White Bear Lake City Council 4/14/2026

The City of White Bear Lake held a City Council meeting on April 14, 2026, which included a detailed biannual report from the Fire Department. The report highlighted the department's staffing, call volume increases, and response times, noting a 7% rise in calls to 5,112 in the past year. Significant procurement updates included the introduction of a new fire engine and ambulance, with the fire engine costing over a million dollars and the ambulance $370,000. The department emphasized the rising costs of emergency vehicles and the typical replacement cycles—20 years for fire trucks and about 5 years for ambulances. The council also discussed ongoing safety initiatives such as carbon monoxide detector installations and fire prevention education. Additionally, the city manager provided an update on the upcoming construction of phase one of a local trail project, expected to be completed by November 2026. No votes or motions related to procurement were recorded during the meeting.