SPECIAL City Council Meeting

CITY OF LYNDEN POLICE DEPARTMENT Steve Taylor, Police Chief (360) 354-2828 Public Safety Committee Meeting Minutes SPECIAL COUNCIL MEETING Police Department - 203 19th Street 4:00 PM August 07, 2020 Call to Order Roll Call Members present: Mayor Scott Korthuis and Councilors Mark Wohlrab, Brent Lenssen, Gerald Kuiken and Kyle Strengholt. Staff present: City Administrator Mike Martin, Chief Mark Billmire, Chief Steve Taylor, Assistant Chief Thomas Hatley, Lieutenant Jeremy Bos, Support Services Manager Holly Vega. Scheduled guest present: Chris Pickering, CEO Northwest Washington Fair. Approval of Minutes 1. Approval of July meeting minutes The minutes from the July 9, 2020 meeting were approved. Items from the Audience Scheduled 2. Proposal to extend NW WA Fair to ten days in 2021. Fair manager, Chris Pickering has proposed a ten-day fair in 2021 with proposed dates of August 12th - 21st. Chris Pickering discussed the potential of expanding the NWWF to 10 days in 2021, addressing several concerns including being open on a Sunday. The Fair could offer a free church service on Sunday morning, and offer vendors the opportunity to close for the day if they choose. The proposed dates would overlap with 2 other Washington fairs, dark County and Skagit County, the latter of which has concerns regarding vendor overlap and attendance. There would be a greater community impact with more traffic for more days, and both positive and negative effects on local businesses. Several benefits include the opportunity for more entertainment, attendance would be spread out providing a more enjoyable experience and shorter lines. The livestock shows could be split to allow more exhibitors and the opportunity for the exhibitors to attend the Fair on other days. Police and Fire have no notable concerns regarding the proposed 10-day fair. Councilor Lenssen discussed the potential for the NWWF to charge hotel/motel tax when they rent out their facility. Mr. Pickering is open for further discussion on this topic. Unscheduled - None. Committee Items 3. Council statement affirming they stand for racial equality Mayor Korthuis will distribute a statement to Council for review. 4. Public Safety Overtime - June 2020 Chief Billmire noted an increase in overtime for Fire in June due to coverage for 787 hours of leave; however, the savings of volunteer hours cuts the cost in half. Chief Taylor noted a large portion of the overtime for Police is for shift coverage, although it has reduced greatly from where it was at the beginning of the year. Fire Department Items 5. Fire Monthly Report - July 2020 Chief Billmire presented the monthly report for July noting an increase in call volume over past months. A/C Hatley is part of an incident management team for wildland fires and went on 2 deployments in July, which is reimbursed to the City for his time and vehicle. The renovation project had previously planned for the temporary use of Station 72 during construction. North Whatcom is now occupying the facility but has agreed to allow a mobile trailer on-site. Design plans now include a mobile trailer and are expected to be ready for review at the end of this month. There is soon to be a drive through COVID-19 test site at Bender Fields starting August 28th, every Friday 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. by appointment. Police Department Items 6. Corporal promotions Chief Taylor announced the promotion of Scott Myhre and Anders Fiksdal to the positions of Corporal as of August 1, 2020. The assessment and testing process were completed in July and the list was certified by the Civil Service Commission. The corporal positions will provide additional layers of supervision during hours when there is currently none. 7. Police Monthly Report - July 2020 Chief Taylor overviewed the monthly report for July, discussing a notable increase in behavioral and mental health calls likely due to COVID stress. Extra patrol will continue near Bender fields for complaints of kids congregating and playing loud music. Added Items 8. Lynden WATCH Councilor Wohlrab gave an update on Lynden WATCH. Posts included the recent airplane crash, safety precautions on the Nooksack river, recent thefts, and a letter written by Chief Taylor regarding the march that took place on July 5, 2020. Adjournment Meeting adjourned at 4:52 p.m. Holly Vega, P^ce Support Svc Mgr Scott Korthljis, Mayor