City Council Meetings

CITY OF GREEN RIVER CITY COUNCIL WORKSHOP PROCEEDINGS October 8, 2013 The Governing Body of the City of Green River met in workshop session at 6:30 pm in the City Hall Council Chambers. Mayor Castillon called the meeting to order. The following Council Members were present: Mark Peterson, Tom McCullough, Adam Coppolo, Brett Stokes, Gary Killpack, and Lisa Maes. The following were present representing the City: City Administrator Marty Black and Chief of Police Chris Steffen. Update by the Prevention Management Organization of Sweetwater County Bridget Giovale, from the Prevention Management Organization of Wyoming, said the cost of substance abuse in Wyoming has gone up. The cost associated with drugs in the state is $391,365,600. Drugs are everything outside of the use of alcohol and tobacco. The use of tobacco costs $689,560,639, and the use of alcohol costs $843,220,902. The information was gathered from healthcare costs, total productivity losses, crime costs, and other costs. The state provides for beds in every county to help the people who are having any issues with these issues. Normally, the cost associated with tobacco use is higher than alcohol and drugs, but this is not the case any longer. The cost of alcohol is higher in the state. In Sweetwater County the enforcement agencies are doing their best to help with all of these issues. The state government’s portion of total economic costs as of 2010: Substance Total Economic cost Wyoming cost Percentage Alcohol $843,220,902 $27,658,488 3.3% Tobacco $689,560,639 $1,218,500 0.2% Drugs $391,365,600 $48,897,539 12.5% As an organization their number one priority is to work towards reducing underage drinking. They have trainings along with materials available for groups hosting events within the community. In the trainings they teach people how to recognize a person who is intoxicated and fake Id’s. They are working on the social and retail availability of drugs in the area. Education is a good place to start. The community norms need to be addressed also. There are drop boxes for unused prescription drugs at the police departments in Green River and Rock Springs. The ordinances in place help with the smoking issues. Council Member McCullough thanked her for her services. He asked if the tobacco ordinances that have passed have helped with the costs associated with tobacco. Ms. Giovale said the local businesses have very good compliance records. They want to know how they can help keep the standards high. She said around 26% of the people in Sweetwater County are smokers. Since the ordinances have been adopted the smoking concept is in the background. There are some establishments that have chosen to be non-smoking. If a business shows interest in being non-smoking, they will help them do so. Council Member Peterson said he is a smoker, and he feels it is his choice to do so. Telling them anything else is taking the person’s rights away. Ms. Giovale said they looked at obesity also. The side effects of obesity are diabetes and high stroke deaths. The medical association has deemed obesity as a disease in itself. This will help insurance companies be able to assist with some preventive type measures to catch issues early and prevent them from getting worse. Council Member Peterson asked for a better break down of the numbers. He wants to know where the money is being spent. City Council Workshop Proceedings October 8, 2013 Page 1 of 3 Council Member Coppolo asked for clarification on what information they used for the productivity losses. Ms. Giovale said the productivity losses are associated with absenteeism and under performances. She will forward the full report to council. The DUI rates in Sweetwater County are double the state average for adults and higher than state average for juveniles. The Mayor said health costs are being affected. The numbers need to be addressed by the legislature. Alcohol is a very big problem in the state. He asked if there has been an increase in problems since the DARE program has been stopped. Ms. Giovale said she cannot say for sure but she could compare the numbers from then to now. The biggest thing the DARE program did was be a connection to the home. The program kept the parents involved. Overall, the purpose of the organization is to help resolve the drugs, alcohol, and tobacco problems within Sweetwater County. The Mayor asked Chief Steffen if Green River has a drug, alcohol, and tobacco problem. Chief Steffen said yes. The Mayor asked if he has seen any increase in these issues since the DARE program was stopped. Chief Steffen said he can’t say definitively yes, or no, because they have tried to do their best to pick up the slack with the SRO officers being in the classes and teaching. They receive enormous support within the community for the SRO program. Sweetwater County is one of the five worst counties in the state of Wyoming with alcohol issues, and the county has received extra funding because of it. The county also leads the state in the highest suicides. It is a huge problem and needs to be addressed. Council Member Killpack thanked her for the work she does. Council Member Stokes thanked her for her presentation, and he would like to become more involved in the organization. Ms. Giovale said there are many committees within the organization, and the task force concentrates on drug, alcohol, and tobacco issues. The suicide committee concentrates on suicide issues, and the wellness committee concentrates on the overall health and wellness of the community. City Administrator’s Report Mr. Black reminded council of the Mayor’s Leadership Breakfast on Wednesday, October 16, 2013, at 8 am, at the Sweetwater County Events Complex. He asked if anyone wanted to attend to please let Ms. Lipka know. October 21st through the 24th the city will be hosting a The Wyoming Rural Development Council’s community assessment team. There are timeslots available and anyone is welcome to attend any of the sessions. He thanked Ms. Leigh and Mr. Allred for their work on the abatement case on Iowa. The final notice was posted and now the owners should start work on the cleanup. There are other pending cases around the city and he will be updating them as he has new information. City Council Workshop Proceedings October 8, 2013 Page 2 of 3 The Mayor has received an invitation to attend the Wyoming Economic Development Association meeting primarily, so the community could meet with a corporate relocation strategy firm that works with businesses, to identify communities to locate in. They sat up a mock submittal, and no communities in Wyoming knew that it was not real. The city of Green River was the only community in Sweetwater County that responded. Mayor and Council Reports Council Members Peterson, McCullough, Coppolo, Maes, and Killpack had nothing to report. Council Member Stokes thanked staff for their work on the abatement case. The Mayor said the Trunk or Treat event will be held on Saturday, October 12, 2013, from 10 to 1 pm. He said during the meeting with the governor they discussed:  The General Aviation Master Plan  Acquisition of lands and expansion of city limits and service boundaries  Expansion of tourism and downtown activities On October 17, 2013 he will be visiting with the senior citizens, at the senior center, on the water issues and possibly the depot. Adjournment The meeting adjourned at 7:42 pm. ______________________________ H. Castillon, Mayor ATTEST: _____________________________ Jeffrey V. Nieters, City Clerk City Council Workshop Proceedings October 8, 2013 Page 3 of 3