The Austin City Council voted unanimously to approve a Minnesota law that allows for the allocation of 2017 Fire State Aid to the city during its regular meeting Monday evening.

Under Minnesota Laws 2018, Chapter 211, Article 14, Section 26, the city can receive the $129,000 in funds to be split between the Austin Part-time Firefighters Relief Association and the City of Austin full-time firefighters. The law required the council to pass a resolution of approval and submit a certificate of approval to the Secretary of State’s office in order to get the money.

“The city is happy that the pension bill passed and our provision to split the fire aid was in that bill,” said Austin Fire Chief Jim McCoy. “When we were notified a couple of years back that the law had changed, it was a surprise to the city and we had been doing business as usual and our hope is that we can continue splitting fire aid as in the past.”

The city, however, did not receive 2016 Fire State Aid, which was attached to the 2018 Omnibus Budget Bill vetoed by Governor Mark Dayton.

“The way it was explained to us was if we accepted the state fire aid through 2016, we would have to transmit all of that fire aid into the Relief Association and getting the money out of the relief association and paid back to the city was nearly impossible, according to the state,” McCoy said about the 2016 Fire State Aid. “It was decided at that point by the city council to forfeit the fire aid for 2016 and ask for it retroactively through a bill. Our plan is to continue to ask for that money through our local legislators to be repaid to the city to make us whole.”

Administrative Services Director Tom Dankert has informed Representative Jeanne Poppe and Senator Dan Sparks that the city wants the 2016 Fire State Aid included in the 2019 legislative session.

McCoy said that other fire departments are looking at the Austin Fire Department as a model for handling pensions.

“As the fire service continues to change, the request we’re making to continue to split our fire aid is one that interests many other fire departments as they progress from an all volunteer and part-time to a combination department (of full-time and part-time firefighters) as we have been for many years,” he said.