CC Min 1996-04-15 - Laserfiche WebLink

Browse Search

'I . I . - MIS: HOWARDIBUCHAN TO APPROVE THE CONSTRUCTION AND STAFFING - OF A PERMANENT FIRE STATION AT REDWOOD SHORES USING EXISTING REDWOOD CITY PERSONNEL ADOPTING OPTION ONE, MINIMUM DAILY STAFFING OF NINETEEN (19) EMPLOYEES Councilman Ruskin said the time frame for completion of this project was of utmost importance and suggested a friendly amendment to the motion that the completed fire station be fully operational by the end of Calendar year 1997. The maker of the motion asked staff for its projections on a reasonable time frame, and Mayor Hartnett suggested the Council deal with the motion approving a permanent station first and the time frame later. Councilman Ruskin withdrew his suggested amendment. MINUTE ORDER NO. 96-079 Councilman Leipzig asked if the maker and seconder of the motion would consider taking the issue of the permanent station and the staffing issue as two separate items. The maker and the seconder suggested that the Council vote on the original motion first, and if the motion failed, Council could then deal with the two issues separately. MINUTE ORDER NO. 96-080 Councilman Leipzig said "I will be voting 'no.' I fully support the fire station in - Redwood Shores. I said so in the campaign, and I will stick by that. (I would like) the option just to vote on that issue and not lump it together with other issues. I think we can clearly indicate to the staff that we want a fire station, the budget is approximately $1.4 milIion,....and we can say we want that built next summer. I don't see any problem with getting that accomplished....! want to reassure Redwood Shores residents....I fully support a fire station, but being locked into this additional $160,000 cost on the staffing I'm going to vote 'no' tonight." Mayor Hartnett said "1 support the motion, and in particular, not only the construction of a permanent fire station, but also the nineteen person staffing level. It is important to recognize what that nineteen person staffing level means." Mayor Hartnett described the discussions held during all of last year with the Menlo Fire District regarding the possibility of some type of merger that would "free up a crew to man a fire station....We would have been able to free up a crew that could fully staff a station in Redwood Shores....and all we would have had to do was build the station." Mayor Hartnett said the discussions revealed a series of problems that appeared to be insoluble. During those discussions the Redwood City Firefighters came up with a formal proposal that would allow the City to build a station in Redwood Shores with no increase in personnel costs. Years ago an informal proposal using eighteen personnel had surfaced but that proposal had not been ratified by the Firefighters union. This proposal with a nineteen staffing level was ratified by the union. "It represents a creative and innovative way to do '----' Regular Meeting Minutes MINUTE BOOK NO. 54 April 15, 1996 Page No. 191 Page 9