About the Coordinating Committee 

The South Lake Minnetonka Police Department (SLMPD) functions as a joint powers organization pursuant to the statutory authority that authorizes cities to create such partnerships for the delivery of services.  The SLMPD partnership, which dates back to 1973, has proven to be an effective and economical way for the cities of Excelsior, Greenwood, Shorewood and Tonka Bay to provide quality law enforcement services.  The charter under which the SLMPD operates is a Joint Powers Agreement (JPA), which affords member cities equal representation in the governance of the SLMPD through the Coordinating Committee.  Each member city is represented on this governing body by its respective mayor.  The Coordinating Committee is responsible for establishing the standards of policing based upon the available funding.  Since the SLMPD has no independent taxing authority, it is dependent on contributions from the member cities for the majority of its funding with which to operate on an annual basis.  The Chief of Police is the administrative officer for the SLMPD and reports directly to the Coordinating Committee.  

2009 Coordinating Committee Members

Mayor Nick Ruehl

City of Excelsior

Mayor Deb Kind

City of Greenwood

Mayor Chris Lizee

City of Shorewood

Mayor Bill LaBelle

City of Tonka Bay

To contact a member of the Coordinating Committee click “LINKS” at the top of this page and go to the corresponding city web site for that mayor.   

Meetings

The Coordinating Committee meets quarterly within a calendar year.  Other meetings are held as needed.  Unless otherwise noted, meetings are held in the lower level conference room at the South Lake Minnetonka Public Safety Facility located at 24100-24150 Smithtown Road in Shorewood.  Meeting notices are posted on this web site as well as at the South Lake Minnetonka Public Safety Facility.  Meeting notices are also sent to the member cities.  Regular meetings are broadcast on local cable television with the dates/times listed on this web site.  Other meetings may be televised as determined by the Coordinating Committee.  

Sub-Committee of the Coordinating Committee

Operating Committee

In 2004, the Coordinating Committee created as a matter of policy an administrative sub-committee to serve in an advisory role.  This sub-committee, known as the Operating Committee, consists of the City Manager for Excelsior along with the City Administrators for Greenwood, Shorewood and Tonka Bay.  This group holds staff level meetings on a regular basis with the Chief of Police to discuss and exchange ideas regarding police related topics.  This also helps to facilitate the flow of information between the SLMPD and the member cities on matters of mutual interest.

2009 Operating Committee Members

Krist Luger

Excelsior City Manager

Roberta Whipple

Greenwood City Administrator

Brian Heck

Shorewood City Administrator

Jessica Sandin

Tonka Bay City Administrator

To contact a member of the Operating Committee click “LINKS” at the top of this page and go to the corresponding city web site for that manager/administrator.