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The Lindstrom Fire Department chief and assistant chief presented a $567,600 package for a new firetruck to the city council last week,  and with no debate the acquisition was unanimously approved.  The heavy duty EXT pumper body and Commander 400 7818 chassis should be delivered by next fall at the latest, said Chief Scott Sellman, although he’s pushing for delivery in time for Karl Oskar Days 2015.

Sellman estimated that the new process,  authorized by council months ago to use a bidding consortium,  saves the city an estimated $60,000 compared to the list price for a comparable unit.  

It also greatly simplified the process, and Sellman added, that the difference between buying this rig compared to the last big ticket department purchase is night-and-day.  The consortium, officed in Texas,  gets quantity bids for capital purchases from a number of fire apparatus providers for a number of consortium “members” and facilitates a host of public sector equipment needs all over the U.S.  
Sellman said the best bid came from local apparatus manufacturer Rosenbauer, in Wyoming.  

Assistant Chief Mike Gaustad represented the fire department’s truck committee in the process of drawing and creating the specifications for the rig.  

Rosenbauer is also taking the Lindstrom department’s old truck off the city’s hands with an estimated trade-in consideration of $17,000, Sellman added.  The fact that the department doesn’t deal with the hassle of advertising and selling an unwanted unit is a big benefit, he stated.

The truck will have a service life of 25 years.

City Finances Director Kay Mattson is working on the details for the 10-Year Equipment Certificate (borrowing) with Ehlers & Associates advisors and council will get more detail on that later.  The city can accomodate this acquisition, council was advised, with department contributing (through pulltabs, etc.)  $262,000.

The new township maintenance shop and storage building that was recently constructed on 316th Street was annexed into the city on a 4-0 vote, with Ann Marie Brink absent.  

The township needs city sewer and water and the only way to get  on the municipal system is to annex the approximately 10 acre site into city limits.  The township hall is also within city limits (Hwy 8 and Broadway)and continues to be used for administrative purposes and township meetings.  It is for sale, and someday township operations will be fully consolidated at the 316th site.

As reported earlier there was consensus for the 2015 levy and budget and council took unanimous action to adopt what was gone over in detail in our levy workshop story Dec 11.  

The Lindstrom levy in 2015 will be $1,728, 799 up from $1,620,978.

Expenditures will be $2.155,819 compared to $2,017,966 budgeted in 2014.

 Council adopted a data policy, which Kathy George, city administrative aide, said explains who has access to what data and how requests for public information are to be handled and by whom.  

The Lakes Area Police Department has its own law enforcement data policy.

Council’s organizational meeting for 2015 is January 6 at 7 p.m.  This is when committee assignments are made,  etc.

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