1974-5182rRESOLUTION 1'~TOo 5182
RESOLUTiOi~'~ P.ELATING TO THE BILL CONCL`R]?IING THE OFFICE
OF FIRE CHIEF Al~TD ASSISTANT FIRE CHIEF FOR THE CITY OF RICHFIELD
(To Governor Wendell R. Anderson)
WHEREAS, the Richfield City Council has adopted a Iocal ordinance creating
a single Public Safety Department with a police division, fire division, and civi',
defense divisi~9;~ replay^°_ng the former three separate d~::par.tments of police,, fl.re,
and civil defense, ar~d
WHEREAS, this ordinance was adopted by the city council after holding pub-
lic hearings and after receiving a report from a special committee composed of
citizens in the corr,munity as well as employees of the three separate divisions, and
WHEREAS, the city does now have a position of public safety director as
department director responsible for all phases of the public safety department
serv$cps, and
WHEREAS, the new organizational structure for the public safety department
does not require bath a division head and assistant division head within the fire
dlvlslon, and
WHEREAS, the position for fire chief is currently vacant and the city would
realize substantial savings if both the chief and assistant chief position did not
have to be filled, and
WHEREAS, the city did not want to ~eopordize the receipt of the state aid pro-
vided by 1"/Iinnesota Statutes, Chapter ~9, and the signing of this bill would have
allowed the city the opportunity to provide a greater degree of flexibility in the
management of the Department of Public Safety, as well as save the taxpayers of
the City of Richfield additional money, and
WHEREAS, the failure to sign this bill into law by the Governor of the State
of Minnesota will force the City of Richfield to artificially maintain a supervisory
position that is possibly unnecessary and duplicable in nature with other super-
visory positions , and
WHEREAS, Wendell Re Anderson, Governor of the State of Minnesota, has
repeatedly reiterated his firm stand that his administration would do whatever
possible to eliminate unnecessary governmental spending, and
WHEREAS, the state legislature and Governor enacted the 1971 Omnibus Tax
Law which severely limits local units of government in their ability to determine
their own level of municipal services, and
WHEREAS, both the Senate and the House of Representatives of the State
Legislature held public hearings on this proposed law and followl.ng these hearings
the bill was passed by both. houses of the legislature, and
WHEREAS, the Governor of this state vetoed this bill which was only his
second veto after af;proving over 5C~0 other bills passed by the representatives
of the State of Minnesota .
NOW, T1=iEREFORE, 13E IT RESCLUET~ by the City Council of the City of
Richfield, Minnesota that the city council hereby goes on record protesting the
veto of this local bill by Wendell R. Anderson, Governor of the State of M.inn-
esotao which x~~'.~ had '~s~~en previously suppor~:ed by tl,:~~ Richfield City Cour°scil
and approved by a majority of the representatives of the state legislature from
the City of Richfield and by the Minnesota State Legislature as a whole.
Passed by the city council of the City of Richfield, Minnesota this 22nd
~,
day of April, 1974.
-~ N
f- ..
~ -'
e y !Loren L. Law ~ ~jMayor
ATTEST:
Thomas Moran City Clerk
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