Politics & Government
Northfield Fire Department May Get New Administrator to Push Reforms
The recommendation came from an independent consultant after the department was found in violation of state safety law in February.
Northfield's fire department may get a full-time administrator to fix organizational and safety problems first identified by a state inspector in February.
At Tuesday night's city council work session, consultant Michelle Soldo recommended the hire, supported by Public Safety Director Mark Taylor, to modernize the volunteer department's practices.
Soldo was hired by the city after the fire department failed to correct violations of the workplace hazard rules several weeks after the inspection by the Minnesota Occupational Health and Safety and Health Administration. She said the department currently has no regular performance reviews or annual training and several of its policies are either incomplete or superseded by city and state law.
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"This is not an indictment on this fire department," Soldo said, highlighting the continuity of the department's fire chiefs—it has had only three since 1960—as a mark of its service. But "the fact that nothing has happened doesn't necessarily mean something isn't broken or in need of fixing."
Taylor told councilors the department has until July 11 to implement standard operating procedures. He expects councilors to take up whether to hire the full-time position in the next several weeks so the administrator can help implement other reforms.
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Fiscal checkup
Councilors also received two reports designed to help inform their decision making on economic policy. The first, an overview report on city finance, surveys the specific funds Northfield maintains and the financial status and issues involved with each fund.
That report found the city's general fund has "stayed pretty consistent" as a percentage of the budget. Tom Olinger of Abdo, Eick & Meyers, which prepared the report, said the fund increased $550,000 in 2010, largely from FEMA grants and city IT and administrative costs going $80,000 under budget.
The annual report serves as a companion to a comprehensive annual report. Councilors will vote whether to officially receive the report on July 5.
The second report, written by finance consultant Ehlers & Associates, surveyed the state of Northfield's debt.
"Overall," said Dave Callister, a financial advisor with Ehlers, "expenditures are in line with other cities your size."