a happy resolve for all cities involved. Um and that doesn't mean I won't continue to call you. So, now that I have your numbers, [laughter] but um thank you all so much for everything that you did. And I also just want to say publicly here um thank you to the voters of Orino for um stepping up, learning about this issue, and taking the opportunity to vote in what I refer to as common sense by our candidates. um to the entire Orno Council who voted unanimously to pass this JPA and to Bob Tunheim and Steve Persian who took on so many extra hours to to make this happen. Um I truly have always believed that we're stronger together. Um and I I hear a lot of people no I hear two people that are making comments about Long Lake getting subsidized fire service and these types of things. I know that that's not true. We know that that's not true. The contract shows that that's not true. Um, and I just believe really really strongly that we are so much stronger together. And I hope that this JPA is encouraging to other cities to join um to to strengthen that um bond that we have as well. Thank you all so much for all of your hard work on this and um yeah, I promise to only bother you about really important things. >> That's right. That's right. >> Thank you, Kelly. Yes. And thanks thanks to both of you. Thanks to your your couple of prime examples of citizens to step forward to try to make a difference in the situation a few years ago. as many residents over in Orland did the same thing. Just imagine what a different position we're in today than we were a year ago at this time. And that was because a number of uh residents from both communities step forward to do what was right for both you know for the community at large and try to find a resolution to this and that was uh thankfully made possible by the newly elected Orno city council. So we appreciate very much the orno voters for that and our new peers over the orno city council. Okay. So with that we'll move on to item three as Frank which is to appoint directors to the shoreline fire department board. So there are uh two um two voting member director positions for the city of Lawn Lake and one alternative alternative voting director position all of which must be elected officials. Um so um time has come to identify those positions or name name those uh assigned to those positions. Um I' I've been doing been doing a lot of work on the fire stuff myself over the last you know five six years being the fire advisory board and doing negotiating committing and all those sorts of things and I have all the other duties as mayor that I've been doing over that I do on a regular basis. So, I will personally wouldn't mind stepping back and letting um others, you know, take a take a crack at this if they're willing willing to do it. I I foresee this as being very time time conssuming initially. Um I think our I think the first meeting might actually be on Monday. Is that correct? Okay. Would you know the time on Monday? >> I believe it's 3:30 in the morning. >> Okay. >> Verify, but I believe it's 3:30. contract set uh states that uh meetings should occur within the first 10 days of the signing the contracts. The first one's on Monday and I see there's going to be a lot of meetings over the next you know several weeks and then you know into hopefully later next year that becomes more routine and and the group meets uh the board of directors meets on a more regular regular basis. There's lots to get done here in the in the coming weeks. So um but um but com I know you've been doing this for a while John the fire advising board and you have any interest on continuing to serve in that capacity or >> Yeah I I mean there's there's nothing that has to be the two people that have to be negotiating. Um but I think for the transition at least initially it would make sense to have one of us on the fire board and and I'd be willing to do that. I I I think it would be an appointment that would happen annually. Right. And so, um, I wouldn't necessarily want to continue with it, but I think in the transition it might make sense. Um, but what what I would recommend for support is, um, because I think there's going to be a lot of number crunching, uh, initially. Um, I would uh I would I'd like to see maybe Mike and and I do it and then Todd as an alternate, but um, but that's certainly all up for discussion. That was my initial thoughts on on it just because Mike has proven to be a numbers guy and and I think there is going to be a lot of uh number crunching on budgets and things like that. Uh you know to get this thing set up. So that's my thought. But I guess we'll we can discuss other interests. I guess I'm I'm open to it. I mean you know my transition had a lot more flexibility right now. So um I mean I can I can suggest Yeah. >> All right. I mean, I don't I don't want you to be offended because you're a fire chief. >> I'm not offended one bit, >> but but Steve, what I what I see this as being not telling the fire chief how to run his fire department, but to see how, you know, we'll obviously make decisions, but largely budgetary um to support the fire department to be able to do their job. And so, um because I I don't know nearly as much about fire as you do. Uh but that's I can't I kind of see that as being the role at least initially uh as being you know >> I think it show up as being since you were in the role of negotiating with some of the people that might be on the board um that were ne that you're familiar with and you negotiated with so it's a continuation of that >> right yeah and and just uh for information I believe it is Bob Kunim and Bird and that are the board members from Orno so u you know they chose to you that way and we could have as well. But I I Charlie did way more work on this than I did and he deserves uh to be able to focus on his other mayor duties um for a while. So I I get that entirely. So um >> and um this is going to be melding the relief association as well and so I think that might be helpful since you have some background on the relief association. >> My understanding is the relief gets the board points to the relief, right? similar roles but there somebody from both cities and yeah I did do release that before I'm fairly comfortable with those meetings but I think that that comes after and from the board if I understand this correctly I believe yeah I believe so it's I think it's almost like an automatic that the board members are also on the the fire board um I'm a federal leak association uh board as I recall the the trustees on the on the on the board for the the RA is going to is going to be the chief and then two members appointed by the board. So in theory one from each committee >> oh that's right also a bylaw that the wording of that correct >> still coming right one of you would need if this goes this way one of you would need to on the on the association or >> all right any thoughts we didn't talk about you're not interested in paying >> um you know I feel like we're well represented with the people who are um moving forward with it because they're both interest and they have a little time in >> I would say more willing >> like I said you know I think during the transitional period it makes sense but I think next year at this time I'll I'll be happy to pass it to somebody else I don't know maybe'll set up. Okay. >> No, I think some continuity. >> All right. Well, um, so we need a a motion on this, right? Individually or as part of a package for the >> mayor, you can you can do it either way. Um, if you want to discuss the exposition director that we have to appoint here as well, you you could do that and then make that part of the same consolidated motion if you'd like or you can. >> All right, let's do that. Let's just do it all together then I think makes sense. So um we've got the first three um here for so council member dive council members dive and conseldman is board voting directors council member newcomer is alternate board voting member and then exeicio directors uh which are typically more um can be staff and can be or can be a non-elected official or uh city employee. So it' be your interim city administrator, Amanda Noeki. And then um I would entertain I would propose that Juda Axelson who is a member of our planning commission serve as the other position, the non-elected official or employee uh position. I understand staff has spoken with Jud and he is um willing to step forward in this position. >> Yes, Jud. I have something. >> Excellent. I think that would be great by very analy analyical person and was represented our city wall and planning commission. That would be good. Okay. And then number four, alternate exitio director be city mower. So, I will make a motion to um approve those these um city officials on the on uh Shoreline Fire Department board and operating committee board voting directors, council member John Davik, council member Mike Feldman, alternate board voting director, Council Member Todd Newcomer, exeicio directors of the interim city administrator Amanda Nikki and um Jud Axelen and other non-elected official or employee position. And then finally, alternate exeicio director, city clerk, Janette Mohler. A second. >> Oh, second. >> Okay, thank you. Motion, a second. Any further discussion? All those in favor? I opposed. Motion carries unanimously. And that's 8:30 Monday. >> I'm going to verify that. Okay. I thought it was nine, but >> it could be like I said, >> no backing out now, Mike. >> I wrote I have to verify it. >> All right, great. Well, we got through a lot of that a lot tonight uh Dean with with all of these motions and uh should point out the joint powers agreement stipulates that our that our current the current fire chief lonely fire department will be the interim chief of the shoreline fire department for um through up until December 31st 2026. So we look forward to having you serve in that role, Chief Highland, and giving some stability, continued stability to the fire department. And then as the year goes on next year, there'll be, you know, search a search will begin at some point for uh permanent uh fire chief for the um Shoreline Fire Department. So look forward to having you be the first the first um chief of the Shoreline Fire Department. You'll do great. >> New new new bosses right here. Yeah. >> Yes. You've been saying all along, Chief. We've got this. And you were right. You were right. A lot of times others may have doubted you. You're right. So, appreciate your leadership through all of this. Okay. Well, June the second and before we do, I just want to confirm our next meeting because I know maybe a change next week and I don't even know if I have in my calendar. So, our first meeting in November is going to be is it going to be on Monday like >> Monday the third? >> Four days, five days from now. Okay. So, everybody remembers that Monday. And we any plans for a work session? >> A work session. >> Okay. >> I believe I'm going to request a five o'clock work session. >> All right. Been busy that day today. Busy day. >> Right. Right. All right. So, I just want to solidify that. Monday, we'll be back here on Monday after the weekend. And hope everybody has a happy Halloween football game tomorrow night. Right. >> Section final. >> Oh, here at home. And then if they win that, then they're on to the state tournament. >> Nice. Nice. That's excellent. So, good luck to Oral. And then I wanted to point out too just how um impressive it was to see the sign out this morning for um send off to Weston Pasitz as he went down to the um we're going to say XL Energy Center, but it's not that anymore. Look at Brian there in his t-shirt, but um the the arena that the Minnesota Wild plays in for Weston to be an honorary Minnesota Wild player for the day. And uh it was a great um showing of citizens along Wes Boulevard here to to send Weston off for the event and fire many fire departments participated. Many police departments all the local departments assisted and my understanding was there was going to be a fire fire truck and every bridge on 34 94 all the way down to the arena. Oh wow. >> That's awesome. That's awesome. So that was very moving to see Weston's been a good great champion and fighting fighting hard and his family's been there by his side and so is the fire department and rest of our community stands with Weston too. So appreciate everybody that made made their way out to that event this morning. Yeah. All right. So with that, I will if there's no objection, I'll adjourn the meeting by general consent. Hearing none, meeting adjourned at 7:16 p.m. One more.