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Shorewood council favors contract flexibility as Mound and St. Bonifacius discuss fire district Joint Powers Agreement
Summary
City officials reviewed talks between the Mound and St. Bonifacius fire departments about a possible Joint Powers Agreement and signaled they expect Shorewood to remain a contract city rather than a full JPA voting member while staff continues to monitor costs and coverage implications.
Shorewood officials on Jan. 27 reviewed early discussions among neighboring fire departments about a possible Joint Powers Agreement (JPA) and indicated the city is likely to remain a contract customer rather than a full voting member. City Administrator Nevinski told the council the island properties Shorewood protects total about "one-hundred thirteen parcels," and said packet materials include service-call data covering 2015 through 2024.
"The City currently gives the Mound Fire Department about thirty thousand dollars per year for their services to the islands," Councilmember Maddy said, noting that Mound and St. Bonifacius chiefs had described Shorewood’s role as limited given the low number of calls. Councilmembers discussed that Shorewood’s current contract covers only a small portion of the departments’ overall operations and emphasized preserving the ability to change providers if needed.
The council reviewed how coverage is apportioned — Nevinski described Mound covering the northeastern quadrant and St. Bonifacius covering the rest of Minnetrista — and heard that the towns also respond through mutual aid. Councilmember Sanschagrin said packet materials showing an annual cost of about "$265 per parcel" were useful but asked staff to clarify which fixed costs were not captured by per-call figures. Maddy cautioned against directly comparing per-call data between departments because nearby jurisdictions may absorb fixed costs through other municipal departments.
Members also debated operational trends. Several councilmembers, citing contacts with adjacent fire agencies, said calls have shifted over time from structure fires to emergency medical and assistance calls, and that broader coverage with duty crews could create efficiencies. "If we broaden the net of their fire services coverage, that means they can have duty crews ... that could go take care of that kind of call without having to do an 'all call'," Maddy said.
A draft resolution in the meeting packet would have each city signal support for exploring a JPA; council discussion made clear Shorewood staff can amend the language to state support for exploration while reserving Shorewood’s right not to participate as a voting JPA member. Nevinski told the council staff expects pricing and operational proposals to begin crystallizing by mid-2025 so any budgeting or transition planning could be considered in upcoming cycles.
The council did not take a formal vote on joining a JPA. Instead, members instructed staff to remain engaged in intercity discussions, ask for clearer cost estimates, and report back to the council as more concrete proposals emerge.
