Board of Public Safety

Meeting of the BOARD OF PUBLIC SAFETY Thursday, September 6, 2018 at 6:30 pm Wildwood City Hall Community Room 16860 Main Street Committee Members in Attendance: City Marshal Dan McCune Council Member Dave Bertolino Deputy Chief John Bradley (Metro West Fire Protection District) Tim Jax Captain Tim Tanner (Wildwood Police) Also Present: Ryan Thomas, City Administrator Rick Brown, Director of Public Works / City Engineer Erin Shank, Urban Wildlife Biologist, Missouri Department of Conservation I. ROLL CALL A roll call was taken at 6:30pm, with the above noted as present. II. APPROVAL OF MINUTES A motion was made by Board Member Tim Jax to approve the minutes from the August 9, 2018 meeting. Deputy Chief John Bradley seconded the motion. All voted in favor and the motion was approved. III. PUBLIC COMMENT A. John Gragnani, representing residents of Ward 1: Residents that live on Eatherton Rd. have complained that commuters use Eatherton Rd. as a cut through. Those cutting through speed and they are a danger to residents pulling out of their driveways. He would like to see more police enforcement, and installation of “no cut-through” signage on Eatherton Rd. B. Jim Descher, Deer Problem: Jim lives at 16750 Clayton Rd, about ¾ miles from Route 109. He can easily see 10 deer in his yard every night. They have eaten every installation of landscaping over the years, except boxwoods. One broadsided his truck, which cost over $1000 to fix. He let his dogs outside, not knowing there was deer in his yard, and a doe charged one dog and stomped the other because she had two fawns. One dog was severely injured. The deer don’t run anymore from humans. He would like to see a professional hunt in place to manage deer populations before it gets worse. IV. NEW BUSINESS A. Deer Distance Sampling Study Recommended Actions- Erin Shank, Urban Wildlife Biologist. The results of the 2018 Deer Distance Sampling Study were presented to the Board. The results showed that deer density within the 5.5 square mile study area is about 80 deer per square mile, which is 3-4 times greater than desirable. In addition, Ms. Shank provided the Board a handout which detailed several options to minimize human-deer conflicts. Deer density problems, and management options, such as hunting season 1  extensions, hiring sharpshooters, and combining properties were discussed. After much discussion, a motion was made by Board Member Tim Jax recommending that a Citizens Deer Management Committee be presented to the City Council for approval. John Bradley seconded the motion and all members voted in favor. V. OLD BUSINESS A. City priorities for Future Improvement of MODOT Roads. The Board unanimously deferred this topic to the next meeting, as not all the requested data had been reported. VI. NEW BUSINESS A. 2019 Police Services Agreement / Police Services Budget. Ryan Thomas, City Administrator, provided a summary of the proposed 2019 Police Services Agreement and Budget to the Board. The 2019 agreement proposes considerable changes to the current police staffing model, would be funded by the recently passed public safety sales tax (Proposition P). These changes include 24-hour staffing for the Wildwood Precinct and 24- hour coverage of a new 5th beat. To implement these changes, it would be necessary to add two (2) sergeants and six (6) beat officers to current staffing levels. It has been 10 years since the city has added beat staffing and the city has seen a considerable amount of growth since that time. The additional 5th beat would provide increased police coverage and reduced response time. Board Member Dave Bertolino made a motion to adopt the proposed 2019 Police Services Agreement / Budget. Board Member Tim Jax seconded the motion and all other members voted aye. B. Eatherton Road Cut Through. Council Member, John Gragnani notified the Board that residents along Eatherton Road are concerned with the speed and volume of cut-through traffic between Route 109 to Wildhorse Creek Road (Route CC). He proposed “No Cut- Through Traffic” signage for the hours of 6:00 AM to 8:30 AM and increased police enforcement. It was mentioned that Eatherton Road is a City of Wildwood public street, and that motorists cutting through may be Wildwood residents. Captain Tanner stated that the Wildwood Precinct Police made 173 stops on Eatherton Road last year but if needed they could provide increased enforcement. He suggested a traffic study could determine the amount of cut through traffic on the road. Rick Brown, Director of Public Works, offered to complete study and report back to the Board. Further action on this item will be deferred until completion of the traffic study. VII. ADJOURNMENT A motion was made by Board Member Dave Bertolino and seconded by Board Member Tim Jax to adjourn. All were in favor. The meeting adjourned at 8:40 pm. Respectfully Submitted, Michelle Scherer Administrative Assistant 2