Experience

A Message from Randy

“In my final term as Alderman, the city manager asked me to chair a committee entitled Fire Vision 2020. The task of the committee was to perform a detailed analysis of the city's fire protection services to include present services, efficiency, personnel and equipment requirements, operating expenses, and pension obligations. Upon gaining a full detailed understanding of the present issues facing the department, the committee was tasked with making recommendations concerning future structure, financial requirements, and potential alternative delivery models. The city manager and I interviewed public safety staff and consultants aggressively with an eye toward obtaining an unvarnished view of current status and the future realities of providing fire services. The process included many conversations with fire department management and staff, which necessitated establishment of trust, not only between the committee and the fire staff, but between the city manager and myself. As a result of our collaborative effort, numerous tangible outcomes were obtained. A clear understanding was established that the department could not remain viable in the future without changes in structure and finance. The most dramatic result of the collaboration was the establishment of a Pension Finance Reform Committee, which subsequently restructured the city pension funding schedule to extend viability over the intermediate term, providing security for concerned fire department staff while lending stability to the city's budgeting process.“

— Stanford “Randy” Tack