If the agreement is approved by Bernero, Talifarro would take over the Lansing duties on an interim basis once current Lansing Fire Chief Tom Cochran retires in January 2012.

Talifarro would perform the fire chief duties for both departments as needed, with the Lansing
duties potentially taking up anywhere between 40 to 60 percent of Talifarro’s schedule on a weekly basis, according to a draft of the agreement. If approved by Lansing, the agreement would remain in place for one year.

The city of Lansing has the power to end the agreement with no notice to East Lansing, but would be required to pay the city for 90 days afterward.

Discussions around the agreement first came about after six regional municipalities began participating in a study examining the feasibility of a shared fire chief. Mayor Pro Tem Nathan Triplett said the agreement expands upon East Lansing’s desire to work with other nearby communities.

“The staff and council have sought to work with our regional partners for shared service provision (in recent years),” Triplett said.

Councilmember Don Power — who was unable to attend the Tuesday night meeting because of a recent surgery — previously had expressed some concerns with the agreement during the council’s Nov. 22 work session, where he cautioned against sharing the entire department with Lansing, not just East Lansing’s fire chief.

Interim City Manager George Lahanas told the council at its Nov. 22 work session he supported approving the agreement.

City finances
Prior to approving the intergovernmental agreement, the council was briefed on the city’s fiscal year audit report, which tracks city expenses, revenues and other finances.

The city’s audit was carried out by the local branch of Plante and Moran, a consulting firm. Plante and Moran consultant Joe Heffernan said East Lansing held up well financially this year, despite the tough economic climate elsewhere.

“Overall, the city’s finances are a good picture,” Heffernan said, noting the city’s fund balance grew this year. “You need to continue to really watch your budget.”

But the road ahead could get more difficult for the city financially. Heffernan said he expected property taxes paid to East Lansing to decline next year, along with drops in state contributions, which will put pressure on the city financially.

However, East Lansing’s five-year fiscal planning process could help alleviate some of those issues, he said.

“All of the really best run cities … are the ones that have been doing five-year financial projections,” he said.

A 4.4 percent increase in the city’s population this past year — which ran counter to a statewide drop in population — also was positive, but population increases and the resulting property taxes they pay are unlikely to make up for the gap in declining state contributions, Heffernan said.

MSU ties
Councilmembers also were updated on the work this semester of the Community Relations Coalition, or CRC, an organization of MSU students and permanent residents who engage in outreach activities in neighborhoods around East Lansing.

This fall, the CRC has briefed about 760 residents on a weekly basis on issues facing the community, including the city’s recent party litter ordinance, said CRC intern and English senior Ryan Waldron.

The CRC recently was involved in hosting a Thanksgiving feast for international students at MSU, and participated in the city’s Winter Glow festivities last weekend.

The relationship between East Lansing residents and students has been positive so far this year, said English senior and CRC intern James Robinson.

“We would like to thank the city for its support (during the semester),” he said. “A lot of what we do is between relationships of the community.”