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Residents criticize administration over fire services and ask about SBM Fire Department costs
Summary
Three residents used the city’s Citizens Forum to accuse the administration of distorting facts about the Lexington Fire Chief and to ask what the city receives for a $700,000 capital buy-in and $345,000 annual payment to SBM Fire Department; the council took no formal action on the complaints during the meeting.
Three residents raised sharply worded concerns about the city’s approach to fire services at the Lexington City Council meeting on May 21, 2026.
Julie Morris of Shoreview, speaking on behalf of the Lexington Fire Auxiliary, said the city administrator “has manipulated the information and the Lexington Fire Chief facts have been distorted,” and urged transparency about recent administrative actions. Morris also listed community activities the local department performs, including food collections for the food shelf.
Diane Harris of Centerwood Road asked whether the council had considered appointing an interim fire chief and said the city administrator had not convinced her of the need to shut down the fire department. Maria Nelson, another Shoreview resident, asked for specifics about the city’s financial arrangement with SBM Fire Department, saying she wanted to know “what the City receives for the $700,000 capital buy-in and $345,000 annual expense” for services.
The minutes record that discussion followed those questions but do not record a specific response or any formal action by the council to alter fire-department leadership or contracts during the meeting. Earlier in the evening, Mayor Murphy moved and the council approved a 3-minute-per-person limit for Citizens Forum comments, a procedural change that applied to the public-comment period in which these remarks occurred.
Why this matters: residents framed their comments as concerns about both transparency and local emergency services. The council’s minutes show the questions were heard but do not record follow-up steps, staff commitments, or votes related to the fire-department management or the SBM contract during this session.
Next steps: the minutes do not record any council directive or vote addressing the complaints; no interim chief was appointed and no contract decisions were made during the May 21 meeting. Further detail on the SBM Fire Department arrangement (including services contracted, deliverables and any performance metrics tied to the $700,000 capital buy-in and $345,000 annual payment) was not specified in the minutes.
