By BRIAN BONNER
St. Paul Pioneer Press
There’s still plenty of time to back out, but South St. Paul and West St. Paul are edging closer to saying “I do” in marrying their fire departments.
On Monday, the West St. Paul City Council is expected to vote on whether to endorse a joint powers agreement to make the merger happen. Its South St. Paul counterpart is scheduled to take up the issue at its Oct. 17 meeting.
An agreement will be a major step forward, South St. Paul City Administrator Stephen King said. It will allow the two cities to form a five-member governing board to start solving the many issues that lie ahead.
The board is expected to consist of two council members from each city and a fifth representative from neither city. The board would delve into matters ranging from hiring a new chief to negotiating new labor agreements and integrating the two agencies.
While a merger is still many months away, momentum appears to be building. At least that’s what South St. Paul Mayor Beth Baumann thinks. “People have turned the corner on it. They agree it’s the thing to do,” Baumann said. “They trust us to make the right decision. We haven’t done this hastily. We did it the right way. We brought everybody to the table.”
The idea of merging the two fire departments heated up in 2003, following cuts in state aid to both suburbs. Many meetings, including public hearings, have been held.
The neighboring suburbs have many similarities. South St. Paul got started in 1887 and once included the modern-day territory of West St. Paul, which broke away two years later.
Each city has about 20,000 residents and comparable geographic size.
Both have opted to maintain career fire departments, rather than volunteer agencies more common to suburbs and small cities. Besides fighting fires, the firefighters also respond to medical emergencies, though primary responsibility for medical calls rests with HealthEast ambulances in both cities.
South St. Paul is expected to spend $2.1 million next year on its department, while West St. Paul’s budget is $1.8 million. Each currently has 17 firefighters. West St. Paul has a chief and an assistant chief, while Capt. Harry Rund is interim chief in South St. Paul.
The merger is envisioned to lead to long-term cost savings in overtime, equipment purchases and training expenses. Officials also hope that the department might be able to sign service contracts with neighboring cities that have difficulties finding daytime volunteers.
In the beginning, the merger will lead to an estimated $375,000 in start-up costs. No one will be laid off from either department to accomplish the merger, though future staffing levels are uncertain.
“We are trying to avoid making it sound like a cost-cutting, budget-driven exercise,’' King said. “We’re focused on improving services. I think we’ll find efficiencies as we move along.”
Details are “very ambiguous at this point,” King conceded. “We don’t have a lot of answers to a lot of things. I’ve learned to say it isn’t over until it’s over.”
Brad Quiggle is the secretary-treasurer of the International Association of Firefighters Local 1059 and a fire captain in West St. Paul.
While plenty of questions and concerns remain, Quiggle said that the union has at least been part of the process.
“I don’t feel we’ve been left out. They’re listening,” Quiggle said. “Hopefully, it will be good for us in the long run. I can understand some of their points in wanting to consolidate some of their services. I get the impression they’re not going to save any money. Our concern is they’re going to cut staffing.”
Quiggle said he doesn’t envision an operational merger before the end of 2006.