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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMIN 05.25.2010 CC-WThe City Council of the City of Georgetown, Texas, met in Regular Session on the above date with Mayor George Garver presiding. Council Present: George Garver, Patty Eason, Gabe Sansing, Danny Meigs, Bill Sattler, Pat Berryman, Dale Ross, Tommy Gonzalez >uncil Absent: Council Present. Staff Present: Travis McClain, Airport Manager; Paul Brandenburg, City Manager; Wayne Nero, Chief of Police; Robert Fite, Fire Chief • - • r -Jill,r111111111 • • • • - i 11 A. Police Planning Workshop Mayor Garver noted that Mayor Pro Tem Ross will be leaving the dais to represent Council at a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony for the Boys & Girls Club. Garver introduced Police Chief Wayne Nero to begin his presentation on the current conditions and future plans for the police department. Nero introduced the police department to council by indicating the three primary divisions - Field Operations, Support/Administrative Services, and Animal Services. He continued by identifying the total strength of the force of 78 total officers with 71 officers currently on the ground. Nero informed council that the department currently has 4 vacancies including a captain vacancy and 3 officer positions, and noted that a test was given to fill the vacancies prior to his arrival as chief. He added that there are 29 civilians working for the department and this includes 4 current vacancies including 1 communications supervisor, 2 communications operators, and 1 animal shelter supervisor. Garver asked and Nero responded that creative scheduling is the way to covers for the vacancies in addition to ongoing active recruiting to fill the vacancies. Nero shared statistics from Internal Affairs from 2009 and indicated 10 total internal affairs inquiries. Nero offered statistics from 2007 - 2008 indicating most investigations are internally generated, so the department polices itself. He added that the official internal affairs investigations do not really need to be classified as internal since most of these situations are reviews with a control rather than an actual internal affair investigation. Nero continued that these are inquiries or administrative reviews but the classification of these investigations is instep with the previous department administration. He added that this is something he will review in the future in order to restructure how we label the administrative reviews versus internal inquiries. Nero showed a chart with Group A offenses including major crime in Georgetown that are used for UCR statistics such as robbery, aggravated assaults, burglary. He added that we have a relatively low level of these crimes and intend to keep it that way. City Council Meeting Minutes/ Page 1 of 7 Pages Nero noted the Field Operations activities of the department include traffic, criminal investigations, and crime scene investigations. He showed a map of city with police beats including Adam 1 & Adam 2, Baker, Charlie, David 1 & David 2 where officers specifically focus on these beats. Nero provided a chart with snapshots of police activity and noted the seemingly contradictory calls to service statistics. He clarified that these calls do not include pro -active officer activity such as traffic stops. He added that the graph is only calls in for service and that the department received a total of 50,000 calls for service including pro -active action by officers. Nero noted that his old beat in DeSoto had a similar population size but double the calls for help. Nero addressed the traffic accident data and its consistency with previous years. He added that internal studies offer insight into how to handle the problem areas and that the highway and county roads are included in the data. He continued that in 2009 there were 1700 accidents with a great deal due to the highways, county roads, and the 130 toll road. Nero identified IH35 & 130 with 10,500 calls for service from motorists either reporting DWIs, accidents, or stranded calls for help. He noted that Georgetown is primary responder though a DPS officer may respond. Nero added that the highway belongs to Georgetown, so we are responsible to respond. Eason asked and Nero responded that a call for service could include a call from motorist who witnessed road rage, DWI, or a stranded motorist. Nero showed council the traffic enforcement graph indicating 18,000 traffic stops in 2009 and a total of 8,000 citations written. Nero indicated that there were 1700 accidents with most of them from the highway traffic. Berryman asked about the blue form and Nero responded that this notates significant property damage or a crash report. Nero said that the department is required minimally to submit a blue form which meets state requirements to enable a motorist to report an accident to the state. Berryman asked if there are more blue forms and less accident reports and Nero responded that the blue forms are more like minor accidents. In relation to the graph, there were fewer major accidents and more minor accidents with the blue forms. Nero indicated there are internal studies to determine where enforcement will be most effective to prevent and deter accidents. Sattler asked about the larger population with fewer stops reflected in the traffic ticket decrease since 2007. Brandenburg noted a deterrent to traffic violations based on the visibility of the officers. He clarified that officers on IH35 helps deter accidents. Brandenburg continued that with the vacancies in the department the philosophy of pulling over one person may not be the best use of time as a deterrent to traffic violations. He added that the City has to respond to accidents on the freeway, and previously the citations were for 75-80 mph but the ones driving 120 mph were causing the accidents. Nero added that the presence of officers helps reduce violations, and the officers often are giving verbal warnings. Garver asked about traffic density increasing and causing slower movement and Nero said it's a fair hypothesis, but it makes sense that more traffic slows people down. Brandenburg noted that slow traffic could increase road rage or speeding to make up lost time. Nero introduced the STEP data, Selective Traffic Enforcement Program, where the department receives money from the Department of Transportation to target certain violations. Nero provided the examples of having cops everywhere on holiday weekends such as Memorial Day, seat belt violations, speeding, child restraint violations, and DWIs. Nero addressed the Criminal Investigations data and indicated a progression of case load within a manageable size of 12-15 cases for each investigator. Nero remarked that his previous agency had investigators handling 70-80 cases. He added that Georgetown has a reasonable case load and there is a relatively low level of crime and the quality of management is better. Sattler asked if there are gang sightings or activities and Nero responded that there are more "wannabe" types here and we just need to stay ahead of the problem. Nero noted that when we hit the 50,000 mark in City population, more tools will be available to track criminal activities such as gangs. City Council Meeting Minutes/ Page 2 of 7 Pages Berryman asked and Nero responded about the drug cartels. Nero noted that Austin is a high trafficking area and the Federal DEA and FBI are involved corridor in a setting is contributing up a task force. Nero offered statistics on the Support Services Bureau as receiving calls for service coming into communications. He noted that in 2009 there were 57,000 and about 19,000 were 911 calls. Police and fire, Records, IT, Animal Services worked a total of 49,000 calls for service whereas DeSoto took 80,000 calls. Gonzalez asked about the population size and Nero responded that DeSoto has a similar population to Georgetown, but the IH35 corridor is contributing He also to calls shelter. here. Nero addressed the data for Volunteers in the Police Service and noted his pride for the 108 volunteers that help department on a regular basis. He continued that the animal services, park rangers, and victim services help the department engage the citizens. He added that park rangers spend around 4500 hours of service assisting police. Nero continued by noting the range of 14,000 hours of volunteer service to 21,000 total hours including standby time. Sattler asked about Sun City patrol and Nero responded that its not included but he'd be interested in seeing that data. Nero introduced the Victim Services group as bridging the gap between what PD can and cannot do on a scene. He added that this unit can stick around and help people get on their feet, get shelter and food and provide services to help people get on their feet. Nero concluded that in 2009 there were 281 total calls for Victim Services. Nero noted that the Records Department handles Open Records Request with between 600 to --700 requests annually. Nero provided the Animal Shelter statistics on adoptions and impounds with 3,500 calls for service, 584 adopted pets, and 1200 impounded animals. Sansing noted that the shelter is a great facility and the place is first class. Sansing continued that Jackie Carey is doing a great job and he encourages continued funding. He also encouraged council to visit the shelter. Nero addressed the technology advancements underway at the department. He identified a conversion from VHS to digital mobile vision cameras. He added that devices such as the L3 system that manages mobile system in the cars and personal video recorders to the lapel mics offer the officers live video and live audio to capture all activities. Nero noted that the department is working on interfacing with all devices, and pocket recorders will be used when car cameras go down to keep record of everything happening. He added that this technology will help when there is a complaint. Garver asked and Nero responded about the GPS location to monitor where cars are while on patrol such as a digital interface with Round Rock and Williamson County departments. Nero added that the various technologies are coming online in phases with training and projection date is October for live feeds. Gonzalez asked and Nero responded about the legality of recording devices. He continued that Texas is a one party state and that knowledge of recording is only required by one party during an incident to ensure record of what exactly transpired. Berryman asked and Nero responded about two way radios and asked if people can tell if they are being scanned. Nero indicated that people will not know if they are being scanned. Sattler asked and Nero responded about the motorcycles using recordings but there are kinks in the feeds due to the battery drain. Nero continued that the department does use recording devices on the motorcycles and the technology is being implemented. Nero discussed some current technology used by the department includes tasers and the Brazos Ticket Writers that help process information quickly by swiping a drivers license to capture data and racial profiling information in compliance with legal requirements. Nero provided slides with grant information from 2006-2007. He identified the bullet proof vest partnership program where through Federal Funding. He added that the vests must be replaced every 5 year within the warranty. He also noted the STEP grants between 2008-2009 with a $25,000 worth of grants for ticket writers and office of justice programs. Nero noted that the police department is generally funded by UCR statistics and somewhat by the population size. He added that if there is low crime, you get more funding, and with creating new innovative programs you can get competitive funding. He noted City Council Meeting Minutes/ Page 3 of 7 Pages that low crime areas do not get funding to put more cops on the street, so this encourages innovative pro -active ideas to police the community. Nero informed council of the Ongoing Situations and Future Facilities needed such as a new police facility because officers are on top of each other, evidence and property storage is a major issue located across multiple areas, and noted he is doing an audit on the location of information. He added that the City needs a new police headquarters and the sooner the better. Nero introduced the Forensic Analysis and noted the intent to look at every program to see if we are doing what we're supposed to be doing and what could we be doing. He added that he will be reviewing how to close the gap to ensure innovation and efficiency. When Nero started, the bike program was getting up and going and there are plans for more officers on mountain bikes in the parks, streets, and neighborhoods. Nero added that this is a highly successful program because bike cops see and hear things that cops in cars don't see, and people feel more comfortable approaching cops on bikes Nero addressed the Fleet Issues and noted the roll out of unmarked cars with stealth graphics that match paint, but stand out with light. He added that the police technology like the lights to the stealth cars will make them more useful for police work. Nero commented on the Commercial Vehicle Enforcement programs and when a city population reaches 50,000, it can then start along the commercial vehicle enforcement route. He added that the department is evaluating possible involvement in this program as the population grows. Nero noted meetings with DEA with HIDTA task force and exploring this relationship. Nero informed council about the revisions to the Policy Manuel Development through Lexipol to get the legal requirements in order. He added that the policies need to be revised and brought up to date, and this is one of his number one priorities to get policy manual updated and refreshed. Nero addressed the Alternative Promotional Process as including written tests, assessment center, oral reviews, exercises and noted that this will include a lot of support for promotional actions. He added that he will be going to the Civil Service Commission soon, and in the arena of hiring and recruiting, there will be more innovative development such as fitness for duty such as the obstacle course. Nero informed council that full time person to handle the Crime Analysis is necessary and there are upcoming changes with OSSI, CAD system, and records management. Nero commented on the Leadership Team which is a big items to get online. He will work to develop the team out of the current staff to create a group made of the various ranks. Nero commented that he will delegate the decision making for certain activities. He added that instead of travelling to a workshop, there will be ongoing leadership training within the city such as rotating tours to get experience managing projects, developing management skills and learning leadership techniques on how to manage duties. Garver asked Council if there there are any remaining questions, and seeing none he thanked Chief Nero for his leadership and service. B. Workshop with Airport Advisory Board on revised business plan for fuel, leases, non-residents, etc Garver introduced Travis McLain, Airport Manager, to begin the presentation and to introduce the Airport Advisory Board Chairman George Brown. McLain offered a chart with information about T -Hangers, land leases, and fuel flowage fees, and he noted the complete details are attached in the agenda packet. McLain added that the option to adjust the CPIW number is based on Dallas -Forth Worth figures and this CPIW number is used on land leases. McLain continued by stating that this number is used as an adjustment to inflation and the Board wants to start the new rates in October 2010. McLain added that the Board's recommendation is based on inflation in order to prevent the airport revenue losing money in light of current economic conditions. He added that the reason to utilize a stepped increase in the rates will prevent a huge hit to current customers. Garver asked for McLain to summarize the four categories. City Council Meeting Minutes/ Page 4 of 7 Pages McLain noted that the T -Hanger rate increase is based on the CPIW from the last increase in October 2002. He indicated that the current CPI number from January 2010 was used and indicated an 18.8% increase. McLain informed council that the Board recommended a 10% increase in first two years, a 10% increase in the second and third years, and an adjusted percentage increase in 2014 to catch up with the appropriate rates. He added that this rate increase brings in about $30,000 per year for T -hanger tie down rigs. Berryman asked and McLain answered about demand for space stabilizing and questioned if there is a downturn. McLain answered that the demand is dropping, but there is a 133 person waiting list for the T -Hangers and four vacant spots for tie -downs. Sansing asked and McLain responded about converting tie -downs to shaded areas. McLain responded that the previous Board discussed this option but there is a curve in the ramp that makes building difficult. McLain said there is not much of a demand for the tie -downs. Sansing noted there may be a scenario that "if you build it they will come." McLain noted that there is not much demand for the shade hangers, and the cost to build on this part of the land may be more than what we could charge because of the terrain. Gonzalez asked McLain to clarify the CPIW rate increase in the third round of adjustments. Gonzalez commented that he would like to know the total increase and percentages. McLain responded that the third increase is unknown until 2014 when the CPIW is calculated. McLain noted that the calculated rate increase from 2002-2010 was 18.83°/x. He added that it is possible to have a decrease in the rate at the third adjustment. Ross left the dais at 4:43pm. Sattler asked about additional revenues, the airport bonds dropping off almost every year, and if there is a reason to spend more money. McLain responded by identifying two issues regarding the unsuitable location for more T -Hangers and the past council direction to not spend more public money on T -hangers. McLain added that previous council leadership discouraged spending on more aircraft space. Berryman noted concern about neighborhoods around the airport and noise and future complaints if the airport size and services are expanded. She added and McLain agreed that the best course of action would be to increase income without increasing strain on area residents. McLain informed council that Hanger A was built in the late 1940s and is rented on a month to month basis. He added that October 2002 was last rent increase. He continued that since the space is basically a storage facility, the rate increase would be the same 10% like the T -Hangers. Garver asked about increases to CPI and the relationship to competitive market share. He clarified by asking how this compares to neighboring airports and McLain answered that Georgetown does not have competition in T -Hangers because all other local airports are full. Berryman asked about possible competition from the Pflugerville airport and McLain responded that there are some lawsuits pending from adjoining landowners in that area. Gonzalez commented on the supply and demand and noted the City is undercharging for airport space based on the demand. McLain introduced the Land Lease element of the presentation noting that council set the rate at 20 cents per square foot per year and the storage rate was set at 14 cents per square foot per year from September 2005. He continued that if the rate is adjusted from September 2005 to January 2010 it is a 7.68% increase up to 21.53 cents per square foot and 15 cents per square foot for the storage rate which is a little less than 8% on the long term land lease rate increase. McLain noted that this moves the City's rate up in line with the rate of inflation. McLain introduced the Fuel Flowage Fee element of the presentation noting the change in fuel over time beginning with a charge of 2 cents per gallon in 1979, 6 cents per gallon in 1983, 10 cents per gallon set in 1995 and has not been adjusted since 1995. He continued that the CPIW number increases 40% which would raise the fee to 14 cents instead of the current 10 cents per gallon. McLain added that the wholesale margin is based on the profit margin at 15 cents per gallon and the same CPI number would raise to 17.82 cents per City Council Meeting Minutes/ Page 5 of 7 Pages gallon with the wholesale cost adjusting from 25 cents to 33 cents per gallon. Sansing asked and Board Chair Brown responded that in the retail sales by vendors, the fuel is charged up after our initial wholesale transaction. McLain noted the last item is our Self Service Gas margin with adjustment figures calculated every year. He commented that in 2005 the Airport Advisory Board reviewed revenue in a study and recommended gross margin of 71.25 on self service gas with a 10% commercial discount to the FBOs, SFBOs who prepay their accounts. He added that the prepaid accounts can earn up to a 30% discount. McLain continued that in December 2008 the adjusted rate was 6.7 % and in January 2010, when adjusted again was 1.89%. He added that the current margin is 77.5% on the self service gas which maintains ties to the rate of inflation from 2005. Garver asked for questions and if these will be voted on in the future. McLain answered that if these figures are acceptable he will bring these as an action item for Councils vote. Gamer asked if Council would accept these figures. Garver asked and Sansing responded that the previous Board members thought that the City was leaving money on the table in both rents and flowage fees. Sansing noted the city has a big infrastructure investment in the buildings, runways, and the facilities. Sansing said we could slightly increase the fees more and wants to personally study these figures to ensure we are getting appropriate revenue. Sansing disagreed with shade hanger issue because there are people that would want some shade versus no shade in light of there being no T -Hangers. He thinks there could be some alternative but agrees with McLain that shade hangers would not fit on the property. Sansing commended McLain for staying in the black with the Airport budget. McLain informed council of the $600,000 in the airport fund and commented on how the airport tower was constructed on a pay as you go for the City's contribution. Garver asked about the bonds of the $600,000 and if we could use those funds. Laurie Brewer answered that we would not be able to refund or recall all of these bonds because the airport money was pulled from a lump sum bond issued. McLain noted he will bring these items as action items and Garver asked for creating a hypothetical project for the shade units to let council know what the investment and returns could provide. McLain said he will review a scenario to build shade hangers. Gonzalez asked if we could poll current airport users to see if they are interested and ask if some people want the shade hangers. McLain responded that we would need to post cost of shade hangers and Sansing mentioned shade hangers could go for portion of the cost of a T -Hanger. Sansing offered that a shade hanger could go for half the cost of a T -Hanger such as $40-50/month for shade hanger. Berryman suggested checking with Burnett's rent on their shade hangers. Gonzalez noted a cost analysis based on the cost of building and the rent necessary. Sansing will work on the cost analysis. Garver thanked McLain and the board for the leadership at the airport and commented on ensuring the appropriate return on investment. Garver concluded the workshop and conducted council to executive session. Ross returned to dias after executive session at 6:00 PM. Council recessed to Executive Session under Sections 551.071 and 55.1.07 at 5:00 PM Council returned to Open Session and adjourned 6:00 PM ------------ City Council Meeting Minutes/ Page 6 of 7 Pages City Council Meeting Minutes/ Page 6 of 7 Pages The meeting was adjourned at 06:00 PM. City Council Meeting Minutes/ Page 7 of 7 Pages City Secretary