"The idea that government can continue to exist as it is, that's a broken idea," Brooklyn Park Mayor Jeff Lunde says. "We have to change things, [rather than] just to say things have always been done this way."

Propelled by that kind of thinking, the city is taking a step toward the "new norm" of municipal collaboration. Brooklyn Park's recently approved 2012 budget includes $50,000 to hire a consultant to advise the city on how its fire department can work with departments in area cities to share resources.

"Our goal with the study was to take an intelligent look at this and see if it makes sense financially, public safety-wise coverage-wise, all these parameters," Lunde said.

Right now, the city's fire department is a hybrid paid on-call/staffed operation, serving the city of nearly 76,0000 with a budget of about $2.75 million. Although Brooklyn Park is taking the lead on the project, the hope is that neighboring cities also will want to participate, Lunde said.

An outside consultant can look for opportunities to do anything from creating purchasing co-ops for uniforms to sharing a ladder truck or other specialized equipment to creating a regional fire district, such as those operating in Lino Lakes, Centerville and Circle Pines, and Blaine, Spring Lake Park and Mounds View.

The options are wide open.

"The fact that we might do a study that would include other communities doesn't necessarily mean we would ultimately merge or share services," Fire Chief Kenneth Prillaman said. "We want to find opportunities. ... The best way is to have a consultant come in and look at fire departments around us to look for redundancies or efficiencies to be had by considering a different service delivery model."

Economy a motivator

The economy had a lot to do with the city's move to look for efficiencies.

"It's a motivator; it's not the only motivator," Prillaman said. "All of us are charged with the fiduciary responsibility of spending our taxpayers' money as smartly as we can, while simultaneously delivering the best quality service possible.

Things that once seemed important, like choosing engine color or emblazoning the city name on the door, don't seem as important anymore, both men said.

"Those are more emotional issues," Prillaman said. "To that I say, ... if [Mrs. Smith's] house is on fire or her husband is on the kitchen floor, she doesn't care and probably wouldn't notice the name on the door of the fire truck in the street.

"What really matters is the help she gets."

The Brooklyn Park City Council hopes to put out a request for proposals for the study early this year. Lunde said the city hopes to have preliminary work done and a multi-city task force in place by the fall and to have identified changes in time for the budgeting period in 2013.

Maria Elena Baca • 612-673-4409