City Council

MINUTES CITY OF DEKALB SPECIAL COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE NOVEMBER 6, 2017 The City Council of DeKalb, Illinois, held a Special Committee of the Whole meeting on November 6, 2017, in the City Council Chambers of the DeKalb Municipal Building, 200 S. Fourth Street, DeKalb, Illinois. Mayor Smith called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. A. ROLL CALL City Council present were: Alderman David Jacobson, Alderman Bill Finucane, Alderman Mike Marquardt, Alderman Pat Fagan, Alderman Kate Noreiko, Alderman Mike Verbic, Alderman Tony Faivre, and Mayor Jerry Smith. Staff present were: City Manager Anne Marie Gaura (arrived at 7:24 p.m.), Assistant City Manager Patty Hoppenstedt (arrived at 7:01 p.m.), Finance Director Molly Talkington, Police Chief Gene Lowery (arrived at 7:38 p.m.), Community Development Director Jo Ellen Charlton (arrived at 7:27 p.m.), Fire Chief Eric Hicks (arrived at 7:12 p.m.), Public Works Director Tim Holdeman, and Human Resources Director Cris Randall, and Deputy City Clerk Carri Parker. Staff in audience present: Assistant Finance Director Robert Miller and Management Analyst Aaron Stevens (arrived at 7:09 p.m.). B. FY2018 PROPOSED ANNUAL BUDGET Mayor Smith explained the purpose of the Special Committee of the Whole (COW) meeting and reminded all viewers and attendees that no decisions would be made at the conclusion of said meeting regarding the FY2018 Proposed Budget. Mayor Smith added that the Council will be provided with the recommendations for discussion from the Finance Advisory Committee (FAC) but will not be discussing them tonight. He added that several individuals may be coming in late due to the Public Safety meeting at the Police Department. Mayor Smith introduced Finance Director Talkington to present the FY2018 Proposed Budget. Finance Director Talkington presented the FY2018 Proposed Budget. She stated the FY2018 theme is safety and development focused. She added that the budget is balanced and meets the City’s Financial Policies. She mentioned that due to the property purchase in FY2017, the fund balance moved slightly but the reserve still remains above the 25% fund balance.  Special Committee of the Whole Meeting November 6, 2017 Page 2 of 4 Finance Director Talkington explained the Police and Fire pension funding through the tax levy. She added that on November 1, 2017, IML released an update for the income tax projections and the City’s was reduced from 100.3 to 89.5 per capita for DeKalb. Finance Director Talkington continued explaining the revenue and expenditure projections for FY2018. She explained where the City is listed within the Five-Year comparables based on the Five-Year Financial Plan for property tax, sales tax and income tax. She communicated the key priorities in the FY2018 Proposed Budget as Police Department staffing plan, Street and Fleet support, recruitment and training, digital radios, and the termination of the Peace Road Interchange agreement with the County. She explained that the Peace Road Interchange agreement was somehow linked with another agreement that would have been 40 years long. A discussion ensued between Council and staff on the steps needed to move forward with the cancellation of the Peace Road Interchange agreement. Public Works Director Holdeman explained the Street and Fleet needs of the City that was explained in earlier meetings. He stated that the City is $4.3 million in need and would need $1.4 million per year to get back to where the City was 10 years ago. He added that the current budget includes $369,000 for fleet. He explained that for streets the City would need $13 million per year to improve the roads to the level the resident’s desire. He suggested that $3.8 million was more feasible. Public Works Director Holdeman explained the sources to fund the Street and Fleet program. A discussion ensued between Council members and staff on the funding options for the Street and Fleet program. Police Chief Lowery presented the staffing plan history. He added that several staff studies have been conducted that provided results showing that demand for services rise and resources remain stagnate. He mentioned that if trends continue, the demand for calls in 2017 will be over 50,000, which is the highest for the City. Police Chief Lowery continued, addressing the concerns of citizens of triaging calls and shift staffing. He stated that on average, 2.5 positions are vacant due to vacation, on the job injuries, military leave, sick leave, and FMLA. He added that two full-time on average that are for hiring and training a new officer. He emphasized that there is an average of five full-time officers vacant. He stated that 408 days transpire between the time one leaves to the time that they are fully trained and on the street. He added that there are several vacancies that are not filled nor will he fill due to the officers he needs on the street. He expressed that 45% of the calls for service require more than one officer. Police Chief Lowery continued, providing call response statistics and effects on overtime. He added that within the university comparison, DeKalb is the third highest for demand for service calls. He added that in 2016 there were 20 injuries and in 2017 the City has had 26 officers injured in the line of duty. All of the studies show that Police Special Committee of the Whole Meeting November 6, 2017 Page 3 of 4 staffing needs to be at 72. He explained the plan for these additional officers and added that these are for boots on the ground and no special unit or program. Human Resources Director Randall explained that she is working closely with the Police Commissioners to speed up the process but will not take short cuts. She mentioned that staff is having trouble with recruitment as the applicant pool is limited. She stated that the amount of time needed for recruitment is taking a toll on the Human Resources Department as well. Mayor Smith added that services are the prime focus for the City. He added that the City is blessed by not having the attrition that others are having. City Manager Gaura stated that what is happening is the retirement of the baby boomers. She added that it is happening in every department. A discussion ensued between Council and staff regarding the staffing plan for the Police Department and the Human Resources Department. Alderman Jacobson communicated his frustration of the assumptions that Council should be hands on during the budget process. He stated that the Council needs to be bringing the information to staff and not the other way around. He emphasized that there was no effort to have budget planning meetings earlier in the year. A discussion ensued between the Council members and staff regarding the timing of the budget discussions. City Manager Gaura explained that the scheduling of the FAC meetings were by their direction (the FAC). She explained the outcomes of the FAC meetings in 2017. She added that an additional budget meeting could be scheduled. Alderman Verbic requested a joint meeting with the entire Council and FAC. Alderman Finucane requested the joint meeting to be on November 16, 2017. Mayor Smith stated that final recommendations from the FAC will be sent on November 7, 2017, and there will be a tentative joint meeting with the Council and FAC on November 16, 2017. Alderman Marquardt requested a listing of the department head counts that was provided in previous budget meetings. A discussion ensued between Council and staff about the full-time equivalent (FTE) calculations and deliverables. Alderman Jacobson stated that the only way to understand it is how much that has been outsourced compared to FTE.  Special Committee of the Whole Meeting November 6, 2017 Page 4 of 4 City Manager Gaura stated that information can be provided. Finance Director Talkington stated that instead of looking at the position, the service should be considered. If a position is cut, then service is cut to the residents. City Manager Gaura explained that the example of using outsourcing versus full-time replacement was with the City Engineer. A discussion ensued between the Council and staff on the staffing analysis. Police Chief Lowery left the meeting at 9:12 p.m. and returned at 9:16 p.m. Alderman Verbic left the meeting at 9:15 p.m. and returned at 9:16 p.m. Assistant City Manager Hoppenstedt left the meeting at 9:16 p.m. and returned at 9:21 p.m. Alderman Finucane left the meeting at 9:21 p.m. and returned at 9:23 p.m. C. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION Dwayne Brown, 4th ward resident, stated that it is never too soon to have meetings. He addressed the unemployment rate and that jobs are the key. He added that the pensions need to be funded and the City cannot have everything. He stated that the fund reserve will need to go down and be dealt with later. He suggested that there needs to be a balance between streets, fleet and Police. Alderman Jacobson left the meeting at 9:23 p.m. and returned at 9:27 p.m. D. ADJOURNMENT MOTION Alderman Verbic moved to adjourn the Special Committee of the Whole meeting; seconded by Alderman Fagan. VOTE Motion carried on an 8-0 voice vote. Aye: Jacobson, Finucane, Marquardt, Fagan, Noreiko, Verbic and Smith. Mayor Smith declared the motion passed and the meeting adjourned at 9:29 p.m. _____________________________________ CARRI PARKER, Deputy City Clerk Approved by City Council: December 11, 2017.