Public Services Committee Meeting

These minutes are considered ‘draft’ until approved or amended at the next meeting. MINUTES Tuesday, July 10, 2012 Public Services Committee 5:00 PM Carnegie Town Hall 235 West 10th Street Members Present: Kenny Anderson Jr., Sue Aguilar, Michelle Erpenbach and Dean Karsky Members Absent: None Staff Present: Tamara Jorgensen, CMC, Assistant City Clerk; Jim David, Legislative/Operations Manager Guests: Jerry Gerkin, Jeanne Gerkin, Rich Lauer, Doug Barthel, Greg Schmit 1. Call To Order Committee Chair Anderson Jr. called the meeting to order at 5:00 p.m. 2. Review and approval of minutes dated June 12, 2012 A motion was made by Council Member Sue Aguilar and seconded by Council Member Dean Karsky to approve the minutes. Anderson Jr. called for a voice vote and all members present voted yes. Motion Passed. 3. False Alarm Ordinance by Doug Barthel, Chief of Police Doug Barthel, Chief of Police, reviewed the proposed ordinance for Article II of Chapter 23 and Article VII of Chapter 26 of the revised ordinances of Sioux Falls, SD. He explained the background and statistical information concerning the number of police calls that are alarm call related. Barthel explained how many of the calls are 'actual' alarms and how many are human error, weather related, etc. He described the procedure used when responding to an alarm related emergency. Barthel clarified the steps the Police Department has taken to reduce the number of 'false alarms' in the city. He stated that this ordinance will act as a tool for enabling the police to reduce the number of alarms. Barthel reviewed some of the proposed changes which covered: Purpose, administration, definitions, duties of the alarm user, duties of the alarm installation company and monitoring company, license or licensing, duties and authority of the alarm administrator, civil penalties, notification, suspension of response, appeals, exceptions, government immunity and severability. Barthel said the City of Sioux Falls may be in the minority for number of cities that don't have an alarm ordinance in place with these kinds of amendments. He stated there were several cities in South Dakota that have similar ordinances related to alarms.  Officer Greg Schmit spoke regarding how many alarm companies there are in the city of Sioux Falls comparing past statistics with current numbers. Aguilar asked Barthel if the proposed, revised ordinance would address past concerns regarding alarm ordinances. Barthel reviewed some of the changes that would occur with this ordinance and the benefits therein. Anderson Jr. thanked Chief Barthel and his staff for their patience and diligence in writing this proposed ordinance and ensuring that the information was a good fit for the city of Sioux Falls. A motion was made by City Council Member Dean Karsky seconded by City Council Member Sue Aguilar to move this item to the full City Council for consideration. Anderson Jr. called for a voice vote and all members present voted yes. Motion Passed. 4. Distracted Driving Ordinance by Michelle Erpenbach, City Council Chair; and Sue Aguilar, City Council Member Rich Lauer spoke regarding the proposed ordinance and thanked the Public Services Committee for their speed, efficiency, and the hard work that was done. Aguilar stated that she and Erpenbach met with Legislative/Operations Manager Jim David and they have one proposed ordinance for review. The proposed ordinance would ban texting while driving and make it a primary offense. Erpenbach stated this ordinance would cover all drivers in the Sioux Falls city limits. She stated she would like the State of South Dakota to consider these types of ordinances in the future. Karsky asked if this was a pre-cursor to a ban on all hand held items while driving. Erpenbach stated she felt this was a great start. Aguilar stated there may be potential legislation coming out of the study group but that legislation is being designed for drivers in the teen years. This ordinance goes beyond that age group and takes a leadership role within the state of South Dakota. Council Member Sue Aguilar made a motion and Council Member Michelle Erpenbach seconded it to move this item forward to the full City Council for consideration. Anderson Jr. asked for a voice vote and all members present voted yes. Motion Passed. 5. Open Discussion There was none. 6. Adjournment Committee Chair Anderson Jr. adjourned the meeting at 5:28 p.m. Tamara Jorgensen, CMC Assistant City Clerk