CHAPTER 31: DEPARTMENTS, BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS
3-7
CHAPTER 31: DEPARTMENTS, BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS
Section
Volunteer Fire Department
31.00 Volunteer Fire Department continued; appointment of officers
31.01 Duties of Chief
31.02 Duties of Fire Marshal
31.03 Records
31.04 Practice drills
31.05 Assistant Chief
31.06 Firefighters
31.07 Loss of membership
31.08 Compensation
31.09 Interference with Volunteer Fire Department
31.10 Bylaws
Planning Commission
31.25 Establishment of the Planning Commission
31.26 Composition
31.27 Organization, meetings, minutes and expenditures
31.28 Powers and duties; comprehensive plan
VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT
§ 31.00 VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT CONTINUED; APPOINTMENT OF
OFFICERS.
(A) There is continued in this city a Volunteer Fire Department, which department shall have
the following officers: a Chief, and Assistant Chief, and a Fire Marshal.
(B) The Chief of the Volunteer Fire Department shall be appointed by the City Council. The
Chief of the Volunteer Fire Department shall appoint each year an Assistant Chief and a Fire
Marshal, subject to confirmation by the City Council. The Chief of the Volunteer Fire Department,
the Assistant Chief and the Fire Marshal each shall hold office for one year and until the successor
has been duly appointed or qualified. These officers may be removed by the City Council for cause
and after a public hearing. If one of the officers duly appointed shall resign his or her office, be
removed from office by the City Council, or is deceased during his or her term of office, the
successor shall be duly appointed by the City Council as soon as is practical and no later than two
weeks from the time the position becomes open. The officer so appointed is so appointed for the
period of the unexpired term of the vacated office.
Lake Lillian Ordinance Code - Administration
3-8
(C) Firefighters and probationary firefighters shall be appointed by the Chief of the Volunteer
Fire Department, subject to confirmation by the City Council. Firefighters shall continue as
members of the Volunteer Fire Department during good behavior until retirement, but may be
removed by the City Council for cause after a public hearing.
§ 31.01 DUTIES OF CHIEF.
The Chief shall have control of all fire fighting apparatus and shall be responsible for its care
and condition. The Chief shall make a report semi-annually to the City Council at its meeting in
March and in September as to the condition of the equipment and needs of the Volunteer Fire
Department. The Chief may submit additional reports and recommendations at any meeting of the
City Council, and he or she shall report each suspension by him or her of a member of the
Volunteer Fire Department at the first meeting of the City Council following the suspension. The
Chief shall be responsible for the proper training and discipline of the members of the Volunteer
Fire Department, and may suspend any member for refusal or neglect to obey orders pending final
action by the City Council on his or her discharge or retention.
§ 31.02 DUTIES OF FIRE MARSHAL.
The office of Fire Marshal may be held by the Chief or Assistant Chief, if the City Council
approves. The Fire Marshal shall be charged with the enforcement of all city ordinances and laws
of the state for fire prevention including, if authorized by the City Council, the Uniform Fire Code,
Minn. Rules Ch. 7510, as it may be amended from time to time. The Fire Marshal shall have full
authority to inspect all premises and to cause the removal or abatement of all fire hazards.
§ 31.03 RECORDS.
The Chief shall keep in convenient form a record of all fires. The record shall include the time
of the alarm, location of fire, cause of fire, if known, type of building, name of owner or tenant,
purpose for which occupied, value of building and contents, members of the Volunteer Fire
Department responding to the alarm and other information as he or she may deem advisable or as
may be required from time to time by the City Council or state law or regulation.
§ 31.04 PRACTICE DRILLS.
It shall be the duty of the Chief, when the weather permits, to hold practice drills for the
Volunteer Fire Department and to give the firefighters instruction in approved methods of fire
fighting and fire prevention.
Lake Lillian Ordinance Code - Administration
3-9
§ 31.05 ASSISTANT CHIEF.
In the absence or disability of the Chief of the Volunteer Fire Department, the Assistant Chief
shall perform all functions and exercise all of the authority of the Chief.
§ 31.06 FIREFIGHTERS.
Firefighters shall not be less than 18 years of age and able bodied. They shall become
members of the Volunteer Fire Department only after a 12-month probationary period. The City
Council may require that each candidate, before he or she may become a probationary firefighter,
must possess certain minimum height, weight, education, mental and physical health requirements,
and any other qualifications which may be specified by the City Council.
§ 31.07 LOSS OF MEMBERSHIP.
Firefighters shall forfeit membership in the Volunteer Fire Department for unreasonable
inattention to duties or lack of attendance at meetings or calls or disobedience of orders or other
due cause, and any firefighter may be suspended by the Chief pending hearing upon his or her
removal. Firefighters absent from three consecutive drills or calls, unless excused by the Chief,
shall forfeit membership in the Volunteer Fire Department.
§ 31.08 COMPENSATION.
The members and officers of the Volunteer Fire Department shall receive compensation as
provided by the City Council.
§ 31.09 INTERFERENCE WITH VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT.
It shall be unlawful for any person to give or make, or cause to be given or made, an alarm of
fire without probable cause, or to neglect or refuse to obey any reasonable order of the Chief or
other firefighter at a fire, or to interfere with the Volunteer Fire Department in the discharge of its
duties. Penalty, see § 10.99.
§ 31.10 BYLAWS.
The Volunteer Fire Department may adopt bylaws for its government, which bylaws shall be
effective upon approval by the City Council.
Lake Lillian Ordinance Code - Administration
3-10
PLANNING COMMISSION
§ 31.25 ESTABLISHMENT OF THE PLANNING COMMISSION.
A Planning Commission (Zoning Board) for the city is hereby continued. The Planning
Commission shall be the city planning agency authorized by M.S. § 462.354(1), as it may be
amended from time to time.
§ 31.26 COMPOSITION.
(A) The Planning Commission shall consist of five members from the resident population of
the city to be appointed by the Mayor with the approval of the City Council. The appointees shall
be appointed to serve staggered terms of three years, except as noted below, commencing on the
first day of January in the year of appointment. Upon expiration of a term, the appointee shall
continue until reappointed or a successor is appointed. Absences from any three meetings in a
year, unless excused in advance by the Chair, constitutes a vacancy. In the event of any vacancy,
the Mayor, with the approval of the City Council, shall appoint a person to complete the unexpired
term.
(B) One member may be a Council Member or the City Clerk, to be appointed by the Mayor
with the approval of the City Council. This member shall serve for a one year term, to expire on
December 31 of each year.
(C) Other persons may serve in an ex officio capacity as the City Council may, in its
discretion, deem appropriate.
(D) Each of the five regular Planning Commission members shall have equal voting privileges.
Any member may be removed for cause by majority vote of the City Council upon written charge
and after a public hearing.
§ 31.27 ORGANIZATION, MEETINGS, MINUTES AND EXPENDITURES.
(A) At the first regular meeting in January, the Planning Commission shall elect a Chairperson,
a Vice-Chairperson and a Secretary from among its appointed members, each for a term of one
year. The Planning Commission may create and fill other offices as it may determine.
(B) The Planning Commission shall hold at least one meeting each month at the time and place
as they may fix by resolution. Special meetings may be called at any time by the Chairperson, or in
the case of the Chairperson*s absence, by the Vice-Chairperson.
(C) Written minutes of meetings shall be kept and filed with the City Clerk prior to the next
regularly scheduled City Council meeting, but shall be subject to the approval at the next Planning
Commission meeting.
Lake Lillian Ordinance Code - Administration
3-11
(D) No expenditures by the Planning Commission shall be made unless and until authorized for
the purpose by the City Council.
§ 31.28 POWERS AND DUTIES; COMPREHENSIVE PLAN.
(A) Generally. The Planning Commission shall have the powers and duties given to city
planning agencies generally by law. The Planning Commission shall also exercise the duties
conferred upon it by this code. It shall be the purpose of the Planning Commission to prepare and
adopt a comprehensive plan for the physical development of the city, including proposed public
buildings, street arrangements and improvements, efficient design of major thoroughfares for
moving of traffic, parking facilities, public utilities services, parks and playgrounds, a general land
use plan and other matters relating to the physical development of the city. This plan may be
prepared in sections, each of which shall relate to a comprehensive plan program. After the
Planning Commission has prepared and adopted the comprehensive plan, it shall periodically, but
at least every three years, review the comprehensive plan and any ordinances or programs
implementing the plan.
(B) Means of executing plan. Upon the adoption of a comprehensive plan or any section
thereof, it shall be the concern of the Planning Commission to recommend to the City Council
reasonable and practical means for putting into effect the plan or section thereof in order that it
will serve as a pattern and guide for the orderly physical development of the city and as a basis for
judging the timely disbursements of funds to implement the objective. Means of effectuating the
plan shall, among other things, consist of a zoning ordinance, subdivision regulations, capital
improvement programming and technical review, and recommendations of matters referred to the
Planning Commission by the City Council.
(C) Zoning ordinance. Pursuant to M..S. § 462.357(3), as it may be amended from time to
time, the Planning Commission shall review all proposed amendments to the zoning ordinance,
take part in public hearings, and make recommendations to the City Council as may be prescribed
by the zoning ordinance.
(D) Special permits. The Planning Commission may make recommendations on all requests for
a conditional use permit under the terms of the zoning ordinance. The Planning Commission shall
report its recommendations to the City Council for action.
(E) Subdivision regulations. The Planning Commission may make recommendations in
relation to the subdividing of land as prescribed by the ordinance. The Planning Commission shall
report its recommendations to the City Council for action.
(F) Variances. All applications for variances shall be referred to the Planning Commission
which shall have the powers of a Board of Appeals and adjustments as provided for in M.S. §
462.357, Subd. 6, as it may be amended from time to time, and forwarded with or without
recommendations directly to the City Council for its decision. Variances may be granted from the
literal provisions of an ordinance only where strict enforcement would cause undue hardship
because of circumstances unique to the individual property under consideration as authorized by
M.S. § 462.357, Subd. 6(2) as it may be amended from time to time.