City Council

ANDOVER CITY COUNCIL WORKSHOP MEETING – FEBRUARY 29, 2024 MINUTES The Workshop Meeting of the Andover City Council was called to order by Mayor Bukkila, February 29, 2024, 6:00 p.m., at the Andover City Hall, 1685 Crosstown Boulevard NW, Andover, Minnesota. Councilmembers present: Jamie Barthel, Ted Butler, Rick Engelhardt, and Randy Nelson Councilmember absent: None Also present: City Administrator Jim Dickinson Community Development Director Joe Janish Director of Public Works/City Engineer David Berkowitz City Attorney Scott Baumgartner Others DISCUSS/RECEIVE PRESENTATION FROM THE ANDOVER FIREFIGHTERS’ RELIEF ASSOCIATION BOARD Will Shutte, President of the Andover Firefighters Relief Association, Lindsey Wilson, Vice President of the Andover Firefighters Relief Association, and Kurt DeRung, Trustee of the Andover Firefighters Relief Association, came forward to discuss the City not providing the Andover Firefighters Relief Association a financial contribution this year as the City has done in years past. They requested that the Council reconsider this. Ms. Wilson gave an overview of the Andover Firefighters Relief Association, its purpose, and background. She reviewed the defined contribution plan for the firefighters. She shared that since receiving the letter that the City would not be providing financial contributions this year, the firefighters have felt devalued and unappreciated and has also caused department morale to decrease. She added in 2023 they responded to 2,179 calls with a staff of only 39 firefighters; however, in 2015 there were 55 firefighters who responded to a total of 682 calls, yet all of these firefighters received the City contribution that year. She discussed her concerns if these funds go away, including hiring challenges, current staff quitting, and the paid on-call system no longer working. Mr. DeRung reviewed the events that the firefighters are involved in throughout the year. He shared a story that happened recently on a night when he was on-call where he reported to a call for someone who was having difficulty breathing. He explained when they arrived at the call, the woman’s heart stopped; however, after CPR, her heart started again and she was taken by Andover City Council Workshop Meeting Minutes – February 29, 2024 Page 2 ambulance to the hospital. He stated the Fire Captain stated this situation was a prime example of how amazing the firefighters are. He noted later that same day, they received the letter from the City that they would not be continuing their financial contribution. He shared that all of the firefighters were confused and upset by this. He discussed the overall effect this had on the morale of the firefighters. He said they want to get the feeling of appreciation back and want to be able to use the contributions as a recruitment tool to bring in more firefighters. He noted the risks that firefighters face, including having a 68% higher risk of cancer than a normal citizen. He added 50% of firefighters consider suicide. Mr. Shutte shared that these funds are 2% of the Fire Department’s operating budget, which is 0.25% of the City’s operating general fund. He asked the Council to consider putting this contribution back into the budget and formalize a process for this moving forward to eliminate any confusion. He noted it is not always about the money; however, it does help and can be used as a retention tool to keep people on staff. Mayor Bukkila asked if the money that the firefighters raise at City events or with fundraisers are used just for scholarships and community outreach or if it is also used internally within the Fire Department. Ms. Wilson said the funds are only used internally to send flowers or gifts to firefighters and their families if someone has a baby or a loss in their family. Councilmember Nelson acknowledged what the firefighters go through as he went through similar things in the military. He noted both fire departments and the military are both dealing with retention issues. Councilmember Butler thanked Mr. Shutte, Ms. Wilson, and Mr. DeRung for bringing this forward to the Council’s attention. He stated there is a lot to balance with this and the budget; however, they do not always hear the stories behind the numbers, so it is good to hear this information. He added the Council will need to take some time to think about and discuss this. He noted it is not the Council’s intent to damage the morale of the firefighters as they all appreciate the hard work that they put into their jobs. Councilmember Engelhardt shared that he has family members who are firefighters and shared his appreciation for what they do to protect the City and its residents. He added he learned a lot from tonight’s presentation. Mayor Bukkila explained the firefighters are an invaluable part of the City and shared her appreciation for everything that they do. She shared that she served on the Firefighter Relief Association Board for 14 years and there are things that she heard for the first time tonight about the association. She noted the whole first responder realm has taken a turnover the last four years with the pandemic and all that the pandemic caused. She added the healthcare system is not as robust as it once was, which is also putting a lot of stress on first responders as they are being expected to fill gaps that are caused by the healthcare system. She noted some of Andover is affluent, and some is not, so they had to set priorities of how the City will bolster everything. She explained the City has limited resources and they have had to put these resources where they are Andover City Council Workshop Meeting Minutes – February 29, 2024 Page 3 most needed and where they will serve the most people as quickly as possible. She apologized to the firefighters. She thanked the firefighters for their service and shared that they will try their best to work this out. Ms. Wilson shared a few articles with the Council, including an article on recruitment and retention of firefighters and an article from the State Auditor's Office on defined contribution versus defined benefits. Councilmember Nelson shared that at the last Council Meeting he gave a shout out to the Sheriff’s Department, the Andover Fire Department, and Allina EMS for helping a resident so well when she slipped and fell in her driveway. He reiterated his appreciation for the firefighters and all they do. Mayor Bukkila stated she would like to look at the entire compensation schedule for the firefighters to see what can be done to address the retention issues. She noted it will not be an easy solution; however, they need to find it. Councilmember Nelson added he would also like to look at the investment portfolio. Councilmember Barthel stated the Firefighters Relief Association picks the investment portfolio and the Council would not have control over this. Ms. Wilson shared that they will be walking away from this meeting feeling heard. Council consensus was reached to discuss these contributions and firefighter compensation at a future Workshop Meeting. Council recessed at 6:40 p.m., reconvened at 6:50 p.m. COMMUNITY CENTER UPDATE (PRE-AUDIT DECEMBER 2023) Mr. Dickinson presented the staff report on the Community Center update. He shared that revenues for the Community Center came in fairly well and they were under expenditures. He noted demand is very high for the Community Center, so much that they occasionally have to turn people away. He added they will need to discuss the rates in the near future. He shared that programs have been filled up and the schedule is staying busy. He stated the roof will need to be replaced soon and they are looking into prices for this. DISCUSS/REVIEW CITY STRATEGIC PLAN IMPLEMENTATION/BUDGET Mr. Dickinson presented the staff report concerning the Strategic Plan. He noted he wanted to keep this on the front of the Council’s mind. He presented a graph to the Council which showed the road ratings, with 38% in the excellent category, 11% in the very good category, 10% in the good category, 24% in the fair category, and 17% in the poor category. He noted as they start Andover City Council Workshop Meeting Minutes – February 29, 2024 Page 4 looking at the plan of what needs to get done, they will be looking at the roads that were in the poor, fair, and good categories, which is around 90 miles of roads. He added there are some roads that are in very bad condition in the poor category. He explained this information is needed for the financial statement. He noted they will have this all costed out so they will be able to see where the funds are going in the City and where funds need to go. Mayor Bukkila asked if there is someone who can put this on a path or program so that all of these roads will not fail again at the same time in the future. Mr. Dickinson said they are working on that. Mayor Bukkila asked if they could get an update from the County on the bridge or culvert that they are putting in on Crosstown Boulevard. Mr. Dickinson said he believes this should be done by the spring, but will request more information from the County. ADJOURNMENT Motion by Butler, Seconded by Nelson, to adjourn. Motion carried unanimously. The workshop meeting adjourned at 7:10 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Ava Major, Recording Secretary