Council Public Safety Committee

Summary

Meeting Overview

The Public Safety Committee met on May 7, 2013, at 1:00 p.m., with Peggy Henson presiding. The committee addressed four agenda items during the meeting. The committee approved the summary from the previous meeting and voted to approve the Division of Police Home Fleet Policy and Items Referred to Committee. A report from the Divisions of Code Enforcement and Law regarding Infill and Redevelopment Steering Committee Recommendations was deferred. The committee took eight motions and votes during the meeting and heard four public comments.

Attendance

Present: Peggy Henson, Kevin Stinnett, Chuck Ellinger, Shevawn Akers, Bill Farmer, George Myers, Harry Clarke, and Ed Lane.

Absent: Diane Lawless and Jennifer Mossotti.

Late arrivals: None.

Votes and Decisions

The meeting included eight motions, all of which passed by voice vote.

Meeting Minutes Approval 4:37 Chuck Ellinger moved to approve the summary of the March 5, 2013 meeting, seconded by Shevawn Akers. The motion passed.

Items Referred List Removals 5:09 Five separate motions were made to remove items from the items referred list:

• George Myers moved to remove fleet management services from the items referred list, seconded by Ed Lane. The motion passed.
• Ed Lane moved to remove the creation of a policy for systematically replacing and maintaining vehicles from the items referred list, seconded by Bill Farmer. The motion passed.
• Ed Lane moved to remove the amendment of subsection 14-72(6)(a) from the items referred list, seconded by Bill Farmer. The motion passed.
• Ed Lane moved to remove the hazardous materials ordinance from the items referred list, seconded by George Myers. The motion passed.
• Ed Lane moved to remove the public nuisance ordinance from the items referred list, seconded by Bill Farmer. The motion passed.

Code Enforcement Staffing 1:11:34 George Myers moved to authorize and direct the mayor and administration to fill two vacant code enforcement positions immediately, seconded by Shevawn Akers. The motion passed.

Adjournment 5:09 Bill Farmer moved to adjourn the meeting, seconded by George Myers. The motion passed.

Budget and Financial Actions

The meeting addressed several budget requests for the next fiscal cycle, with a combined budgetary impact of $126,000 from Infill and Redevelopment Steering Committee recommendations.

Legal Department

Two separate funding requests were made for the Legal Department:

• $55,000 to hire a paralegal position
• $80,000 as a budget increase for the department

Code Enforcement

Code Enforcement submitted two related funding requests:

• $46,000 to hire an administrative position responsible for filing Code Enforcement liens and staffing the Vacant Property Review Board
• $46,000 as a budget increase for the department

Hearing Officer Services

• $15,000 to contract with a hearing officer for Code Enforcement cases

Public Comment

Four council members provided comments addressing concerns about code enforcement operations and staffing.

Diane Lawless 18:30 expressed frustration with the slow pace of code enforcement appeals and the backlog of properties ready for condemnation. She emphasized the need for faster processing and better coordination with social services to assist vulnerable property owners.

Shevawn Akers 1:01:58 approached the issue from a social services perspective, questioning the role of social services in code enforcement. She suggested that referrals could help residents in need avoid escalating fines and foreclosures. However, she acknowledged that code enforcement officers lack the time and resources necessary to conduct such outreach.

Kevin Stinnett 1:04:35 challenged the administration's decision to delay hiring two vacant code enforcement positions despite high workload and public demand. He called the rationale for the hiring delay inconsistent with the department's stated need for additional staff.

Steve Kay 1:24:30 focused on transparency and consistency in code enforcement operations. He emphasized that the core issue extends beyond standard operating procedures, highlighting the lack of documented criteria for exceptions to enforcement timelines. He called for better record-keeping and accountability to ensure fair and consistent enforcement.

Appointments

The following appointments were made during this meeting:

• Tony Barrett was appointed to the Infill and Redevelopment Steering Committee
• Dennis Anderson was appointed to the Infill and Redevelopment Steering Committee

Contested Items

Hiring Delays for Code Enforcement Positions

Council members engaged in heated discussion regarding the administration's decision to delay hiring for two vacant code enforcement positions. Despite the department's documented high workload and demonstrated public demand for enforcement services, the administration postponed filling these positions. Council members strongly criticized this decision, characterizing it as inconsistent with the department's own stated need for additional staff. The disagreement centered on the apparent contradiction between the department's resource requirements and the hiring freeze decision.

Transparency and Consistency in Code Enforcement

A second contested item involved disagreement over the adequacy of the administration's responses to Infill and Redevelopment recommendations. The council split on this issue, with some members arguing that the department's response was insufficient. Specifically, these council members pointed to ongoing deficiencies in two areas: the lack of documented criteria for enforcement exceptions and inadequate record-keeping practices. The disagreement reflected broader concerns about transparency and consistency in how code enforcement decisions are made and documented, with some members contending that without clear written standards and proper documentation, the department could not ensure uniform application of code enforcement policies.

Approval of Summary

The committee approved the summary of the March 5, 2013 meeting without dissent 4:37. Chuck Ellinger moved for approval of the summary, and Shevawn Akers seconded the motion. The summary was approved unanimously.

Report from the Divisions of Code Enforcement and Law: Infill and Redevelopment

David Jarvis and David Barberie presented responses to recommendations from the Infill and Redevelopment Steering Committee 5:09. The presentation covered updates to code enforcement policies, standard operating procedures (SOPs), website accessibility, and funding requests.

Key Topics Presented:

• Updates to code enforcement policies and procedures
• Website accessibility improvements
• Funding requests related to code enforcement operations

Concerns Raised:

The committee expressed several concerns during the discussion:

• Staffing levels and capacity
• Data transparency and availability
• Enforcement consistency across the division

Participants:

The discussion involved David Jarvis, David Barberie, and Steve Kay.

Outcome:

The agenda item was deferred, indicating that further discussion or action on these recommendations was postponed to a future meeting.

Division of Police Home Fleet Policy

1:32:28

Commissioner Mason and John Sheehan presented an update on the Division of Police Home Fleet Policy. The presentation focused on the financial and operational impacts of the policy implementation.

Financial Impact

The speakers reported estimated annual savings of $780,000 resulting from the policy. These savings were attributed to reductions in fuel costs, maintenance expenses, insurance premiums, and vehicle depreciation. Additionally, the policy generated new revenue through off-duty officer payments.

Crime Statistics

Crime statistics were reviewed as part of the presentation. According to the data presented, there was no significant change in crime rates following implementation of the home fleet policy.

Outcome

The agenda item was approved.

Items Referred to Committee

5:09

The committee voted to remove several items from the referred list during this agenda item discussion.

Items Removed from Referred List: - Fleet management - Vehicle replacement policy - Hazardous materials ordinance - Public nuisance ordinance

Key Speakers: - George Myers - Ed Lane - Bill Farmer

Discussion Focus: The discussion highlighted concerns about administrative efficiency and resource allocation as the committee considered which items should remain on the referred list.

Outcome: The motion to remove these items was approved.