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HomeMy Public PortalAbout2023-12-01 minutes 1 Public Safety Committee Meeting Call to Order The December 1, 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, Fire Division Chief of Preventions Jason Turner, City Attorney Ryan Moehlman, Director of Finance Sheila Pearre, Officer Martika Hitt Approval of Minutes Councilman Schwartz motioned to approve the minutes from the September 28th meeting. Councilman Spencer seconded the motion. Minutes approved. Discussion of Agenda Items OLD BUSINESS Nothing to Report. NEW BUSINESS Communications Grant Application Chief Schofield stated this topic of discussion will appear on the Monday, December 4 th, City Council meeting as the physical application. The application is for a $484,000 CIIEG grant through the Missouri Department of Public Safety. The goal of this grant is to use a 50/50 soft match, but the city can utilize the purchase of fire department vehicles as a portion of their match. The grant will be used for communication devices. This may also be a partial grant award. Chief Schofield is seeking endorsement from the committee to move the topic to full council. Councilman Spencer motioned to move the topic to full council. Councilman Schwartz seconded the motion. Roll call vote: Councilman Mealy – Yes Councilman Spencer – Yes Councilman Schwartz – Yes Councilman Deeken – Yes Councilman Spicer - Yes 2 Motion to approve passed by a vote of 5 yeses. Annual EMS MOU Renewal Chief Schofield advised every year the department brings a continuing MOU resolution with Cole County EMS to the committee for their approval of the renewal. He advised the MOU should be set to an automatic renewal. Cole County EMS is one of the fire department’s most frequently worked with organizations, and they continue to have a close relationship. An automatic renewal of the MOU would save both departments time by not having to bring it to the committee each year. If the MOU is placed on an automatic renewal and modifications need to be made, the modifications will be taken to the committee. Chief Hoy stated the $25,000 allocated from the City will remain in the MOU. Councilman Spencer motioned to approve the automatic renewal of the MOU. Councilman Mealy seconded the motion. Roll call vote: Councilman Mealy – Yes Councilman Spencer – Yes Councilman Schwartz – Yes Councilman Deeken – Yes Councilman Spicer - Yes Motion to approve passed by a vote of 5 yeses. ARFF Truck Recommendations Chief Schofield advised the department is seeking a replacement for the 32-year-old ARFF truck. The request for a new vehicle has been moved through the Senate and House, but the allocated money has been cut back from $1M to $500,000. The vehicle is well past its service life, and the department needs to act quickly with the money allocated. The HGA Co-Op had entertained different vendors and recommendations that fit the department’s needs. The favored recommendation is for the department to use the $500,000 from the State as well as roughly $40,000 and $50,000 from different FY24 budgets, totaling about $590,000 for the budget. A decision should be made on a vehicle before the prices of vehicles increase, also considering the vehicle would take 2-3 years to complete. Chief Schofield stated a committee has been formed to make these recommendations, and acknowledges their hard work. Councilman Spencer motioned to approve the given recommendation and move forward with the purchasing process. Councilman Deeken seconded the motion. Roll call vote: Councilman Mealy – Yes Councilman Spencer – Yes Councilman Schwartz – Yes Councilman Deeken – Yes Councilman Spicer - Yes 3 Motion to approve passed by a vote of 5 yeses. L3 Recommendations Chief Schofield explained the department purchased 7 trucks in 2018 on a 10-year cycle. One of the vehicles, Latter 3, was totaled and non-reparable by the damage caused by the light pole that had fallen on it. A committee has been formed in the department to find recommendations for a new or used vehicle to replace Ladder 3. Chief Schofield stated the committee has considered three things while looking at recommendations; Time, cost, and capabilities. A new ladder truck costs anywhere between $1.7M to $2.4M, which has more than doubled in the last 5 years. The new vehicle should have the same capabilities as the damaged vehicle because the other vehicles in the fleet did not have those capabilities. With vehicles taking 2-3 years to manufacture, the department cannot waste time in deciding, because the department depends on the vehicle’s capabilities. Chief Schofield advised one recommendation is to choose a loaner truck through Rosenbauer American Dealers. The loaner vehicle could arrive in six months and would have some of the same capabilities as the damaged truck. Another recommendation was to purchase a used vehicle. Chief Schofield advised there are not many used vehicles available that have the required capabilities, and there are risks when purchasing used vehicles. The last recommendation is to purchase a new vehicle. The new vehicle is the best investment for the community because it is cost-friendly and can be made in a timely manner. Chief Schofield stated an RFP has been created and will go before the full council on December 4th. The RFP explains the insurance company will pay the original purchase price minus the remaining balance of the vehicle. The insurance received will be put towards the purchase of the new vehicle. The new vehicle will cost about $1.9M. At a 10-year fixed interest of 1.4%(estimated) and the use of the insurance payout, the vehicle will cost about $1.344M. The city was paying about $454,000 a year for the old vehicle. The city will pay about $365,000 for the new vehicle, saving the city money yearly. City Attorney Moehlman strongly advises the city to not purchase a used vehicle because there are too many risks that come with used vehicles. If maintenance were to be done on the vehicle, the cost would come out of the city’s pocket. The used vehicle has a lot of miles and is just a few years newer than the previous truck. Director Pearre discussed the finances of purchasing the new vehicle with a handout given to the committee. Councilman Mealy suggested seeing a city staff recommendation on the purchase of a new vehicle. Director Pearre advised ultimately the decision is to be made by the City Council. Councilman Spenser motioned to pursue the purchase of a new vehicle. Councilman Spicer seconded the motion. Roll call vote: Councilman Mealy – Yes Councilman Spencer – Yes 4 Councilman Schwartz – Yes Councilman Deeken – Yes Councilman Spicer - Yes Motion to approve passed by a vote of 5 yeses. OTHER BUSINESS Fire Department Update Chief Turner discussed the ongoing burn season which he explained to be normal and noth ing of the extreme. In response to Councilman Spencer’s request to extend the burn season, Chief Turner explained there are health issues that arise from air quality and smoke ventilation when the burn season is extended. Chief Turner stated he will bring the matter up in a later meeting. Chief Schofield advised the building of the Hyde Park building is going according to plan. The compressors are currently being upgraded. Director Pearre advised the money has been collected from ______________ for the construction of the building. Chief Schofield stated the department conducted EMS Protocol training this week. Police Department Updates Chief Wilde advised the department has applied for a Department of Justice Recruitment Grant that will cover the cost of 10 students from the Lincoln University Criminal Justice program to partake in a semester-long internship at the department. A resolution will be read at the December 4th City Council meeting explaining the Co-Op agreement with Lincoln University. The grant will cover a 16-week paid internship ($15/hour) and tuition for the class. Chief Wilde stated the department is currently five officers down after the resignation of two officers last week. He stated the department entered a contract with High5 Communications for a marketing campaign in an attempt to increase recruitment. In response to Councilman Spencer’s inquiry about bicycle laws, Chief Wilde explained bicyclists must abide by normal automobile traffic laws. Officers cite individuals and enforce bicycle traffic to the best of their abilities. Chief Wilde introduces Officer Martika Hitt as the department’s newest Community Resource Officer. Office Hitt explained she takes calls for service and connects them to behavioral or homeless issues and helps direct the individual to resources that would help them with their crisis. 50% of referrals have gotten the help they need and have not needed police intervention again. The other 50% of referrals are considered chronic and continue to engage in police intervention. Officer Hitt explained she is working with SIM mapping that maps out different levels of issues in the city whether it be mental health, domestic abuse, drug use, or other related crises. Her method is to divert individuals from committing crimes by giving them the resources needed to better themselves. Officer Hitt stated she is the chair of the Crisis Intervention Team. CIT is a basic 40 -hour training course that educates officers on mental health to help progress calls in the most compassionate way. CIT also focuses on officer and first responder wellness. She states, “We as 5 first responders have to be healthy in order to provide compassionate care on emergency calls.” She also stated she is a member of the Coordinated Community Response Team that deals with domestic violence assistance. The police department coordinated with RACs, the Sherriff’s Department, and other entities to assist with domestic violence calls. Officer Hitt is also the department’s Homeless Liaison and addresses issues regarding the homeless and encampments, and provides resources to those in need. She is also a member of the Domestic Violence Response Team which is a panel of stakeholders in the community involved in domestic violence prevention. In this role, she provides resources to families who want to address their relationship to prevent domestic violence from happening again. Officer Hitt advises she is very busy within the department, and there is still a lot of growth and development in the programs she is involved with, but is happy to serve the community and provide the community with the available resources. Councilman Schwartz stated Officer Hitt’s crime prevention techniques are a big step for agencies across the state. Her techniques are getting individuals on the path to recovery. He asked that Officer Hitt speak about her work to the full council. Chief Wilde stated he is very proud of the crime prevention program the department is building. He stated the department has applied for a Department of Justice grant that would fund another Community Resource Officer position and equipment for the program. Emergency Medical Services Update Chief Hoy advised the department is in the latter stages of finalizing a Lincoln University EMT certification that would allow the department to train and recruit, and will allow the department to provide services to other departments. Chief Hoy welcomed Pastor John King as the department’s Chaplin. Pastor King will provide counseling to those in need in times of emergencies. Emergency Management Update Director Tietsort briefly discussed the COAD committee forming from the LTRC that served the community during the tornado disaster, and stated they are in the process of forming a permanent committee. The COAD will meet again in February. Councilman Spencer advised he is excited to hear from about the new COAD committee, and he appreciated the work the team continues to work towards. Director Tietsort stated there is a letter of correction for the LAPC grant where $105,000 was applied for, but only $60,000 was granted. No reason was given for the disapproved items. Director Tietsort advised he has applied for an EMPG mini grant that will fund $49,000 across 3 separate projects. Director Tietsort stated a cyber security grant has been applied for. If granted, $200,000 will be awarded with a 100% match from the city. This grant should be approved by 2024. Other Updates 6 Nothing to Report Adjourn Councilman Spencer motioned to adjourn the meeting, Councilman Spicer seconded the motion. Meeting was adjourned at 8:55 a.m.