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HomeMy Public PortalAbout20110602 public safety minutes 1 Public Safety Committee Meeting Call to Order The June 2, 2011, Public Safety Committee meeting convened at 8:05 a.m. by Chairman Councilman Harvey. Attendance Present: Committee Members: Councilman Mike Harvey, Councilman Bill Luebbert, Councilman Rich Koon, Councilman Bryan Pope, Fire Chief Bob Rennick, and Chief of Police Roger Schroeder. Guests: Mayor Eric Struemph, Councilman Bob Scrivner, Councilwoman Carrie Carroll, Assistant City Counselor Drew Hilpert, Police Captain Bob Cynova, Police Records Supervisor Doug Keeney, and Cole County Emergency Management Coordinator Bill Farr. Approval of Minutes Minutes from the April 28, 2011, committee meeting were approved. All voted in favor. Discussion of Agenda Items OLD BUSINESS Outdoor Warning/Telephonic-Type Warning Sirens Chief Schroeder advised he is attempting to bring this issue to culmination, at the direction of the Public Safety Committee. The tornado destruction in Joplin illustrates the importance of updating the outdoor warning system. Captain Cynova has researched warning systems for the past year. Supervisor Keeney was introduced as the most informed technician at the police department. Chief Schroeder deferred to Captain Cynova for the siren presentation, which was a PowerPoint giving an overview of options and suggestions for solutions. Captain Cynova stated the electronic telephone warning system can be done quickly, whereas the updates to the outdoor warning sirens would take approximately 8-9 months. Cole County Emergency Management Coordinator Bill Farr advised the County is looking to partner with the City of Jefferson and supports this effort. Councilman Pope made a motion to instruct the Police Department to make a presentation to the entire City Council on the electronic telephone warning system, and secondly to move forward with an RFP for the replacement of outdoor sirens. Councilman Luebbert seconded the motion. During discussion, Councilman Pope offered a historical note that in May and June of 2005 he was discussing the same issue and, it is time to move forward. All approved and motion carried. 2 National Level Earthquake Exercise Overview Report Cole County Emergency Management Coordinator Farr advised the exercise was completed, although he did note some lack of participation in the Emergency Operations Center (EOC). On Thursday, May 26, Mr. Farr and Fire Chief Rennick worked with the Red Cross and the Cole County Health Department to set up an emergency shelter. Jeff Tran, Capital Region Medical Center and Solid Rock Church participated as well. The church provided space for cots and food, and Capital Region set up medical resources in their parking lot. This was the first time a shelter had been established during such an exercise. The exercise received good marks from State of Missouri representatives. NEW BUSINESS Proposed Ordinance to Extend Liquor Licenses Assistant City Counselor Hilpert introduced this proposed ordinance as a response to requests to extend outside areas (decks and patios) where patrons of liquor establishments are allowed to drink. Boundaries would be clearly marked, and the alcohol would be purchased from the establishment. It is the license holders’ responsibility to adhere to the noise ordinance and remove trash. The Liquor Board approves of the proposed changes to the existing ordinance, and they have the authority to suspend or revoke the license holders extended boundaries. The current ordinance includes a 10:00 p.m. curfew on allowing patrons to be served drinks on decks and patios. This would not change with the proposed ordinance. Councilman Pope made a motion to move the proposed ordinance onto the City Council for approval. Councilman Koon seconded the motion. Motion approved. Proposed Ordinance Clarifying That Under Lighting on Cars are Prohibited Assistant City Counselor Hilpert stated this proposed ordinance is to prohibit the display of neon lights under vehicles. The lights are distracting and can be mistaken for an emergency vehicle. A State statute addressing this issue is outdated, and the City prosecutor would like to clarify the existing ordinance. There will be no grandfathering vehicles already equipped with neon lights, and the ordinance would also apply to motorcycles. There was discussion regarding distinguishing between prohibiting persons from decorating their vehicles, and prohibiting them from using decorative lights on public streets. Councilman Pope made a motion that the wording of the proposed ordinance be clarified before being brought before the City Council for consideration. Councilman Koon seconded the motion. Motion passed. Crime Locations/Geographical Statistics Councilman Luebbert asked Chief Schroeder if the police department is capable of mapping high crime areas and if statistics of this type are kept. Chief Schroeder advised the police department’s system is designed to retrieve up to three years of data associated with a specific location or address. The system will also compare two addresses. However, it is difficult to go beyond that 3 point as it would be very labor intensive. Levels of crime in various areas of the city fluctuate. Supervisor Keeney advised that when dealing with apartment buildings, crime reports can be run by address, and by apartment number. Councilman Scrivner noted he had not seen reports involving a certain convenience store on Stadium for quite some time, and he assumed the situation had been resolved. Chief Schroeder confirmed that officers had employed strategies to alleviate the situation. PUBLIC COMMENT None. OTHER BUSINESS Chief Rennick advised graduation exercised for the fire rookie school would be held in the Council Chambers tonight at 6:30 p.m. Four individuals would be receiving their fire badges. Chief Rennick has been notified by ISO insurance of their intent to conduct a full inspection review of the City and fire service in September 2011. It has been 12 to 14 years since the last review. The presentation from Peckham and Wright regarding recommendations for renovations to fire stations, which was to be presented at this committee meeting, was postponed. They will require 30-45 minutes to make the presentation. Chief Rennick is working with the Finance Department to identify funding sources available and to prioritize Peckham and Wright’s recommendations. Councilwoman Carroll thanked the committee for moving forward with the outdoor warning siren issue. She is the co-chair of the Downtown Steering Committee that is looking at current building codes and safety with regard to renovations of downtown buildings. The committee will be working with the Fire Department and the Public Safety Committee to brainstorm ideas for occupancy of downtown buildings. In conjunction with Councilwoman Carroll’s statements, Councilman Harvey distributed to the Committee a handout, “Code Compliance Concerns for Loft Residential Spaces and Retail Ground Floor Renovations in C-3 Zoning”, and asked that committee members review it before the next Public Safety Committee meeting on June 30. Cole County Emergency Management Coordinator Farr stated he was proud to report that in response to the tornado damage in Joplin, Missouri, Region F supplied 14 people and a mobile EOC to their area. The Jefferson City Police Department and Cole County Sheriff’s Department also sent a significant number of personnel. Adjourn The meeting was adjourned at 9:00 a.m.