Fire Chief Kevin Fox and Police Chief Scott Borman presented the public-safety section of Minnetonka's 2026 strategic action steps during the Dec. 15 study session, aligning many items with the 2023 public-safety master plan and a set of implementation recommendations.

Chiefs highlighted multiple staffing and operational actions: evaluate and expand a real-time operations center, improve patrol staffing and investigative capacity, increase peak-hour staffing at Fire Station 4 through a mix of paid-on-call and full-time hires, and begin the Station 2 facility project (advance through state bonding steps and architect selection). The chiefs said they will continue pursuing grant opportunities to support staffing and training needs.

On mental-health response, staff proposed continued research into alternative response models and developing a co-responder model to reduce use-of-force incidents related to behavioral-health calls. The chiefs also proposed a public-facing dashboard to track fire and EMS performance metrics and to inform resource allocation.

Councilmembers asked for more detail about a proposed pre-hire program to maintain patrol coverage during retirements. The chiefs described the pre-hire concept as a recruitment tool that would allow departments to begin replacements in anticipation of a retiree's departure, reducing coverage gaps and overtime costs. Chief Fox noted incentives that encourage advanced notice from retiring employees and acknowledged the program's limits if an incumbent leaves suddenly.

Separately, council members raised EMS service concerns involving Hennepin County and neighboring districts. Chiefs and the city manager said county-level studies and facilitated district meetings are underway; staff will continue to brief the council on EMS options and regional coordination.

Next steps: chiefs will continue implementing master-plan recommendations, pursue Station 2 preliminary work and grants, and bring metrics and progress updates to council in quarterly reports. Any policy or funding decisions that require council approval will return to the regular meeting agenda.