Test test.

Good morning.

How is everybody this morning?

Good.

Good morning.

I think we're ready to get started.

We have a quorum.

Dale Reynolds is online.

So as we get started this morning, this is a workshop, so we don't start it traditionally with everything like we normally do.

So we will just dig in.

But we will start with roll call and then Clay, I'll have you open us.

Okay.

Sorry, I did not have to.

We cannot hear Dale.

I'm going to mark you, yes.

Ryan.

Oh, you vic I got Victor.

Okay, so I think we have actually we have all of council here.

Um we have one, two, three online and three present.

And then so I think we're good to go.

Okay.

So Clay Long's going to kick us off and here you go.

Thank you, Mayor, Council Commissioners.

Um, just to kind of set the stage for this morning's meeting.

Um, and district future annexed the city of Niampa for fire protection in 2021, which caused uh changes to our operational practices and procedures as far as equipment and uh real property over the last several years.

Uh, we've continued to work through some final things that need to be uh finished with that transition.

Many of those are still uh at staff level discussion and trying to wrap up some of those things.

My hope is to be back to council in November with a staff update on the rest of those items as we finalize them.

But the goal uh for this morning's meeting as we've worked with fire admin uh was to have a conversation and dialogue around two specific areas.

Number one being the fire admin space.

Um as a reminder, I did present uh and provide information regarding the space that was utilized by fire admin in the current location.

Uh and for the CIP, council did approve uh an amount of money for um reimbursement based on the growth that the police department had and that space being used by police for that uh and and relocating fire admin, that bucket of funds being available to council for um their their discretion on that for the fire admin space that they're currently occupying the other item uh for this morning was regarding the uh impact to budgets that urban renewal district has uh for the tax base right now and recognizing that being a constraint, also recognizing that's gonna sunset.

Um but I know that's been um a challenge uh both fire and city for budget perspectives and so an opportunity to have that conversation and discussion this morning.

So with that, I will turn it back to you for for the discussion.

I believe if uh I know the commissioners have prepared some things and information, it sounds like Chief.

So maybe turn it over to Kirk.

Uh good morning.

You know, please excuse me, I have a little bit of a tickle.

So we have the Kleenex protecting the people next to me.

And uh I want to thank both uh council and commission for coming.

Uh it's not often we get this opportunity.

Uh mayor, after yesterday, I feel like we probably should have opened in prayer with the reminder of of that.

Um so I appreciate your words yesterday.

Um and I think just before we get started, uh just wanted to reiterate uh the the fire department will always be um a supporter and a good partner of the city.

Um we try uh very diligently to live by our vision and core values, and our vision is very similar to the cities.

Ours is excellence um safe or excellence service and strength and unity.

And so when we think about those words for us, uh they really do apply to all things, and that strength and unity isn't just within the fire department, it's with our community, it's with with our council, um, all those things.

And so we get to today, it's been a long time since the annexation occurred.

Uh time has passed, and and new members are on council, and and so I know that for us we remember things a certain way.

Council will have thoughts and and perspectives a certain way, and those might not align.

And that's okay.

We could we can have discussions and we can have disagreements, and when we leave the room, our vision and core values don't change.

We're still uh uh supporting partner and and we'll always be a partner of the city and and the divisions within it.

Um I think today we really can we we can focus in on we have just this one item that we have some disagreement in in or different perspectives in and to to kind of give some I guess some highlight or review um I guess for for the fire district or I'll speak personally, there is a little bit of emotion in it, and so that can cloud things.

Um when we annex the city, uh we had been moved from the public safety building to where we are now, and we as a city and uh as an entity of the city, and so I think internally there's this piece of me that says, well, if we would have stayed with the city, we would have a home.

And and so that feels like to me that that should should also be uh today because we're still um a partner with the city, and in fact we we have the same constituents, the ta the taxpayers that you represent are the same taxpayers that we serve and represent as well.

Um and so I think today we're just asking more uh for some clarity as to the decision uh of council uh and then really uh past that just a request to help.

Um as a taxing district, we're we are solely property tax.

We don't have the opportunity for revenue very small opportunity for revenue.

So when we're uh looking at a large sum of money, there is no revenue opportunity for us to gain those funds from.