Isanti council delays approval of fire joint-powers draft, orders work session amid concerns over chief’s authority

Isanti City councilors paused consideration of a proposed joint powers agreement (JPA) with the local fire district and asked staff to set a dedicated work session after members raised concerns the draft would expand the fire chief’s regulatory and contracting authority.

At the meeting a council member (speaker 4) said the draft appears to designate the fire chief as both "CEO and fire marshal," centralizing decision-making and placing code-enforcement and contracting authority with the chief. "I'm not willing to do this right now as council member or even represent the city unless you guys convince me different," the council member said, urging that leadership issues be resolved first.

Councilors debated a fee-and-collection provision in the draft that would allow the district to bill for certain responses. One member pressed that routine billing could discourage residents from calling for help: "They're gonna try to put that fire out themselves," the councilor said, arguing that delays could make small fires far worse. Another councilor clarified the department's historical practice: "They never charged for a fire unless it was over 8 hours," noting the 8-hour threshold had been the typical cutoff for billing.

Members also discussed a retirement-system clause that would move volunteer firefighters into a state-managed relief association; supporters said it could stabilize benefits statewide while critics warned of reduced local flexibility and potential higher long-term costs if the local relief association is currently healthy.

The draft also includes a clause that staff read as obligating the city to provide water to the fire district "without charge" for station, firefighting and training use. Miss Wood (speaker 5) said existing agreements typically address training uses and that metered firefighting uses can vary.

Councilors agreed they lacked sufficient specifics to approve the JPA at the meeting. The chair directed staff to collect detailed questions and coordinate a separate work session; Miss Wood said she would poll council availability and handle the required three-day notice. No final vote on the JPA occurred at the meeting.

Next steps: staff will schedule the work session and return with clearer draft language, thresholds for billing and specifics about any expanded authorities for the fire chief.