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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2010-03-16 Finance and Safety MinutesFINANCE AND SAFETY COMMITTEE Meeting Minutes March 16, 2010 5:00 p.m.; Conference Room #3 PRESENT Councilmembers: De' Sean Quinn, Chair; Allan Ekberg and Kathy Hougardy Staff: Don Lincoln, Shawn Hunstock and Kimberly Matej Guest: Chuck Parrish CALL TO ORDER: Chair Quinn called the meeting to order at 5:00 p.m. I. PRESENTATIONS No presentations. City of Tukwila Finance and Safety Committee II. BUSINESS AGENDA A. Undate in Somali community Meetings As an information only item, Assistant Chief Don Lincoln updated the Committee on relationship building efforts and communications between the Police Department and the Somali community. Assistant Chief Lincoln explained that he has been interacting with the Somali community and leadership for approximately two years. He shared several things he has learned about the Somali culture since he began building this police community relationship. Some of the highlights are mentioned below: There is no central government in Somalia. Somalis represent the largest African group in the United States and the largest population of refugees arriving in Unites States. Somalia is almost exclusively an oral society with no written language. Around 1972 a written language was introduced into Somali society with Latin letters and an English dialect. This can make communication across cultures challenging. No written language means that the most predominant form of communication is speaking, and usually that is why one can often find large groups of Somali's gathered together talking. Unofficially, it is believed that there are 30,000 50,000 Somali's in western Washington. In 2006, 46% of the Somali population in western Washington was between the ages of 0 18 years. Don also spoke to some of the beliefs of the Somali culture, hierarchy and reporting structure and why meetings between the Somali community and the Police Department cannot always be inclusive of all members of the Somali community. Tukwila is also partnering with SeaTac Police Department to continue strengthening this relationship. The Police Department is working diligently to build trust and open communication within the Somali community. Don noted that the leadership has changed recently, and there are some challenges to maintain consistent communication. There is a Somali Women's meeting scheduled for the near future. Female police officers and representatives as well as Human Services staff will assist with the meeting. The Committee asked questions as appropriate and thanked Don for his continued efforts. INFORMATION ONLY. Finance Safety Committee Minutes March 16. 2010 Page 2 B. Animal Services Undate As an information only item, Shawn Hunstock, Finance Director, reported on weekly meetings that are currently taking place between the King County Executive's Office and seven King County cities regarding the future of King County Animal Control. Shawn provided a brief overview of the current situation, and reminded the Committee that due to budgetary constraints as well as operational issues, King County has opted to remove itself from the animal control business, at least how it currently exists and functions. Currently, King County receives $3 million in pet license revenue from cities, and it costs approximately $6.5 million to run the program resulting in a $3.5 million shortfall. One consideration is to have cities contribute proportionally to address the shortfall. The group described above is meeting to develop a regional animal control model, costs and potential solutions by the end of April. This will allow the months of May and June to serve as the decision making and implementation phase. The County Council has allotted funding to animal control until the end of June at which time all County operation subsidies will cease. Since complete information is not yet available or final, the City Council is not being asked to make a decision at this time, staff is merely keeping Council informed of the major issues and potential options for future animal control operations. Shawn will give a briefing to full Council on this issue at the March 22 COW. He anticipates having new additional information to share at that time. INFORMATION ONLY. III. MISCELLANEOUS Meeting adjourned at 6:08 p.m. Next meeting: Tuesday, April 6, 2010 5:00 p.m. Conference Room #3 Committee Chair Approval Minutes by KAM. Reviewed by SH.