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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2008-10-07 Finance and Safety Minutes City of Tukwila Finance & Safety Committee FINANCE AND SAFETY COMMITTEE Meeting Minutes October 7, 2008 - ******Special Start Time 4:00 p.m. PRESENT Councilmembers: Staff: Guests: Dennis Robertson, Chair; Pam Linder and Kathy Hougardy Dave Haynes, Melissa Hart, Nick Olivas, Chris Flores, Shawn Hunstock and Kimberly Matej Commander Kevin Tucker, Des Moines Police; Animal Control Officer Jan Magnuson, Des Moines Police; Police Chief Jim Graddon, SeaTac CALL TO ORDER: Committee Chair Robertson called the meeting to order at 4:01 p.m. I. PRESENTATIONS A. City of Des Moines Animal Control At the request of the Finance & Safety Committee, representatives from the City of Des Moines Police Department attended the meeting to provide a brief overview of the existing Des Moines animal control program. Commander Kevin Tucker and Animal Control Officer Jan Magnuson explained the nearly 20-year old program in Des Moines. The program started with a policy level decision made by the Council for the City to have its own full-time animal control program because of the level of services they wanted to provide to their community. Highlights of the presentation included: . The long standing nature of the Des Moines animal control program has resulted in an annual program budget of approximately $105,000 (maintenance level). . The Current program utilizes contracts and agreements with local veterinarians for exchanging servIces. . Public relations contribute significantly to the program's success. . Animal control responsibilities were placed in the police department due to its close relationship to the priority of public safety. Animal safety and cruelty prevention are also important. . Police officer training and education of appropriate animal control responses result in department- wide program implementation. There is a close working relationship between the animal control officer and patrol officers. . King County Animal Shelters are utilized as the main impound facility. A per dog, per day fee is paid by Des Moines which is to be reimbursed by the animal owner. . The Des Moines Municipal Code has been refined to effectively address concerns involving dangerous and/or vicious dogs. Committee members asked various process and administrative questions of the Des Moines program. Work hours and shift adjustments were discussed as well as dispatch procedures and after hour animal control. In Des Moines, the Animal Control Officer is armed. Officer Magnuson is required to meet the same qualifications of any other commissioned officers who carry weapons. When determining whether or not to implement a police department-based animal control program, several things need to be considered, including but not limited to: . Increased service calls. . Workload implications for Police and Court personnel. . Department-wide training and education for Police (or other designated responsible department). . Academy and in-service training for an animal control officer. Finance & Safetv Committee Minutes October 7. 2008 - Paqe 2 . Start-up costs estimated at $200,000. . Time investment to reach a maintenance level for an operational program. The City of Tukwila is not the only City requesting information from Des Moines regarding their Animal Control Division. Recently, Des Moines representatives made a similar presentation to the City of Kent. Kevin and Jan distributed copies of Des Moines Municipal Code sections pertaining to animal control, the 2008 line item budget narrative for the Des Moines program, and the actual/estimate revenues generated by City of Des Moines animal licenses. In closing, Des Moines staff offered their assistance in answering questions as Tukwila researches animal control options in more detail. When starting to implement a program such as this, Kevin and Jan recommended beginning by establishing the appropriate ordinances, then preparing and implementing a structured program, and undertaking problem areas first. II. BUSINESS AGENDA A. Resolution Ordering the Cancellation of Outstanding, Unredeemed Finance Claims Checks, Municipal Court Checks and Foster Golf Gift Certificates Staff is seeking approval of an annual resolution writing-off unredeemed and outstanding items which will be reported to Washington State in 2008. This year's cancellations total $4,624.80. All cancellations will be returned to the appropriate City funds with the exception of golf course gift certificates which will be remitted to the Washington State Department of Revenue Unclaimed Property Section. UNANIMOUS APPROVAL. FORWARD TO OCTOBER 13 COW. B. Resolution Regarding Annual Cancellation for Accounts Receivable Staff is seeking approval of an annual resolution to cancel (write-oft) account receivables deemed uncollectible. This year's annual account receivable write-off totals $9,080.51. UNANIMOUS APPROVAL. FORWARD TO OCTOBER 13 COW. C. Memorandum of Agreement for FEMA National Urban Search and Rescue Response System Staff is seeking full Council approval to enter into a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with Pierce County Department of Emergency Management for Tukwila's participation in Washington Task Force 1 (W A TF -1) of the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) N ational Urban Search and Rescue Task Force System. This is the continuation of a previous agreement which has allowed Tukwila's participation in the Task Force which responds to nationally declared disasters. Experiences and training opportunities from participation in this Task Force are invaluable. The new MOA includes several regulatory changes. UNANIMOUS APPROVAL. FORWARD TO OCTOBER 13 COW. m. ANNOUNCEMENTS No announcements. IV. MISCELLANEOUS Meeting adjourned at 5:23 p.m. Next meeting: Tuesday, October 21,2008 - 5:00 p.m. - Conference Room 3 GJ lfJ Committee Chair Approval ~KAM.