12/13/2025
The Star Tribune reports that the long-running dispute between City of Orono, and City of Long Lake, over control of fire services in the closely connected western Twin Cities suburbs has finally subsided. Hooray!
On Monday, December 8, 2025, the Orono City Council voted unanimously to dissolve the Orono Fire Department—an ill-conceived entity created in June 2023 by the previous administration. Established without meaningful public input, which plunged the city into a costly breach-of-contract lawsuit, followed by two contempt-of-court violations—an unprecedented situation for a Minnesota municipality. The fallout culminated in a drama-filled high-stakes election in 2024 that reshaped the council into a body grounded in common-sense fire safety solutions, civility, fiscal responsibility, and community input.
In 2025, the Orono City Council has been working to rein in the uncontrolled spending left behind by the previous administration—including costly projects such as the new and objectively unnecessary $17.5 million Public Works building, voting down plans for a $1.3 million salt shed—while also rebuilding depleted reserves and working to reduce water costs for the one-third of Orono residents on city water. These lingering fiscal challenges are an undeniable reality that will persist for years, if not decades.
Figure Out Fire recognizes that the current City Council has been acutely aware of the tax implications from day one and has made deliberate, strategic decisions throughout its first year to keep any increases as minimal as possible. This includes the Council’s decision to establish a Joint Powers Agreement (JPA) for fire services—led by Orono Councilmember Steve Persian—which will save taxpayers approximately $528,000 in operational costs and an additional $350,000 in avoided capital expenditures. Together, these measures amount to $878,000 in tax savings in 2026 alone, not to mention the tens of millions of dollars that would otherwise be required to equip and operate an unnecessary department, all while preserving the same reliable fire service Orono residents have received for decades from the Long Lake Fire Department.
Meanwhile, residents in Otsego are confronting a starkly different reality: a 19% property tax increase to fund an independent fire department that has already cost $11.5 million—and continues to climb. With costs still escalating and no clear end in sight, taxpayers are beginning to push back, recognizing that this is likely only the beginning of a much larger financial burden. Anyone else experiencing déjà vu?
Thankfully, Orono residents will never have to speculate about the additional tax consequences that would have followed had the city continued down the path of an independent fire department. That uncertainty has been decisively avoided. As the community heads into the holiday season, that fiscal clarity—and the hundreds of thousands of dollars in savings it represents—is something Orono taxpayers can be genuinely grateful for.
The Shoreline Fire Department will begin service on January 1, 2026, led by Chief Mike Heiland and will be composed largely of the same dedicated firefighters who currently serve both communities—simply operating under a new name on the trucks. The continuity ensures no disruption in service while delivering a more sustainable and collaborative model. Even more to be grateful for.
“It will serve our communities very, very well going forward,” said Orono Mayor Bob Tunheim. Long Lake Mayor Charlie Miner echoed that sentiment, saying he “couldn’t be more pleased” with the new arrangement.
The resolution of the dispute between Orono and Long Lake follows years of strife between the cities over who should control fire services.
