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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2010-01-20 Finance and Safety MinutesFINANCE AND SAFETY COMMITTEE Meeting Minutes January 20, 2010 5:00 p.m.; Conference Room #3 CALL TO ORDER: Chair Quinn called the meeting to order at 5:03 p.m. Committee Chair Quinn stated that he needs to leave the meeting by 6:00 p. m. I. PRESENTATIONS No presentations. City of Tukwila Finance and Safety Committee REVISED as of 1/26/10 PRESENT Councilmembers: De' Sean Quinn, Chair; Allan Ekberg and Kathy Hougardy Staff: Dave Haynes, Don Lincoln, Mike Villa, Rebecca McGregor, Bob Giberson, Shawn Hunstock, Jennifer Ferrer- Santalnes, Steve Lancaster and Kimberly Matej II. BUSINESS AGENDA A. Police Evidence Facility Staff is seeking full Council approval to move forward with securing a location for a new Police Department Evidence Storage Facility. Funding, including start-up costs and the 2010 lease, is estimated at $183,324. This item is not budgeted in the 2009 -10 Biennial Budget. It is anticipated that a portion of funds, specifically building improvements, may be funded through the 303 Fund; and a portion of related equipment costs would be eligible for payment with the Police Department Seizure Fund. A funding source for the lease has not been identified. The Committee had a lengthy discussion regarding the City's need for a proper Evidence Storage Facility. The highlights of the discussion included: Evidence is currently stored in one of five separate locations. Health and safety issues are prominent (Evidence Annex off of 42n Avenue South). There is a need for vehicle storage, bays and the proper equipment for vehicle processing. Current evidence storage does not meet the standards of the Washington Association of Sheriff and Police Chiefs (WASPC) Law Enforcement Accreditation Program. Current Re- Accreditation deadline is March 31, 2010. In consideration of the City's current budget concerns as well as the upcoming Annual Council Retreat, which will focus on budget issues, the Committee felt it was not appropriate to forward this item to full Council for action at this time. Chair Quinn stated that although this funding amount appears to be relatively small in comparison to the overall budget, as we implement a 3% City -wide budget reduction, we have to consider if we are creating a larger deficit for the City rather than moving forward to balance the budget. Regardless, this funding amount is significant enough, that making a decision now, could limit the Council's options and /or considerations over the upcoming months. Staff commented that funding for this project in 2010 could possibly be absorbed by the Police Department (requiring subsequent reductions) or monies could be re- allocated from other sources. Funding for later years will be built into future budgets as appropriate. Committee Members Quinn and Ekberg expressed concern as to why this item was not reflected in the 2009 -10 Biennial Budget, and if it has been an issue for some time why it has not been discussed previously. Chief Haynes explained that the issue has been a topic of discussion for several years at the Finance Safety Committee Minutes January 20, 2010 Paae 2 staff level, and began to be elevated during the time of planning for the new Records Facility. This item was not formally introduced at a Council Committee prior to today's meeting. Efforts were made to discuss this item at the Committee level in December 2009. In regards to the WASPC Accreditation, Chief Haynes explained that the Police Department will proceed with the re- accreditation process apart from meeting the evidence facility standard. The accreditation process serves as an outside resource and useful tool to ensure the department's processes and procedures are being conducted correctly and efficiently. Although a failure to meet the accreditation standards for an evidence facility will likely cause the department to loose its accreditation status, there are no state (RCW) or federal laws or standards regarding substandard evidence facilities. Outside of the accreditation process, the evidence facility needs still need to be addressed. Chair Quinn was appreciative of Chief Haynes' commitment to continue through the re- accreditation process outside of the current evidence facility status. The Committee agreed that it is in the City's best interest to delay moving this item forward to full Council until after the Annual Council Retreat, where the budget will be discussed at length. However, all Committee Members agreed that this request and issue is significant enough that all Councilmembers should be aware of its magnitude, and it warrants a note of attention at a Council meeting. FORWARD TO JANUARY 25 COW FOR REPORT. NO ACTION. B. Black and White Patrol Cars As an information only item, staff reported that the police department will begin transitioning the patrol fleet to a black and white color scheme with all new patrol vehicle purchases. There is no additional budget costs and /or impact to the City as all new patrol vehicles need to be painted to the City's specifications. This item was addressed previously at the June 16, 2009, Finance Safety Committee wherein a fleet re- paint was proposed with the use of the Drug Seizure Fund (also see Committee of the Whole minutes dated June 22, 2009). Consequently, this item was removed as an action item at a Regular meeting per staff request for consideration at a later date. This color scheme was has been given thoughtful consideration, and is anticipated to have a direct impact on our City's law enforcement issues of visibility, perception and community sense of safety. INFORMATION ONLY C. Residential Burglaries This item was placed on the agenda at the request of the Committee Chair. Staff reported that there has been a regional increase in residential burglaries. As well as working with the County and other local law enforcement agencies, Tukwila's strategy to address this problem includes crime prevention education efforts, enforcement and investigation. Committee Members asked specific questions relative to recent concerns expressed within the community. Staff emphasized the importance of calling 911 and reassessing personal security measures. Committee Member Ekberg suggested the Police Department consider a larger outreach for the community regarding crime prevention education on residential burglaries. At the request of the Committee, staff will return to Finance Safety in late March /early April to provide an update on the status of residential burglaries and crime prevention efforts. INFORMATION ONLY. D. Sales Tax Report Due to time constraints, the Sales Tax Report was not discussed in detail. Shawn Hunstock briefly reported that the report is still under budget. INFORMATION ONLY. Finance Safety Committee Minutes January 20. 2010 Page 3 E. City Council Pre Retreat Budget Review Due to time constraints, the Committee will review the 2009 -10 Biennial Budget pages assigned for this agenda at the next Finance and Safety Committee scheduled for February 2, 2010. III. MISCELLANEOUS Meeting adjourned at 6:12 p.m. Next meeting: Tuesday, February 2, 2010 5:00 p.m. Conference Room #3 Committee Chair Approval Minutes by KAM. Reviewed by SL.