Caledonia Argus

City will oversee fire departmentís gambling fund

Posted: 11/19/02

by Jane Palen
Managing editor

Questions of who should have ultimate authority over the funds and whether funds are available for other emergency services such as the ambulance or police were raised at an earlier meeting of the council.

The city contacted its accounting firm, Tostrud and Temp, to clarify the question of who has control of those funds. The answer the city received was that the City Council is responsible for all accounts held by the fire department, and that those funds are subject to audits. The fire department is not legally separate from the city, and the fire department lawful gambling funds should be merged with the financial data from the city. The city can then designate the funds for fire equipment, apparatus, or personal protective equipment.

Mayor Robert Burns said that he would like to see quarterly reports on the funds raised through the pull tabs.

ìWe want a reporting. We want to know what they are doing with the money,î said Burns. ìWe donít want to make this adversarial.î He added that the monitoring of the fire department funds by the city should not be construed as a lack of trust.

ìI canít imagine them using it foolishly,î he said.

It was noted that two fire department members plan to take a class which will qualify them to administer the lawful gambling program.

In a related matter, the council approved an increase of $200 per year for the fire chief, and first and second assistants. In February of this year, the council had approved an increase from $7 per hour to $10 per hour for call time for fire fighters following a similar motion which was passed by the rural fire district.

Council seeks reimbursement for insurance premiums

In other news, the council read language from a bill that State Representative Greg Davids has proposed that would require the state Department of Public Safety to reimburse the city $25,315 for insurance premiums it has paid on behalf of a police officer, Mark Coffield, who was disabled in the line of duty. The amount represents premiums paid from November 9,1999, to June 30, 2002.

According to Minnesota statutes, a police officer disabled in the line of duty is entitled to insurance benefits for himself and his dependents to be paid for by the city, with those costs reimbursed by the DPS.

However, when the city applied to the state for reimbursement, it was told that the funds had run out and that the city would not be receiving reimbursement.

City clerk administrator Robert Nelson contacted local state legislators to address the situation. Rep. Davids has drafted a bill which he will introduce in the state legislature which provides for the repayment of the funds paid by the city.

According to Clerk Administrator Nelson, the League of Minnesota Cities may also be taking up the cause because several other cities have found themselves in the same situation.

Voter turnout good

In other news, Nelson informed the council that voter turnout for the November 5 election was 66.2 percent. In Precinct 1, there are 792 registered voters, including those who registered on election day, and in Precinct 2, there are 1,000. The total number of votes cast was 1,792, including 48 absentee ballots.

Mayor Burns, who was unopposed in the election, received 1,186 votes. Paul Fisch received 844 votes for council and Randi Vick received 857. Both ran unopposed.

City to seek more information on cost sharing

In other news, the city council agreed to seek more detail on a statement from the school district which lists costs for improvements to North Warrior Avenue which total $63,873. The letter requests that the city pay $25,000 of those costs, as per an earlier agreement. The city had agreed to cost share in the development of the south 280 ft. of Gjere Avenue and Kruckow Avenue from its intersection with Gjere to the east property line of the school. Council members said they werenít sure how much of the work recently completed is included as part of the original agreement nad what goes beyond the scope of tht agreement.

Top of Page