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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2001-05-15 Budget Committee Minutes Municipal Court, Police, Fire Minutes May 15, 2001, 3:00pm City Council Chambers, 1175 East Main Street ROLL CALL Present: Alan DeBoer, Don Laws, Marty Levine, Jim Moore, John Morrison, Russ Silbiger Absent: Howard Braham, David Fine, Cate Hartzell, Regina Stepahin Staff: Greg Scoles, Lee Tuneberg, Alan Drescher, Keith Woodley, Scott Fleuter, Mike Bianca, Vicki Christensen, Kirsten Bakke CALL TO ORDER Levine called the meeting to order at 3:03 p.m. PRESENTATIONS Municipal Court page 3-29 Municipal Court Judge Alan Drescher and Vicki Christensen, Lead Clerk presented for the Municipal Court. He spoke of slow and steady growth and the only two significant budget changes. The first in capital outlay is updating their computer systems. The second in staffing is promoting the Senior Clerk I to a Clerk II and create a position of Lead Clerk, which gets an increase of 5%. Silbiger asked about the switch to private parking control and asked if it changed their caseload. Drescher said there was no effect to municipal court. Levine asked about the lack of capital outlay in the budget. Tuneberg said all purchases under $5,000 are not capitalized. There was some discussion about computer purchases. Levine asked if there was any public input. There was none. Laws motioned to recommend the Municipal Court budget to the Full Budget Committee as proposed. Moore seconded. ALL AYES. None opposed. Motion passed. Police page 3-33 Scott Fleuter, Police Chief and Mike Bianca, Lieutenant for the Support Division presented for the Police Department. He talked about significant changes in staff and the Diamond Parking Contract for $60,000, and the addition of another Traffic Officer to the Operations Division. He also talked about a grant for mobile data computers for $250,000 in which they budgeted a 25% required match of that grant. He described some of the big changes including the purchase of a Radar Reader Board for $10,000, a capital outlay of $30,000 for a remodel of front office, and the addition of a Base Station to communicate with the Medford Police Department. DeBoer asked about the relocated dispatch center and were it would go in the interim. Bianca said they're not going to have a backup station, their making an arrangement with Medford to answer their 911 calls if in fact their main station collapses. The cost of setting up a temporary backup station seems prohibitive. There was continued discussion regarding the backup station. Laws asked about the additional traffic officer paying for itself through fines. Fleuter said that was correct and he described his calculations on those projections. There was a discussion on staffing and classifications. DeBoer asked about the capital outlay increase. Fleuter said it was an ADA $30,000 remodel, and the purchases he spoke of earlier. Moore clarified parking not in the budget. Silbiger asked about CIP for the police parking lot expansion. Fleuter referred to page 2-71 saying that the idea was to move it out into the lawn area about 35 feet and do an L shape with covered parking for working units, and use the central area for employees and auxiliary vehicles. Also there would be an element in Community Development of landscaping and fencing which would increase cost. Silbiger asked if they investigated expanding the existing parking lot. Scoles said that this was more of a placeholder in the capital budget. Silbiger asked Municipal Court, Police, Fire 5-15-91 - Budget Subcommittee Page 1 of 2 about the lease building improvements on page 2-75 the reconfiguring the existing building for $285,000. Fleuter said that again this was a placeholder so they could expand in some areas. Scoles said it was prudent to budget in advance. Laws motioned to recommend the Police Department budget to the Full Budget Committee as proposed including the addition of the Traffic Officer. Silbiger seconded. ALL AYES. Fire page 3-37 Keith Woodley, Fire Chief, David Hard, Assistant Fire Chief and City Fire Marshall, and Greg Case, Division Chief presented for the Fire and Rescue Department. Hard described the management study on staffing and overtime for sick leave. Woodley said that the offset cost of overtime and the total savings would be $37,000. The original request of an additional Firefighter position with an appropriate offset in overtime reduction appears to have been taken twice in the budget detail. The impact to overtime is that every Firefighter is averaging 20-30 hours of overtime a month, over time that is significant. Moore asked about the benefits increase of 25%. Woodley said it was based on salary, and a function of arbitration. Moore said it seemed disproportionate. Tuneberg said it was a little bit higher. Woodley said when looking at the demographic it reflects more families. DeBoer said to look at it. Tuneberg said yes. Scoles said that there was an employee who was misallocated and that might have contributed to some of this. DeBoer asked about 911 backup in Medford. Woodley responded that it was an issue of risk. Woodley concerned that none of the Medford centers have a fire frequency. Currently they can reroute the trunk lines in answering 911 calls on both fire and police. There was a discussion about response times. Silbiger asked about ambulance resources. Tuneberg said on page 4-8 charges for services of fire and rescue showed an increase in revenue. Hard referred to page 4-9. Scoles reminded that one was a budgeted number and one was an actual number. Laws asked if EMS payed for itself. Laws concerned that we know if our revenues cover EMS service. Previously it was set up as an enterprise fund. Tuneberg responded that we could present that graphically with a table. DeBoer said that he could see how both EMS and AFN are similar but separate revenue generators. Silbiger asked about the new pumper engine and questioned if they were addressing the higher story building issues. Woodley said the City hired a consultant last year that came in and recommended that an aerial not be purchased. Aerials run around $800,000 and the pumber engine will come in at about $380,000. Woodley continued that is was an issue of risk management versus available funding. He said they were getting as many buildings sprinklered as possible to reduce the threat of losing a major building in the commercial area. They have been successful at that and getting buildings retrofitted downtown. He said there was an aerial 20 minutes away in Medford and it was available for request. Woodley said their maximum latter reaches 30 feet. Levine asked about collections for ambulance service. Woodley said that they were about 70%. Silbiger asked about the Fire Med program. Woodley said that Fire Med brings in about $22,000 a year in revenue, mostly its a program that benefits people who fall through the cracks who otherwise would not get ambulance service. DeBoer asked if they wanted to actively pursue membership in Fire Med. Woodley said it was available but not actively promoted. Woodley said it was not a moneymaker. Case said they bill the insurance company and whatever the insurance company does not pay they write-off. There was continued discussion regarding the Fire Med program. DeBoer motioned to recommend the Fire and Rescue Department budget including the addition of a Firefighter position. Moore seconded. ALL AYES. ADJOURNMENT Levine motioned to adjourn the meeting. ALL AYES. None opposed. Motion passed. Meeting ended at 4:27pm. Municipal Court, Police, Fire 5-15-91 - Budget Subcommittee Page 2 of 2