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HomeMy Public PortalAbout2023-07-27 minutes 1 Public Safety Committee Meeting Call to Order The July 27, 2023, Public Safety Committee meeting was convened at 7:30 a.m. by Councilman Spicer. Attendance Present: Committee Members: Councilman Derrick Spicer, Councilman Scott Spencer, Councilman Jack Deeken, Councilman Mark Schwartz, Councilman Aaron Mealy Guests: Fire Chief Matt Schofield, Chief of Police Eric Wilde, Emergency Medical Services Chief Eric Hoy, Emergency Management Director Nicholas Tietsort, City Attorney Ryan Moehlman, City Director of Finance Shiela Pearre, Fire Division Chief of Preventions Jason Turner Approval of Minutes Councilman Schwartz motioned to approve of the minutes from the May 25th meeting. Councilman Deeken seconded the motion. Minutes approved. Discussion of Agenda Items OLD BUSINESS Nothing to Report. NEW BUSINESS Emergency Management Performance Grant (EMPG) Director Tietsort previously talked with Chief Wilde about the needs of the emergency management and the associated Police Department budget. With those needs in mind, Director Tietsort is asking for about $217,722.52 from the 2023-2024 EMPG grant. This would leave $108,861.27 to the responsibility of the county and city with a 25% share per the previously established MOU. These funds will be used for employee salary, benefits, and insurance. Director Tietsort stated he should know if the EMPG is approved and for how much by mid - September. Chief Schofield advised Emergency Management has always been allocated into the Police Department’s budget. He suggests the Emergency Management line item be separated from the Police Department’s budget so there is a clearer understanding of the department’s funding, chain of command, policies, etc. This idea will be proposed at the upcoming budget meetings. Councilman Spencer stated he supports the separation of the departments. Deputy Director Position Approval 2 Director Tietsort stated the funding for the Deputy Director position has been approved by the county, but it still needs approval by the city. This t opic has been brought up in previous council meetings, but Chief Schofield stated prior City Administrator Crowell was concerned about the position’s benefit to the city, their direct contribution (job description) to the city, and the fact that the city, county, and state’s budget cycles were all different which would complicate when the position would actually go into effect. Director Tietsort again presented the position to the Public Safety Committee stating the position’s salary would be $50,000, 40% of which would be allocated for benefits (around $20,000), and would only be about $17,500 annually paid by the city. The rest of the salary would be funded by the EMPG grant. In response to Councilman Mealy’s question regarding why this position is needed, Director Tietsort stated two other 1st class counties in our region have at least two managers (Director and Deputy Director) within their staff. He advised with the county’s population and his workload, it would benefit the city and county to have an extra position to manage everything within a 12- hour operation cycle. During emergencies, it would also benefit the Director’s workload by distributing responsibilities as an emergency manager. This could also benefit the responsiveness to the community. In response to Councilman Mealy’s question regarding grant writing, Director Tietsort stated a large portion of his responsibilities are to apply for grants. The department was awarded about $700,000 in federal and state grants within the last year which includes the EMPG grant and a recent cyber security grant. Grants are applied for year-round. In response to Councilman Schwartz’s question regarding the allocation of the 911 tax funds, Chief Hoy advised the 911 tax funds are collected by the county and held for updates to the 911 center. There is currently about $100,000 in the account, but it is meant to be a cushion for emergency equipment repair and updates. Unfortunately, the position could not be funded by the 911 tax funds. Councilman Spencer stated it is unfair to the department to wait for an answer from the city. In addition, he does not feel comfortable with allocating the above funds to support a Deputy Director position. Councilman Spencer made a motion to decline the support for the addition of the Deputy Director position. Councilman Schwartz seconded the motion. Roll call vote: Council man Spencer – Yes Councilman Spicer – Yes Councilman Schwartz – Yes Councilman Mealy – No Councilman Deeken – Yes Motion to decline passed by a vote of 4 yes and 1 no. Emergency Medical Services Update Chief Hoy stated he will present regular department updates. Currently, there are about 840 calls for service this month, which is down from last month. 3 The department was awarded recognition for the first time by the American Heart Association for their performance in stroke and heart attack responses. Chief Hoy advised at the August 22, 2023, City Council meeting, a request to appear in front of the council will be made for a citizen who survived a cardiac arrest. The citizen’s heart stopped, and was revived due to EMS’s quick response and protocols. This event will celebrate the success of EMS’s cardiac arrest data analysis. Chief Hoy stated the department is currently fully staffed with 2 in orientation and starting on Monday, July 31, 2023. The Communications Center is currently down one personnel. In response to Councilman Shwartz’s question regarding the 911 call center data, Chief Wilde stated the monthly report that is distributed states all calls for service data. Chief Schofield stated for about three years, the committee has been discussing how the departments can better collaborate, and a report can be generated for the council’s viewing. Councilman Spencer stated the council would like to discuss the topic in more detail at a later date. Chief Wilde stated he would provide a trend of data over the last three years. Marketing Campaign Chief Wilde advised recruiting and hiring for police and 911 personnel has been a challenge in the last few years. The department is currently 8 officers down with 4-5 retirements in the near future. This puts the department in a challenging staffing environment. Last year, the department reached out to High 5 Communications regarding a brand analysis. High 5 Communications spoke with many employees to get their testimonies about their strengths and weaknesses working for the city. Their results were that the city is a great place to work and the satisfaction rates are high. Currently, the Police Department’s marketing budget is about $1287, which is used for basic ads in the paper. Chief Wilde stated he wants more focus on recruiting that will target social media such as adding recruitment videos to the website and department’s social media, radio ads, and professional recruitment photos. He also wants to target applicants on LinkedIn and other job search websites where the department reaches out to individuals with specific job interests rather than individuals searching for related jobs. The projected target applicants will range from local to college-based cities and surrounding areas. High 5 Communications suggested a budget of $50,000 to be allocated specifically for recruitment. This would be added to the department’s recruitment line item. The budget would fund a professional photographer, video production, and ads. The budget would not be $50,000 each year. Once all recruitment material has been purchased, the department can reuse it in the future. If staffing increases, the department may lower the amount of recruiting material, which would lower the cost of the budget. This would be funded by the Fund balance, which is currently at 15.82%, by a supplemental appropriation. Chief Wilde wants to carry this item on to the next budget cycle so the department can see the results of the implemented recruiting strategy. Councilman Spencer voiced his concern that it may take multiple years for the department to see results. 4 Chief Schofield stated the city allocated corporate directors to evaluate pink sheet items, and expressed the recruitment issue is critical enough that the department bring it to the council’s attention. Councilman Mealy voiced his concerns for the allocated funds for recruitment jumping from $1200 to $50,000 but supports the measures that need to be taken. Councilman Spicer motioned to approve moving forward with the item. Spencer seconds the motion. Roll call vote: Councilman Spencer – Yes Councilman Schwartz – Yes Councilman Spicer – Yes Councilman Mealy – Yes Councilman Deeken – Yes Motion to approve is passed by a vote of 5 yeses. Automated Voice Dispatch Chief Wilde gave a brief explanation of current communications procedures while receiving a call and dispatching officers. Operators have to put the call on hold t o dispatch an officer to the location, and it is not the most effective and efficient procedure. With the Fire and Police Department entering into a joint project with Cole County EMS, they can improve the way calls are dispatched within the whole county with an Automated Voice Dispatch (AVD) system. With AVD, once a 911 call is ready for dispatch, a notification will instantaneously be sent to first responders in the area. This will allow communication operators to handle multiple calls more efficiently. Chief Hoy stated this system will allow operators to remain on the phone while officers respond at the same time, making it more efficient for all departments and sections. Chief Hoy stated the project will be funded by the opioid drug settlement funds which currently contain about $43,500. The project is projected to cost the city $38,243, which would still leave a remaining balance in the opioid drug settlement account. Cole County would pay a higher portion because of the computer networking that tied the communications center with EMS. Chief Hoy advised this would be a qualified use of the opioid funds to make responding to emergencies such as overdoses and other drug-related incidents more efficient. Chief Hoy also stated the Cole County Commissioner's office has already approved the proposal. Councilman Deeken motioned to approve moving forward with this item. Councilman Spencer seconds the motion. Roll call vote: Councilman Spicer – Yes Councilman Mealy – Yes Councilman Deeken – Yes Councilman Spencer – Yes Councilman Schwartz – Absent 5 Motion to approve is passed by a vote of 4 yeses. OTHER BUSINESS Fire Department Update Chief Turner stated the department is at full staff with one employee in the two-week orientation period. Two personnel were recently promoted, one to driver and one to a captain. Chief Turner advised a new vehicle was purchased through the last budget season. It is currently in Overland Park for equipment upgrades. Chief Turner stated the department is working on getting the HAAS alerting system. The system will alert drivers when there is an emergency vehicle, towing fleet, and roadway worker within 40 yards away from the driver. This alert system will encourage drivers to be aware of safety hazards and to drive with caution while keeping emergency responders, towers, and roadway workers safe. The system is expected to go live in 2026. Chief Turner advised of the department’s recent $100,000 fire hose purchase. Chief Turner stated the Air Show is coming up in April. The department is currently working on training that is required for the event. The department is also working with EMS for a booth at the Cole County Fair scheduled for next week. Chief Turner advised the annual Guns-n-Hoses hockey tournament is scheduled for August 26th. Police Department Updates Chief Wilde is happy to announce the promotional process is complete, with the promotions of Sergeant Curtis Finke, Lieutenant Robert Shearer, and Captain Patrick McCutchen. Chief Wilde stated it was a very competitive process, but is very pleased with the results. Chief Wilde also thanked the International Association of Chief of Police for their efforts in the process. Councilman Spencer stated he was pleased with seeing the promotional ceremony, and advises each department to hold a ceremony because it is something to celebrate. Chief Wilde advised the body cameras are currently being tested in the field. There are some minor infrastructure bugs to fix, but the cameras should be fully launched in late August. Bod y Camera training for patrol is set for August 23rd. Cameras are currently being installed in the vehicles and are going through test runs. Emergency Management Update Director Tietsort stated he has completed the LEPC grant that would assist the city and county with Emergency Management funding. Director Tietsort advised Mobile Data Terminals (MDTs) have been purchased which cost about $8000. The department has also received recent training, costing about $6000 approved by LEPC. 6 Director Tietsort stated Emergency Management is working with EMS in planning the upcoming Air Show. The department is working with Calloway County to make sure all emergency services know what plans are in place. Specific training will be conducted to prepare for the event. Director Tietsort stated the Jaycees Cole County Fair is scheduled for next week. Other Updates Councilman Mealy brought up a study that was done on the Police Department building for renovations and add-ons that was done in 2019. Chief Wilde had discussed adding a second floor to the building in previous meetings. In response to Councilman Mealy’s question regarding building stability, Chief Wilde stated an assessor stated the building was originally built to withstand a second floor. A second floor would maximize office space and workflow. This would also allow the department to potentially create a state-of-the-art training room for physical defense tactics and other training capabilities. In response to Councilman Mealy’s question regarding the attended trajectory on the project, Chief Wilde stated building renovations take time. The renovations are necessary if employee numbers continue to rise. The department is running out of office space and evidence storage space. Chief Wilde advised the next step in this project would be to initiate a discussion about starting a savings account to fund the project. Adjourn Councilman Mealy motioned to adjourn the meeting, Councilman Spencer seconded the motion. Meeting was adjourned at 8:38 a.m.