Council Working Session

MINUTES Council Working Session Wednesday, February 26, 2020 at 2:30 PM Carnegie Town Hall, 235 West 10th St., Sioux Falls, SD 57104 1. Call To Order Present: Janet Brekke, Greg Neitzert, Marshall Selberg, Pat Starr, Theresa Stehly Absent: Christine M. Erickson, Rick Kiley, Curt Soehl Council Chair Marshall Selberg called the meeting to order at 2:30 p.m. 2. Discussion Topic(s) A. City Council Budget Priorities Dave Bixler, Budget Analyst, provided an overview of the intent of the meeting and shared the priorities list the Council provided last year. He introduced Shawn Pritchett, Director of Finance, who spoke about the City’s Budget timeline. He also noted that the Budget book will be formatted differently this year to provide better readability. The Capital Program book will be re-formatted in the future. Council Member Theresa Stehly explained that the purpose of the session is to discuss council member budget suggestions and to ultimately provide a consolidated, prioritized list to the administration for potential inclusion in its budget. Stehly offered the following suggestions: street repair; solar and regular speed signs; “Scoop It” program; south side swimming pool; municipal forestry program; Wi-Fi at the bus terminal; and operational funding for Faith Temple Food Giveaway. She invited South Dakota State Penitentiary Warden Darin Young to provide background of the “Scoop-It” program. Young explained that the program began in 2001 and was discontinued in 2017 primarily as a result of staffing difficulties the program placed on supervisors. He discussed the benefits of the program and explained that it expanded to several communities. During the program’s operation, 211 Helpline helped to identify qualified recipients of the service, which equated to approximately 80 to 90 residents per year. The goal of the program was to use prison inmates to assist qualified individuals in snow removal from their sidewalks and driveways. Young went on to explain that inmate labor is used in many locations across the state and in Sioux Falls. Using agencies and organizations are trained to manage the program at their sites. This includes providing logistical resources like transportation to and from the work location. Council Member Pat Starr asked the Warden what types of programs are available to inmates and which ones provide the greatest benefit to the community. Warden Young identified several local programs and explained that the intent is for inmates to build “hard” and “soft” skills that prepare them for life outside prison. Starr also stated that the pay per hour to inmates is not adequate. Young explained that the rate paid is $1.25 per hour, a dollar of which goes to the using agency and $.25 to the inmate. He further stated that the rate is comparable to many other jurisdictions. Council Member Greg Neitzert asked Warden Young if there are particular rules governing conditions under which inmates can be used, for example, availability of restroom facilities. Neitzert noted that he understood inmates could not be used on pothole repair crews because of no access to restroom facilities. Warden Young indicated he was not aware of any issues in this area; although there are some limitations on the types of establishments inmates may enter to use restrooms, generally there haven’t been any problems. Council Member Janet Brekke asked the Warden about the percentage of inmates with addiction problems and treatment opportunities. Stehly interjected to ask that the conversation remain limited to the topic at-hand, which is the use of inmate labor for a city-sponsored and run “scoop-it” program. Stehly also indicated that inmates could similarly be used for a municipal forestry program. Warden Young indicated they could be used with proper staff training. He noted that during the flooding last year, the City immediately had several employees trained in managing the inmate labor. He also reiterated that he understands Stehly’s proposal to mean that the City would oversee the inmate labor for the "scoop-it" program. Stehly agreed that is the intent and suggested it may cost the City approximately $50k. Stehly next discussed her suggestion for a southside pool. She read a letter from three 7th graders at Harrisburg North Middle School who expressed their desire for a pool and explained the benefits of having one. Stehly then briefly reviewed her suggestion for a Municipal Forestry Program that would address tree trimming in boulevards. She invited resident Valerie Ray forward to recount an experience she recently had with the City and Project TRIM. Stehly invited Cathy Brechtelsbauer forward to speak about Wi-Fi in the bus station, also one of Stehly's suggestions. Brechtelsbauer spoke about an informal survey she recently conducted at the station where she learned many of the commuters did not have access to the internet for a variety of reasons. She noted that with the on- demand pilot forthcoming it would make sense that commuters be afforded Wi-Fi. Lastly, Stehly invited representatives from Faith Temple Food Giveaway to explain their program. She first noted that her suggestion would be a $50k appropriation to directly support the program. Josh Hayes from the church provided a handout and discussed the operation. He also showed a short time-lapse video of the process, which occurs every Friday at the W.H. Lyon Fairgrounds. Neitzert explained that's he has been discussing various budget priorities with the applicable department directors. These include: roads; bike trails; storm drainage improvements; the housing trust fund; and the Triage Center. He noted that the trust fund and Triage Center are still in development, but explained that they will remain among the items he focuses on moving into the budget cycle. Brekke suggested more opportunities for refugee English language training through Lutheran Social Services. She asked Rebecca Kiesow-Knudsen from LSS to come  forward and identify gaps in the current program and strategies to address them. A handout was furnished which identified the gaps and strategies. Brekke explained that her suggestion would be $100k to LSS to fill gaps in Federal funding. Brekke also identified several other suggestions to include: visionary goal setting; attendance at the National Congress of Cities; urban forest management; and components of the Parks Master Plan (reusable ice, south side pool, and Arrowhead Park house). Selberg indicated he would continue to pay close attention to the Triage Center and its budgetary needs. 3. Next Steps and Action Items The path forward was discussed amongst the Council. It was generally agreed upon that Bixler will consolidate the recommendations, have Council Members prioritize them, and return at a future Informational Meeting for further discussion. Pritchett explained that the sooner the priorities are furnished, the better so that Departments have ample opportunity to review them. 4. Public Comment There was none. 5. Adjournment Council Chair Marshall Selberg adjourned the meeting at 3:52 p.m. Thomas M. Greco, City Clerk