Services Committee

Summary

Meeting Overview

The Services Committee convened on June 3, 2008, at 1:00 PM with Chuck Ellinger, II presiding as the committee chair. The committee addressed two agenda items during the session, focusing on municipal service matters including graffiti issues and employee vehicle policies.

The committee took four votes throughout the meeting and heard no public comments during the session. The primary accomplishment was the approval of graffiti-related measures, while the committee also received informational presentations on employee auto usage and reimbursement policies. The meeting demonstrated the committee's ongoing work to address community maintenance concerns and internal administrative policies affecting city operations.

Attendance

The Committee meeting on June 3, 2008 had nine members present and one member absent.

Present: • Ellinger • Myers • Blues • DeCamp • Beard • Crosbie • Blevins • Henson • Lane

Absent: • McChord

No members arrived late to the meeting.

Votes and Decisions

The Committee took four votes during the June 3, 2008 meeting, with mixed results on ordinance modifications and unanimous support for administrative requests.

Motion to Leave Section 14-3.3 Unchanged 2:30 Lane motioned to leave section 14-3.3 unchanged and not make the proposed modifications, seconded by Myers. The motion failed by voice vote with 3 ayes and 6 nays. Voting in favor were Lane, Myers, and DeCamp. Voting against were Ellinger, Blues, Beard, Crosbie, Blevins, and Henson.

Motion to Place Ordinance on Docket 3:45 Henson motioned to place the ordinance creating sections 14-3.1 through 14-3.3 on the docket, seconded by Myers. The motion passed by voice vote with 8 ayes and 1 nay. Voting in favor were Ellinger, Myers, Blues, DeCamp, Beard, Crosbie, Blevins, and Henson. Lane cast the sole vote against.

Motion for October 1, 2008 Effective Date 4:10 Henson motioned to make the effective date of section 14-3.3 be October 1, 2008, seconded by Myers. The motion passed unanimously by voice vote with 9 ayes and 0 nays. All committee members voted in favor: Ellinger, Myers, Blues, DeCamp, Beard, Crosbie, Blevins, Henson, and Lane.

Motion for Vehicle Use Policy Change 6:15 Myers motioned to ask the administration to come back with a policy change for vehicle use, seconded by Blevins. The motion passed unanimously by voice vote with 9 ayes and 0 nays. All committee members voted in favor: Ellinger, Myers, Blues, DeCamp, Beard, Crosbie, Blevins, Henson, and Lane.

The Committee showed clear division on the initial ordinance modification but reached consensus on implementation timing and administrative follow-up actions.

Contested Items

The Committee meeting on June 3, 2008, featured two significant areas of disagreement among members.

Graffiti Ordinance Section 14-3.3

Committee members were divided on proposed changes to section 14-3.3 of the graffiti ordinance. The contentious issue centered on whether to maintain the current language regarding the criminalization of sales to minors. The split vote reflected differing views among committee members about the appropriate penalties and enforcement mechanisms for businesses that sell graffiti-related materials to underage individuals. Some members expressed concerns about the potential impact of criminal penalties on local businesses, while others supported maintaining stronger deterrent measures. The final outcome of this split vote was not definitively resolved during the meeting.

Employee Auto Usage & Reimbursement Policy

A heated discussion emerged regarding the city's policy requiring employees to use personal vehicles for work-related travel. Committee members engaged in an intense debate over the implications of this requirement, particularly focusing on insurance coverage and reimbursement procedures. The discussion highlighted concerns about potential liability issues when employees use their personal vehicles for official city business, as well as questions about adequate compensation for vehicle wear and maintenance costs. Members also debated whether the current reimbursement rates fairly covered the actual costs incurred by employees who are required to use their personal vehicles for work purposes. The heated nature of this discussion suggests fundamental disagreements about the policy's fairness and the city's responsibility to employees who must use personal property for official duties.

Both contested items reflect broader policy questions about municipal regulations and employee treatment that required careful consideration by the Committee.

Graffiti

0:30 The Committee discussed a proposed graffiti ordinance during the June 3, 2008 meeting, with presentations from David Barberie and Officer Gaines addressing both enforcement and prevention measures.

The proposed ordinance includes provisions to criminalize the sale of graffiti materials to minors as a prevention strategy. This component aims to reduce youth access to spray paint and other materials commonly used in graffiti vandalism.

The discussion also covered graffiti abatement programs, which would establish systematic approaches for removing graffiti from public and private property. These programs are designed to address existing graffiti while deterring future vandalism through rapid response and cleanup efforts.

David Barberie and Officer Gaines provided details on the ordinance's enforcement mechanisms and implementation strategies. The speakers outlined how the new regulations would be integrated with existing law enforcement protocols and community outreach initiatives.

The Committee approved the graffiti ordinance following the presentations and discussion. The approved measure encompasses both the sales restrictions for minors and the establishment of abatement programs as comprehensive approaches to addressing graffiti issues in the community.

The ordinance represents a multi-faceted strategy combining prevention through restricted access to materials, enforcement through criminal penalties, and remediation through organized cleanup efforts. Implementation of these measures is expected to reduce both the incidence of new graffiti and the persistence of existing vandalism throughout the jurisdiction.

Employee Auto Usage & Reimbursement

5:00

The Committee discussed proposed changes to the employee vehicle usage policy during agenda item 2. Commissioner Cole and Logan Askew served as the key speakers for this discussion item.

The discussion centered on modifications to the current vehicle usage policy, with particular focus on:

• Reimbursement procedures for employee vehicle use
• Rental car options for official business
• Updates to existing usage guidelines

The agenda item was designated as informational, indicating that the Committee reviewed the proposed policy changes without taking formal action. The discussion provided an opportunity for Committee members to examine the details of the vehicle usage modifications and consider their implications for county operations.

This item represents part of the Committee's ongoing review of administrative policies affecting county employees and operational procedures.