City Council

CITY OF POCATELLO, IDAHO CITY COUNCIL MEETING SERVICE LEVEL REPORTS -PUBLIC SAFETY & EFFECTIVE ADMINISTRATION FEBRUARY 23, 2012 Mayor Brian Blad called the City Council meeting to review Service Level Reports to order at 9:03 AM. Council members present were Roger Bray, Steve Brown, Craig Cooper, and Eva Johnson Nye. Council member Jim Johnston arrived at 9:07 AM. Council member Gary Moore was excused. -INTRODUCTION In a pre-recorded message, David Swindell, Chief Financial Officer, overviewed the schedule for the reports that would be presented in the meeting and provided information on the Public Safety Program Area. Mr. Swindell noted that the inputs, outputs and results from Fiscal Year 2011 being reviewed in the Service Level Reports will be used to create the Fiscal Year 2013 Budget. He also reviewed the schedule for 2012 Service Level reports and what departments will be heard at each meeting. Mr. Swindell noted that a Citizen Survey was conducted in 2011 which contained standardized questions related to common municipal services. Results from the survey will be referred to throughout the Service Level Reports. -POLICE Mike Stayner, Interim Police Chief, Rick DEPARTMENT Capell, Police Captain, Terry Felsman, REPORT Detectives Division Captain, Jim Peterson, Support Services Captain, and Lindsey Grimm, Crime Analyst, presented the Police Department Service Level Report. Mr. Stayner overviewed the department’s Mission Statement and organizational chart. He noted that grant monies have steadily decreased. Mr. Stayner thanked the Council for allowing the hire of two additional officers and overviewed the department’s inputs and the comparative department/employee analysis with other cities of similar size. In response to questions from Council, Mr. Stayner noted that the number of calls to dispatch has decreased due to an automated phone system and citizen’s access to the internet to report an incident. In response to questions from Council, Mr. Capell reported that officers no longer make a report on minor accidents and this has decreased the time officers spend assisting with these types of calls. Mr. Stayner shared that he is very pleased with the department’s clearance rate for solving crimes. He reviewed the crimes reported against people in Pocatello which have slightly increased from the previous year. However, the other reported CITY COUNCIL MEETING SERVICE LEVEL REPORTS -PUBLIC SAFETY/ EFFECTIVE ADMINISTRATION 2 FEBRUARY 23, 2012 crimes being tracked against property and society have decreased. Mr. Capell reviewed the Patrol Division’s six patrol teams. He noted that they will change shifts in May 2012 to bring the average numbers up to increase the number of officers on the street. Mr. Capell hopes to have more bicycle officers in the Old Town area as a result of citizen’s concerns noted in the Citizen Survey. It was noted that in-car video components for the City’s police vehicles are an issue. Police staff is having problems accessing repairs for the current video system because the company that manufactures the units is no longer in business. Other systems are available but it will be a great expense to convert to a different system. When a new video system is determined, all of the police vehicles will need to be updated at the same time. Mr. Stayner explained that the video from in-car components are used for court proceedings and to clarify arrest questions for citizens. Purchasing small cameras that officers could attach to their uniforms was also discussed. Mr. Bray stated that he counsels with individuals involved in domestic violence issues. He suggested officers receive special training so they can interpret a divorce decree or child custody documents. Mr. Capell explained that Police officers do not have authority to enforce a civil decree. Mr. Felsman reviewed the investigations division and major case investigations performed in 2011. He acknowledged that evidence/property staff and police stenographers are vital to the department’s success. Mr. Stayner noted that other law enforcement agencies are willing to work with the Police Department and have assisted with juvenile runaway cases. Mr. Peterson reviewed the Support Services Division which includes Dispatch, Airport Officers, Licensing Enforcement, and Code Enforcement. He reported that the parking boot program Council approved in 2011 has been successful. CITY COUNCIL MEETING SERVICE LEVEL REPORTS -PUBLIC SAFETY/ EFFECTIVE ADMINISTRATION 3 FEBRUARY 23, 2012 In response to a question from Council, Mr. Peterson explained that facilities and entities such as Hospice could be educated on the proper disposal of prescription medicines to keep them out of the City’s water system. Mayor Blad suggested that a letter informing facilities of the Prescription Drug Take Back program could be distributed. Mr. Peterson reviewed the Juvenile Resource Programs and the success of deterring youth from continuing in unlawful actions. He noted that School Resource Officers continue to make a great impact on the community’s middle schools and high schools. Mr. Stayner reviewed the Department’s projects/goals and issues/concerns for 2012 and 2013. He noted that negative comments made on the Citizen Survey took place during a difficult time within the Department and staff is currently working on making improvements. Mrs. Nye stated that the Citizen Survey noted concerns with Code Enforcement officers. She feels that some individuals are abusing the system by just paying the property violation citation instead of correcting the problem. Mr. Stayner explained the Department has two Code Enforcement officers that carry a large caseload. He noted that cases are all complaint driven so officers do not go out into the community to find violations. The court system determines the outcome on code enforcement cases that go before a judge. Mayor Blad called a recess at 10:57 AM. Mayor Blad reconvened the meeting at 11:05 AM. -FIRE Mike Irwin, Fire Chief, presented the Fire and DEPARTMENT Ambulance Service Level Reports. He reviewed REPORT the Fire Department’s Mission Statement and organizational chart. Mr. Irwin provided information on the Department’s inputs noting that labor is their biggest expense. He reported that a large grant received in 2007 is no longer available. Budget and staffing comparisons with the cities of Nampa and Idaho Falls for both Fire and EMS budgets were reviewed. It was noted that the call volume in Nampa is hard to use as a comparison because they have local resources available to assist them. CITY COUNCIL MEETING SERVICE LEVEL REPORTS -PUBLIC SAFETY/ EFFECTIVE ADMINISTRATION 4 FEBRUARY 23, 2012 Mr. Irwin clarified that Bannock County has one ambulance for every 27,512 people as compared to Idaho Falls that has one ambulance for every 12,444 people. Some of the challenges currently faced by the Fire and Ambulance Departments were reviewed. Mr. Irwin explained that reserve ambulance usage has increased 115.38% over the past 5 years. He shared his concerns with taking fire engines out of service to assist in a call and the increase in overlapping calls. Council discussion continued regarding the Citizen Survey results showing the Fire Department was rated either excellent or good. However, emergency preparedness for natural disasters or other emergency situations were below average and the department is working toward making improvements. In closing, Mr. Irwin reviewed staffing levels showing that his department has one less personnel than in 1978, but had 6375 calls for service. This equals a 202% increase in call volume with a 1.5% decrease in personnel. Mayor Blad called a recess at 11:56 AM. Mayor Blad reconvened the meeting at 12:37 PM. -ANIMAL CONTROL Mary Remer, Animal Control Director, presented DEPARTMENT the Animal Control Service Level Report. Ms. REPORT Remer shared the Department’s mission statement and reviewed staffing for the Department. She explained dealing with pet owners can be a highly emotional challenge for Animal Shelter staff. The department tries to keep operation costs down compared to other cities such as Idaho Falls which has less staff but higher costs within their budget. Ms. Remer feels the requirement for spaying and neutering is strictly enforced in Pocatello and this might be the difference in the budget amounts. She noted that the largest percentage of the officer’s activities include responding to dog-at-large issues at 37 percent followed by cat issues and/or requests for traps at 19 percent. Ms. Remer reported that the adoption program is very low cost for pet owners. This is the result of local veterinarians keeping the cost of spaying and neutering down. Ms. Remer noted that the current facility needs repairs but she willing to wait until a determination is made about constructing a new building. In response to questions from Council, Ms. Remer stated that officers will respond to calls throughout the city and are not CITY COUNCIL MEETING SERVICE LEVEL REPORTS -PUBLIC SAFETY/ EFFECTIVE ADMINISTRATION 5 FEBRUARY 23, 2012 confined to one area. She would also recommend three dog parks for the city. Ms. Remer felt ii would be more beneficial for the dog and keep other parks clean of feces. Mr. Cooper reported that the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board discussed the possibility of locating a dog park next to the Rail Road parking lot near Center Street underpass. -BUILDING Lynn Transtrum, Building Official, presented DEPARTMENT the Building Department Service Level Report. REPORT Mr. Transtrum reviewed the measures of inputs and outputs for the Department. He reported that program revenue has remained steady even in slow economic times. The Mission of the Building Department includes code compliance and assuring building safety in the community. Mr. Transtrum feels that contractor licensing has helped protect the public from “fly by night” operators. He reviewed a cooperative effort with the City of Chubbuck to perform inspections thus allowing local dollars to remain in the community instead of being paid to a State Inspector. -HUMAN RESOURCES Kim Smith, Human Resources Director, and Anne DEPARTMENT Butler, Safety and Wellness Coordinator, REPORT presented the Human Resources Department Service Level Report. Mrs. Smith reviewed the Department’s inputs and outputs and explained that some department positions were filled by promotion and this created a domino effect to fill emptied positions. In response to questions from Council, Mrs. Smith stated that benefits for medical costs per covered employee have steadily risen. Ms. Butler discussed Workers’ Compensation benefits. She reviewed the Employee Wellness Program and goals to improve the program noting that 77 percent of employees surveyed feel that the program has improved their overall health. In response to questions from Council, Ms. Butler stated their Department plans to enhance safety training to help with Workers’ Compensation costs. Mrs. Smith noted that the Consumer Price Index has outpaced the City’s wage index by 8.18%. Staff will keep an eye on the index difference so it does not get much wider or it may be difficult to retain or recruit new employees. CITY COUNCIL MEETING SERVICE LEVEL REPORTS -PUBLIC SAFETY/ EFFECTIVE ADMINISTRATION 6 FEBRUARY 23, 2012 It was mentioned that the impact of Health Care Reform seems to change sporadically and Human Resource staff is keeping a close watch of how it affects their processes. The City’s Sick leave policy was discussed and the option of changing to a personal day policy to get away from sick leave and vacation days. Changing the policy would make it easier for employees and Human Resource staff to track benefits. -RISK MANAGEMENT Kirk Bybee, Civil Attorney, and Tiffany Olsen, REPORT Deputy Risk Manager, presented the Risk Management Service Level Report. Mr. Bybee addressed the sick leave issues and stated that he was out of the office for 32 days because of knee surgery. He disagrees that employees are taking time off to do other activities other than illness. Mr. Bybee reviewed measures of inputs and outputs noting that costs increased when their staff took on more duties after the City Clerk retired in 2010. The number of risk management liability claims was reviewed. He also reminded the Council that the City began to be self-insured for Workers’ Compensation insurance in May of 2011. Workers’ compensation claims and statistics were reviewed. Mr. Bybee explained that staff is very pro-active to encourage employees who have been injured to complete a claim form. In response to questions from Council, Mr. Bybee reported that Workers’ Compensation claims are higher than first anticipated but lower than the maximum. In addition, staff time and involvement has increased to process the claims. Mr. Bray stated that requiring employees to report each injury will help staff monitor the progress and have more control on what is going on with employees working out in the field. Mayor Blad adjourned the meeting at 2:08 PM. APPROVED: BRIAN C. BLAD, MAYOR CITY COUNCIL MEETING SERVICE LEVEL REPORTS -PUBLIC SAFETY/ EFFECTIVE ADMINISTRATION 7 FEBRUARY 23, 2012 ATTEST: RUTH E. WHITWORTH, CMC, CITY CLERK