City Council - Regular Meetings

Exhibit A Good evening. For the record I am Mike Peters, a former Fire Department employee of 16 years as well as the shop steward tasked with renegotiating the recently vacated CBA. I am here tonight in response to false claims of bad faith bargaining. These claims are untrue, meant to be misleading, and are offensive to me, union members, and Local 2665. Tonight, I have with me several documents to submit for the record to dispute these claims and show what really went on behind closed doors. From day 1 the city has had 1 agenda, reduce overtime at all costs. During negotiations, the unions stance has remained that keeping minimum staffing at 4 firefighters on each fire truck is a priority for the citizens and the safety of the firefighters. Nevertheless I submitted 4 financial offers that included changes in minimum staffing if overtime expenditures begin to spiral out of control. These offers included quarterly or semiannual assessments of overtime expenditures with options to temporarily lower minimum staffing. This would allow budgeted overtime funds to catch up with real time expenditures, with the goal of staffing all the fire trucks with 4 as often as possible but keeping the city's fanatical needs in mind. All of these offers were rejected. At no time did the shop feel that the city had any wiliness to compromise. Compromise, that's the Collective part of Collective bargaining. Your robust compensation plan you are forcing on the Union members and are so proud of is actually far less desirable then the previous compensation guidelines in the CBA you walked away from. Inflation, increased employee insurance costs, you stripping contractually obligated performance pay raises, the taking away contractually obligated sick time payouts, and now lost overtime income CAN'T be made up by a 1 time, taxed $1,000 stipend and longevity pay WHICH by the way only applies to 9 out of 33 Firefighters. The 6% raises you boast about are step raises. Police and fire don't start at top pay. It takes¼ of a Webster Groves Firefighters career to reach top pay, or what you are calling fair market value for a firefighter/paramedic. This 6% increase is necessary to move newer employees through the range but you used that number to pump up your new compensation package, which by the way compensation, is still a mandatory point of bargaining. Every council member here, including the mayor has asked for and received a Union endorsement, campaign contributions, and manpower for your initial campaigns. Then 3 of you wondered why not a single incumbent was supported by police or fire last April. The writing was on the wall. Congratulations, this administration has been able to show the citizens what firefighter safety and the overall safety of the citizens of Webster Groves is worth to you, and it's a little over $300,000.  A � I·®,1 F � Fire FightiiPs � �GERRYWElCH y I A F F I{E)F � Fire Fighttirs � ��� � �lAURAARNOlD � PAMBllSS § DAVID FIANKllN APRll 3, 2018 Paid for by Professional Firefighters of Central St. Louis County PAC, Treasurer Kurt Becker  Shop CBA Compensation offer 7-28-2022 COLA 2% for fiscal year 2023, 2024, 2025 unless City increases COLA for other employees then FD would receive that amount. No less than 2 % for any year Topped out firefighters and topped out captains would receive a stipend on their hire anniversary date of 1/8 of 1% of annual salary x years of service Minimum staffing would be defined as 11 firefighters per 24 hour shift. A report will run after the end of pay period after the second month of each quarter. If more than $50,160 of overtime has been paid to that point staffing will drop to 10 until after the end of the last pay cycle of that quarter and then staffing returns to 11 for the next 2 months of the new quarter. If at any time Overtime paid reaches $258,400 (or 85% of OT budget) minimum staffing will drop to 10 for remainder of Fiscal year. There will be no more "Call days" given out to members saving 30 minutes of overtime per day. Emergency Overtime defined as a call in less than 12 hours before a shift begins or a member leaves during a shift will not produce overtime, no overtime will be called in unless to fill operational needs. For that 24 hour shift minimum staffing will be 10. Sick leave payout to be discussed at next meeting but Over 50 with over 20 years, (3) employees will be "grandfathered" in, keeping the old 50% Sick time payout. Discussion of an HSA option to help the transition of elimination of all other sick time payouts to be researched and discussed and future bargaining session. 9 .- Mediation 10-18 Union proposals 2.01(9) Work Hours Week Days 6:30shift exchange, operational check of PPE, SCBA and essential equipment Day1- 7:30-12;00 Day 2- 8:00-12:00workday begins, Daily meeting, equipment check for operational readiness (both fire and EMS) , routine house chores and assigned activities begin 12:00- Lunch, errands with a minimum of 30minutes of physical exercise as operations allow - Saturaay- 6:30shift exchange, operational check of SCBA and radio� 7:30Check trucks if needed and complete daily work guide. Complete 30 minutes of physical training if operations allow Sundays/ Holidays- 6:30shift exchange, operational check of SCBA and radios. 7:30, equipment check for operational readiness, routine house chores Daily expectations performed during work hours are established by the Battalion Chiefs to include non-emergency operations such as, but not expressly limited to, inspections, apparatus and equipment maintenance, fire and EMS training, fire hose and fire hydrant testing, and facility cleaning. The City reserves the right to schedule training, public relations assignments, prevention duties, and any other assignment to ensure the operational needs of the department are met outside of normal work hours. If work is to be scheduled outside work hours the on duty Union rep will be notified of the work and justification. Any work outside normal work hours to maintain operational readiness needs no such notification. The Battalion Chief, with the direction of the Fire Chief, has the authority to manage the needs of the City and/or Fire Department. 2.03 (2) The filling of full-time line-level vacancies and promotions shall take place as soon as practical upon the Member vacating his position, and shall be taken from an active hiring or promotion list if one exists. In the event that the active hiring list is over one (1) year old, or that the active hiring list does not contain enough candidates of suitable standing, a new hiring process shall be convened as soon as practical. The current Shop steward will be made aware of all hiring processes and he or she will be -Acting Captain pay $2.50/hr or $3. 75/hr for OT If more than 4 hours worked within any 24 hour shift -Member may choose to upgrade to $300,000 Missouri Critical illness pool by paying difference of City provided coverage out of member's paycheck. - Increase sick time to 7 .5 days / year Bullet Points Union agrees to keep top out time the same for firefighters and captains - Union agrees to forego Education bonuses Union makes multiple Overtime stop gaps to keep expenditures within budgeted amounts - Union concedes loss of sick time payouts for all but 3 employees -Longevity pay only applies to firefighters and captains at top pay. This pay would supplement the loss of annual minimum of 1.5% performance pay raise that was received in January annually that City has eliminated  Union counteroffer to 10-18 mediation COLA- FY 23- 8%. FY24- .5%. FY25- 5% FY 23 COLA raises and step raises that apply retro to July 1 -8 year private and 4 year Captain step raises received on hire date anniversary -All Topped out firefighters and Captains receive Longevity Pay on their hire date anniversary. Longevity pay is calculated as 1/8 of 1% of annual salary x Years of service. Longevity pay to be received as a one-time payout each year on the members hire date anniversary. FY2023 City Liability estimated at $23,776 and currently 12 out of 33 members qualify -When a bargaining unit member reaches his "vested" 5 years of service an annual contribution using the Longevity pay equation is made for that employee into an HSA account on the members hire date anniversary Total HSA Liability FY 23 $30,404 and currently 20-23 members would be eligible -All Bargaining Unit Members over age 50 with 20 years of service may choose the HSA contributions plan or retain the 50% Sick time Payout benefit at time of CBA ratification. All other members will forfeited the 50% sick time payout upon their separation. Includes 3 members - The City shall endeavor to maintain a staffing level for the Webster Groves Fire Department of not less than eleven (11) Members on duty on any given day, with not less than twelve (12) Members assigned to each shift. In the event that only 10 staff are available due to sick/vacation leave/workers comp/FMLA/Military leave, staffing will be reduced to 10. Should staffing reduce below 10 Members, Overtime will be paid at 1.5 times their rate to bring minimum staffing up to 10. -Elimination of "Call Person" ($7300 savings/year). -Acting Captain pay $2.50/hr or $3. 75/hr for OT If more than 6 hours worked within any 24 hour shift -Member may choose to upgrade to $300,000 Missouri Critical illness pool by paying difference of City provided coverage out of member's paycheck. - Increase sick time to 9 days / year - Pending Arbitration involving performance pay resolved D Webster Groves Shop Financial Offer 12-5-22 -All Firefighters employed by the City to remain Full Time employees -FLSA provisions will continue to be paid in the current manner that was agreed upon between The shop and the City in the arbitration settlement. -Minimum staffing will change in the following way: The City will continue to budget for overtime each year of this agreement. Beginning in FY 24 budgeted overtime amounts will be ear marked for either staffing or approved overtime due to off duty assignments. This will be based on the findings of the Fire Chief at the close of FY 23. At the beginning of each Fiscal year starting in FY24 minimum staffing will be 11 firefighters on duty. If operational (staffing) overtime costs exceed 50% of the annual budgeted staffing amount during the fiscal year, the City shall endeavor to maintain a staffing level of not less than 11 staff on duty any given day to include Battalion Chiefs, with no less than 12 assigned to each shift. In the event that only 10 staff are available due to sick/vacation leave, workers comp, military leave, staffing will be reduced to 10. Overtime will be paid at 1.5 times their rate to bring staffing to 10. After ratification of a new agreement the City may reduce staffing to 10 during FY 23 if 75% of total overtime budget is exceeded. -Acting Captain pay will be paid at a flat rate of $2.00/hr. A minimum of 6 total hours must be worked at the higher level in a 24 hour shift to receive the increase. -Longevity pay for each year of the contract for topped out Firefighter/Paramedics and Fire Captains which will be equal to their total number of years of service as of July 1 of that year times one-eighth of one percent (0.125%) of their Annual Salary which is figured by hourly rate times 2990 hours. -City will pay base coverage of Missouri Critical Illness Pool for each member -Cola increase of 5% for FY 23, 2% FY 24 and 2% FY 25 (The base rate shall be effective July 1 of the fiscal year -Tenure will be based on anniversary date (applies for step raises and Longevity pay) -Firefighters/Paramedics 8 year top out. Fire Captains 4 year top out -Duration (Evergreen) clause will not be part of Financial bargaining and will negotiated separately when parties reach Section 5 of CBA. Exhibit C MEMORANDUM DATE: March 20, 2023 TO: Dr. Marie Peoples, City Manager SUBJECT: Purchase Agreement FLOCK Cameras FROM: Dale Curtis, Police Chief ��=:��;;:- > - This memo is to address inquiries and concerns regarding the contract for FLOCK Cameras at primary roadway entrances into the City. Following discussions with the Police Community Engagement Board and Staff, the Police Department is recommending the purchase of a contract for installation of FLOCK Vehicle License Plate Reader Cameras at primary entry points into the City. The sole purpose of the system is to detect any stolen vehicle or vehicle wanted for a Felony Criminal Offense traveling into the City. The cameras will capture and read license plates only and immediately alert officers through Mobile Data Terminals to any vehicle reported stolen or involved in the commission of a Felony Crime entering into the City. The system has no face recognition software and will not identify drivers or passengers or record personal information (not tied or associated with any PII). This is a proprietary system. All data is stored securely in the AWS Government Cloud with end to end AES-256 encryption. All images will be purged after thirty days. Consequently, there is no serious concern for exposure through a system "hack" or data breach. (The system has absolutely no capability for use with traffic control or enforcement. Therefor it was not brought for discussion with the Traffic Advisory Commission). There has been an alarming rise in crime within the City over the past year as evidenced by a 100% increase in auto thefts and 70% increase in thefts from vehicles. We believe it's critical to leverage technology as an important tool and human resource multiplier to protect the community from this dangerous surge. We anticipate the FLOCK camera system will assist us in the deterrence and prevention of crimes, especially those related to auto thefts and thefts from autos. Based upon thorough research and examination of this product, we have a very high level of confidence there is no threat to individual privacy or any other negative consequences suffered through its use. (Please refer to attachments for more detailed information.) There are two important considerations regarding the contract costs and an associated grant. The Department applied for a State Grant with a maximum match of $20,000. (This was a very small portion of a large State ARP bundle deemed appropriate for this type of purchase.) In coordination with that submission, we negotiated a longer-term contract with lower, stable costs over the traditional two-year offering (total three-year of $47,100). The contract cost to the City after the grant match is $27,100. If approval is delayed past the agreed upon April 1, 2023 date, there is a substantial risk of losing the grant and a certainty of a significant price increase. I understand a deliberative discussion may be required but am confident it will result in concerns being satisfactorily addressed. In any event, it's important for arrival at a timely decision.  Webster Groves, MO Leverage the future of policing, now Why Flock Safety? What we observe: What we believe: the current reality the opportunity ● Limited Police Resources ● Technology multiples the force ● Crime is on the rise ● Capture and distribute objective evidence to the right ● Trust is needed more than user ever ● Engage community to support and grow How does the tech work? When you get Flock you get: objective, real-time and investigative leads Plate Last Visit TX LGS2639 3:15 PM EDT ● Vehicle Fingerprint ™ = license plate plus Make Seen ● Indiscriminate evidence from fixed Toyota 3 OF 30 DAYS locations Color ● No people, no facial recognition, no traffic Gray enforcement  What is this tech? What ISN’T this tech? ● License plate recognition ● Not facial recognition ● Gathers objective evidence and ● Not tied to PII facts about vehicles, not people ● Not used for traffic ● Alerts police of wanted vehicles enforcement ● Used to solve crime ● Data not stored beyond 30 days → automatically deletes ● Adheres to all state laws every 30 days How does this • Proactive: Real Time Alerts when Stolen or Wanted Vehicles enter technology your City prevent and • Investigative: As clearance rates eliminate crime? increase, crime rates decrease • Flock cameras act as a deterrent Mitigating risk  Ethics-Driven Innovation Protecting Privacy ● Footage owned by Agency/City and will ● All data is stored securely in the AWS never by sold or shared by Flock Government Cloud, and end to end AES-256 encryption of all data ● 30 day data retention, then deleted ● Search reason is required for audit trail ● Short retention period ensures that all data not associated with a crime is ● NOT facial recognition software automatically deleted & unrecoverable ● NOT predictive policing ● Takes human bias out of crime-solving by detecting objective data, and detecting ● NO PII is contained in Flock events that are objectively illegal (ex. Stolen vehicles) ● NOT used for traffic enforcement ● Not connected to registration data or 3rd party databases (Carfax, DMV) ● Transparency Portal (optional) It actually solves and prevents crime  Widely Adopted in Missouri ● Gladstone ● Wentzville ● Chesterfield ● Springfield ● Castle Rock ● St. Ann ● Belton ● St. Charles ● Kirkwood ● Higginsville ● Cottleville ● Byrnes Mills ● Freeman ● Creve Coeur ● Ste. Genevieve SO ● Indian Point ● Valley Park ● Sikeston ● Jefferson City ● Dutchtown ● Ralls County ● Perry County SO CID ● Farmington Flock ALPR Chesterfield PD Chesterfield, MO ● Police received a “Check the Welfare” call within our city limits for an adult female who had not been in contact with her family for several hours. ● Investigating officers were able to identify the vehicle including the license plate and ran the plate through the Flock system. ● They identified a hit on one of the cameras and searched the parking lots and located the vehicle. “Flock Safety helped save a life. Without the ● The individual was found alive inside the Flock camera system, we would not have been vehicle and in need of medical attention. able to locate the person in need so quickly.” - Lt. Teresa Koebbe Dozens of cases cleared with Flock Jefferson Co SO Jefferson Co, MO ● Deputies found and recovered a missing person due to a real-time alert. ● Deputies investigating a stolen boat & trailer from an ambulance shed in Cedar Hill. Based only on the vehicle description, investigators were able to locate the vehicle in Flock, a suspect was arrested, and the stolen property was returned. ● Deputies investigating a stolen purse and multiple credit cards were stolen from Walmart in High Ridge. They were able to identify a suspect vehicle, but it did not have license plates. While searching the Flock system, we were able to narrow down the vehicle based off the stickers that were on the back window. A suspect was located and admitted to the theft.  San Bruno jewelry store owner stops attempted Case Study: Smash & Grab Robbery smash-and-grab robbery San Bruno PD San Bruno, CA - ABC 7 News - Bay Area ● January 2022 - Five suspects attempt a Smash & Grab at a Jewelry store but are chased off by the owner ● But here’s what didn’t make the news… ● Suspect vehicle identified using Flock ● SBPD thought the suspects would try again, potentially more violently ● Vehicle placed on a custom hotlist ● SBPD receives a real time alert that the suspects are returning ● Officers locate the vehicle within seconds preventing another attempt CASE STUDY Amber Alert When every second matters, CPD Chamblee, Georgia Flock Safety’s Machine Vision is Critical 12:33 PM Amber Alert Issued 1:01 PM Search Conducted with Flock Safety 2:30 PM Suspect Vehicle Located 5:03 PM Felony Stop + Arrest Stranger on Stranger Abduction 6:00 PM Baby Reunited with Mother August 28, 2020  Solar & Electric & Solar & Solar & Traffic Existing Pole Existing Flock Pole Pole Structure / Pole Questions