HomeMy WebLinkAbout09-06-16 Personnel and FinanceOFFICE OF THE CITY CLERK
KAREEMAH FOWLER, CITY CLERK
PERSONNEL & FINANCE September 6, 2016 5:06 P.M.
Committee Members Present: Karen White, Regina Williams- Preston, & John
Voorde
Absent: Gavin Ferlic
Other Council Present: Tim Scott, Randy Kelly & Jo M. Broden (late)
Others Present: David Cangany, SBPD Chief Ruzskowski, Don
Pinkert, Ken Glowacki, Kareemah Fowler, Alkeyna
Aldridge, Kathleen Cekanski- Farrand, and Adriana
Rodriguez
Agenda: Budget Hearing Session #5: TRANSPO and Police
Department
Committee Chair White called the Personnel & Finance Committee meeting to order at
5:06 p.m. She began by introducing members of the committee and the other
councilmembers present. She went on to request that Councilmembers submit additional
questions from prior budget hearings and she'll be sure to follow up promptly with the
respective department head. Committee Chair White indicated she'd also like to
schedule an off -site budget hearing and would work with City Controller John Murphy to
identify an appropriate meeting time and location. She ended by transitioning to the
TRANSPO presenter, Mr. David Cangany.
David Cangany, CEO of TRANSPO- 1401 S. Lafayette Blvd., began with explaining that
TRANSPO was successful at maintaining prior year expenses for the 2017 budget
proposal. The total amount being requested is $10,869,199.00. He is also happy to
report that there is no need to request increases for service or fares for the 2017 budget
year. According to Mr. Cangany, TRANSPO fares are among the lowest in the State of
Indiana. In regard to expenses, wages have increased two percent (2 %) since last year.
Wages, benefits and fuel account for seventy percent (70 %) of the expense budget which
TRANSPO has no control over. Wages are set by labor negotiations. Fuel prices are also
externally regulated and have actually continued to decrease in past years. TRANSPO
455 County -City Building • 227 W. Jefferson Boulevard • South Bend, Indiana 46601
Phone 574- 235 -9221 • Fax 574- 235 -9173 • TDD 574- 235 -5567 • www.SouthBendfN.gov
JENNIFER M. COFFMAN ALKEYNA M. ALDRIDGE JOSEPH MOLNAR
CHIEF DEPUTY/ CHIEF OF STAFF DEPUTY/ DIRECTOR OF POLICY ORDINANCE VIOLATION CLERK
has also continued to add alternative fuel vehicles to their fleet, and is seeing the lower
costs associated with that decision. Labor expenses have continued to grow over the past
year due mainly to increases in health and dental insurance.
Committee Chair White asked Mr. Cangany if he had a sense of what that increase is for
2017 in comparison to prior years.
Mr. Cangany responded that they've budgeted a ten (10 %) increase which is probably the
lowest they've seen; unfortunately, the Affordable Care Act has contributed to increases
in overall coverage resulting in additional expenses for TRANSPO.
As far as revenue goes, explained Mr. Cangany, it's mainly dependent on levying local
taxes and other sources of state and federal support, plus, ridership fares. Ridership fares
have been down since the economy is up so people ride the bus less. Leasing
opportunities (e.g. South Street Station, parking garages) and marketing opportunities
have contributed a small amount to the revenue side. Federal Operating Assistance has
continued to be the life support of the entity, and according to Mr. Cangany, the funding
source that has kept public transportation alive in our community.
A major challenge of the entity is considering how to find funding to replace an aging
fleet. There are a few opportunities on the table, but none are certain; especially, as it
relates to state and federal opportunities which are politically determined. TRANSPO is
also looking at creative public - private partnerships to help reduce costs. A second future
concern, is the 2018 property tax caps which are reflected in the 2017 budget priorities.
TRANSPO has signed a contract to have the designated bus stops in order to make the
system more user - friendly once the Smart Streets initiative is complete. The entity also
intends to renegotiate their contract with the University of Notre Dame and St. Mary's
College to offer free fares to students. Additionally, they hope to explore opportunities
with South Bend Community Schools and Ivy Tech for similar agreements. TRANSPO
has also been working on Workforce Development partnerships in conversations relating
to an aging and retiring workforce.
The Fleet Modernization Project continues to be a major accomplishment and continued
goal of the entity. TRANSPO aims to be completely CNG by 2020, but a major
challenge continues to be the federal grant funding share. Mr. Cangany wrapped up his
presentation and welcomed questions.
Committee Chair White directed questions to the Committee.
Committeemember John Voorde asked a question regarding advertising on the buses.
Mr. Cangany responded that TRANSPO is looking to hire another advertisement agency
to do a better job.
Committeemember Voorde asked if they used an outside agency.
Mr. Cangany responded, yes, they use a local company.
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Councilmember Tim Scott applauded the CNG efforts of TRANSPO and asked how
many vehicles they've added to their fleet.
Mr. Cangany responded they have nineteen (19) vehicles right now, and three (3) more
on the way for 2017. The goal is to increase the fleet by six (6) new vehicles per year.
Councilmember Scott asked where the vehicles come from and if Mr. Cangany is happy
with them.
Mr. Cangany responded the vehicles have been great and they're supplied by a company
from Minnesota.
Councilmember Randy Kelly said he was curious regarding how creative the entity
intends to become regarding increasing revenue potential.
Mr. Cangany expressed that the underutilized advertising potential continues to be an
opportunity, and they are continuing to look at public - private partnership opportunities.
The CNG side will also be an opportunity as gas prices will definitely rise in the future,
and will become a revenue opportunity in the future.
Councilmember Scott followed -up regarding Mr. Cangany's CNG remarks. Specifically,
he asked about a timeline regarding the CNG fast -fill station which is a partnership
between the City and TRANSPO.
Mr. Cangany responded that project is in the pipeline and they're currently working on a
revenue - sharing agreement and consulting FTA on a timeline since it's mainly funded by
federal dollars.
Councilmember Scott asked if he had an idea of the projected number of customers.
Mr. Cangany said the entity won't know until they get started but the intention is to
partner with a third party expert network which would drive traffic to the station.
Council Attorney Kathy Cekanski- Farrand mentioned Holy Cross College has
experienced growth and wondered if TRANSPO was negotiating opportunities with them
as well as Notre Dame and St. Mary's.
Mr. Cangany said he'd be happy to look into that opportunity. Although, Holy Cross
College was a part of an agreement in the past which they had to back out of due to
financial constraints.
Committee Chair White asked Mr. Cangany about the parking garage that TRANSPO
intends to give back to the City.
Mr. Cangany explained that TRANSPO leases two (2) garages from the City, and are
transferring Leighton Garage back to the City since the lease is up.
Committee Chair White thanked Mr. Cangany for the bus shelters on Western Avenue
and wondered if more would be installed, especially, in light of Smart Streets.
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Mr. Cangany credited that effort to the Department of Community Investment and said
more are coming downtown with Smart Streets. They also currently have a grant out for
thirty -five (3 5) shelters which will come after the bus stops have been determined.
Committee Chair White also thanked Mr. Cangany for supporting the District Walking
Tours by providing the transportation.
Committeemember Regina Williams- Preston asked if more shelters would be installed
along the Western corridor.
Mr. Cangany explained that most of the thirty -five (35) shelters will be added to the
Central Business District.
Councilmember Scott asked about bus shelters on Portage Avenue
Mr. Cangany responded that TRANSPO has to go through the Historic Perseveration
Committee to have the designs approved before installation.
Councilmember Kelly asked Mr. Cangany to expound upon the potential partnership with
South Bend Community Schools.
Mr. Cangany responded that there's a lot of duplication of services and thus an
opportunity to save the District some money. There's already a partnership that
TRANSPO successfully implements with School City of Mishawaka.
Committee Chair White thanked Mr. Cangany for his presentation and transitioned
directly into the Police Department's presentation.
Police Pension Secretary Don Pinkert - 701 W. Sample Street, briefly explained that the
City has (2) two pension plans: the old 1925 plan and the 1977 pension plan. Officers
have differing plans depending upon the officer's date of retirement and buy -out options.
The old plan is budgeted by the City while the 1977 is funded by the State of Indiana.
For some reason, the State of Indiana has rejected to take the pension of officers that have
retired since 1998, so the City is still responsible for those expenses. Although, we do
get pension relief refunded by the State.
Committeemember Voorde asked how death benefits work for a surviving spouse.
Mr. Pinkert explained it depends on which plan the officer falls under. The old plan gives
forty percent (40 %) of the officer's base salary and longevity. The amount is set by the
Common Council according to Mr. Pinkert about twenty (20) years ago. The new plan
gives fifty -five percent (55 %) of what their spouse was drawing as a pension. Generally
speaking, the old plan pays a little better.
Mr. Pinkert also explained the pension fund actually has decreased by $373,000 for 2017
because there's no drop participant for 2017. Although, there was one in 2016 and there
will be one in 2018 and two for 2019. Committee Chair White asked Mr. Pinkert to
explain what the drop program is.
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Mr. Pinkert described it as a retirement incentive to officers which gives them a drop
payment on their retirement date based off their years of service and a current base pay of
a first year patrolman. We currently have eight (8) in the drop program and seven (7) to
eight (8) resignations over the past year.
Committee Chair White asked Chief Ruszkowski to expound upon the recent
resignations.
Chief Ruzskowski responded that some are going to other forces and some are for
personal reasons. Two (2) and possible third person have returned to the force.
Mr. Pinkert went on to explain that healthcare costs have been transferred to the Police
budget and are non - reimbursable. Due to these rising healthcare costs (and pending drop
payments) it's likely the Police budget will be in the red in 2018. We currently have one -
hundred and twenty -nine (129) retirees that the City pays, eighty -one (8 1) widows and
two (2) dependents that are budgeted for 2017 expenses. One - hundred and three (103)
retirees or widows and dependents are currently being paid by the new fund through the
State of Indiana. We also have to consider raises in the base pay which contribute to
expenses over time.
Chief Ruzskowski, 701 W. Sample Street- introduced his staff and began the Police
Budget presentation with the mission statement. He also discussed accomplishments of
the Group Violence Initiatives (GVI) which includes a one -stop shopping re- organization
of many Police divisions. The number one operational goal of the Police Department is
gun violence. The re- organization aims to provide measurable data to assess police
operations. For instance, Street Crimes and Violent Crime Impact unit have been
combined along with many others to create a more streamlined process. We currently
have 1196 chronic problem properties but we have more than this that are not
documented. Soon the Fire Department will be added to the interdepartmental effort
against chronic problem properties. Chief Ruzskowski went on to discuss how data
informs police deployment throughout the City; including, community call -ins,
Councilmember complaints and complaints from the Mayor's Office. Chief Ruzskowski
discussed the many special events that the Police Department covered throughout the
year; including, presidential candidates and Notre Dame home games. The department
has attempted to retrieve a reimbursement from those specific campaigns.
Committeemember Williams- Preston asked if we were reimbursed by the campaigns.
Councilmember Scott interjected that no municipality nationwide gets reimbursed, but
it's customary to ask anyhow.
Chief Ruzskowski went on to discuss community outreach efforts of the department. The
department hosts Cops, Coffee, and Conversation and Roving Roll Call giving people in
the community the opportunity to hear what is discussed at a police roll call. Popsicle
Patrol is another community outreach effort where officers go to community parks, give
out popsicles and engage in the local community. According to Chief Ruzskowski, the
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Police Department attends every neighborhood there is, but unfortunately there's
sometimes more cops than community members. Chief Ruzskowski asked the Council to
continue to help him get the word out about various community events. Community
Outreach has been one of the biggest pushes of the department since Chief Ruzskowski
came on board, and has been largely successful.
The South Bend Police Department has mandatory reviews of uses of force, squad car
crashes and vehicle pursuits. The data and evidence is reviewed in these individual cases
in order to determine if sanctions must be applied.
Chief Ruzskowski also cited the weekly meeting held with the diversity and inclusion
officer, Human Resources and the Legal Department to establish improved hiring and
promotional processes for the department; especially, as it relates to equity in regard to
diversity and inclusion throughout the department and at higher administration and
supervisory levels. The department has also participated in procedural justice, fair and
impartial policing and implicit bias training. The train the trainer model is a large
component of each of these learning modules.
As of September 2nd, there were thirty -three (33) armadillo deployments. Shot Spotter
continues with four (4) square miles. Another highlight is traffic enforcement around
schools since the first day of school reminding people that school is back in session and
to slow down. The lab also boasts a twenty -four (24) hour turnaround on ballistics. Most
departments nationwide cannot compare with that output. For the month of August alone
there were two - hundred and one (20 1) acquisitions with fifty -one (5 1) of those
acquisitions being eligible for candidate comparisons. In other words, those same
weapons were involved in other crimes. Thirty -eight (38) of the other crimes were in
South Bend and thirteen (13) were outside cases. Out of those candidates, there were
twenty -six (26) confirmed hits of being involved in other violent episodes. Gun violence
continues to be alarming. In fact, we've had a gun fired roughly 1100 times this year
alone. Twenty (20) Narcan uses to date.
Committeemember Williams- Preston asked for an explanation of Narcan.
Chief Ruzskowski answered that Narloxone is called Narcan and used to reverse the
effects of a heroin overdose. He suggested that Council view the DVD Chasing the
Dragon and spoke to the rise of heroin in the community.
The Police Department has also taken on Green Initiatives as a major effort. They
recently recycled sixteen (16) bins of recycling material and use energy efficient light
bulbs, and motion lighting among others efforts.
The department is currently under a major reorganization. They replaced captains and
patrol to ensure that captains have direct oversight with patrolman on their shift. The City
will be bisected east to west to assign the various regions to patrolman.
Committee Chair White asked if the Chief has a sense of when the reorganization would
be completed and what the intended measurable outcomes are.
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Chief Ruzskowski answered that much of the process is by trial and error, but
understanding the importance of feedback from officers is important and facilitated by
the direct level of contact. He reiterated that he'd be more than willing to report back to
Council the outcomes once they're further along in the process.
Chief Ruzskowski transitioned to the mandated reports that are necessary in regard to
domestic violence calls. We lead the state in fatality assessments which simply means
we're completing the paperwork, the bad news is we need to complete that many. The
department also works in tandem in the YWCA in making sure that victims receive the
help and resources that they need.
Honesty, integrity and accountability are the guiding values of the department. Chief
Ruzskowski reiterated that he cannot control officer character but he will always
prioritize accountability. He spoke to the challenges of the reorganization and the recent
surge in resignations, and the measures that the department is taking in regard to diversity
recruitment.
Chief Ruzskowski acknowledged that there was some frustration associated with PSAP
and its development. Because of challenges related to the interlocal agreement, there
remains a ton of unanswered questions and confusion across the board.
Chief Ruzskowski went on to discuss the upgrading of cameras to help monitor mobile
park areas and other public spaces. We may potentially be able to use the cameras to
monitor problem spots throughout the City when officers just aren't available to be
present. The Internet Purchase Zone is a monitored space at the police station where
people are engaging in potentially unsafe exchanges.
Special Events policy is not finalized but in the pipeline. They continue to work with
Human Resources, Diversity &Inclusion and the FOP on the Career Path Development
program which is headed by Capt. Maddie Taylor. She's creating a virtual library to find
learning resources pertinent to growing within the department. The Community Outreach
Coordinator, Capt. Darryl Boykins, is in charge of community outreach, the Police
Athletic League and recruitment.
In regard to officer training, SBPD is one (1) of few in the nation to use live -fire scenario
based training to simulate real world, rapid dynamic experiences and decision making.
Committeemember Voorde asked what firearm model the Police Department upgraded
to.
Chief Ruzskowski said the department switched from forty (40) calibers to Smith &
Wesson MP nine (9) millimeters. The ammo is cheaper and the newer model is much
lighter and user - friendly.
Councilmember Scott asked if there was a cost savings on the firearm transition.
Chief Ruzskowski's staff member replied not only was there a cost savings but they
received a trade -in value on the past firearms.
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He also asked what distances police are trained to discharge firearms from.
Chief Ruzskowski responded twenty -five (25) feet and shorter. He also elaborated on the
fact that the SBPD purchased on and off -duty holsters for officers to maintain their
muscle memory on and off -duty. Chief Ruszkowski also added that the updated website
would be completed by the end of September and the Duty Manual would be completed
by the goal of Dec. 31St. The department also hopes to produce a dashboard with City IT
to display various pertinent data to the public.
In terms of 2017 challenges, Chief Ruszkowski highlighted recruiting as a primary goal
of the department.
Committee Chair White asked if the department aims to reach the budgeted two - hundred
and sixty (260) officers maximum.
Chief Ruszkowski recognized recruitment and retention as a definite challenge, but said
the department has only reached that goal once before in all of his tenure. The department
is attempting to recruit other certified officers to cut down on the amount of time it takes
for an officer to join the force, among other recruitment innovations.
The department is proud of the many updates it's made in regard to technology, computer
dispatch systems, and tablet usage. In doing so, it's important to be able to communicate
with PSAP and various other stakeholders to ensure all compliance standards are being
met. The data will tangibly validate police presence in certain neighborhoods.
Next, fleet replacement will continue to be a goal of the department and vehicles will be
replaced on a five (5) year basis. Notre Dame home -games also pose a financial burden
on the department due to the need for overtime hours and an entire additional shift for
officers. The department anticipates all night games for the 2017 budget year which has
significant budget implications.
Chief Ruszkowski wants to collaborate with the Health & Public Safety committee to
develop legislation that authorizes the department to access to private surveillance
systems to help solve crimes. Unfortunately, Chief Ruszkowski notes there's currently
not a lot of collaboration from local businesses and residents to help in that manner.
In 2015, there were less arrests with more calls and more cases than the prior year. The
department also has less complaints and uses of force than the prior year. Chief
Ruszkowski applauds this outcome of the data. Statistics show ninety -nine percent
(99 %) of SBPD uses of force do not result in complaint or injury.
Committee Chair White inquired as whether or not the committee had questions.
Councilmember Scott replied they'd wait until the end.
Committee Chair White transitioned into the budget portion of the South Bend Police
Department presentation.
Ken Glowacki, Director of Finance, South Bend Police Dept. -701 S. Sample Street,
explained that there are eight (1) drop officers to be paid from the City's Police Pension
budget, while there are eight (8) drop officers that will be paid under the State's new
pension program. Mr. Glowacki also clarified that the Police budget does fund the State's
police pension program and is not reimbursed.
Mr. Glowacki explained the total budget for Police is $36.3 million. He elected to offer a
comprehensive view of the budget, as opposed to offering a detailed fund by fund
description. Most of the budget comes out of the General Fund at $29 million. Personnel
Services and Salaries shows an increase of one percent (1 %). The department is at two -
hundred and forty -one (241) officers now, will add a recruiting class, and have eight (8)
drop, program officers, so the department has budgeted for a total of two - hundred and
fifty (250) maximum officers. It only depends on whether or not recruiting counts spike
unexpectedly.
Councilmember Scott added that the officer count is a realistic expectation, as opposed to
budgeting for the ideal amount of two - hundred and sixty (260) officers. He prefers the
department come back for an additional re- allocation if necessary, but doesn't anticipate
that happening.
Mr. Glowacki added that the department, like all departments, has an eight percent (8 %)
increase in insurance costs which is reflected in the Personnel Services and Salaries Fund.
They also added the insurance costs for retired officers which is an additional $400,000
in benefits costs for twenty -eight (28) retired officers. The department saved some money
because of a decrease in PERF rates to seventeen point five percent (17.5 %). Supplies
also show a decrease of $149,000 but the department has yet to incorporate any savings
reflected from CNG. Mr. Glowacki expects to see major savings from their CNG
transition, but there's not enough data to confirm those savings.
The Other Services Fund has increased to $2.7 million which is mainly due to allocations
for new administration fees of $900,000, the General Insurance Fund increased to $1.2
million from approximately $500,000. The IT allocation jumped from $60,000 to over
$1 million.
Councilmember Kelly asked what the administration fee was.
Mr. Glowacki explained that fee is for the Mayor's Office, City Legal and Common
Council.
Councilmember Kelly followed up asking why they're charged for administrative fees.
John Murphy responded it covers Administration and Finance, the Legal Department, the
Common Council and Mayor's Office are paid out of the General Fund. Since the Police
Department is a General Fund department they were not charged those fees in the past,
but better accounting is to charge anyhow. The funds are refunded to the General Fund,
so it's more of an accounting thing.
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Mr. Glowacki also expressed that their PSAP charge is going up $573,000 for the year.
He also shared that several department members of approximately $250,000 were moved
to IT funding. He recapped the summary slide of the previously discussed funds, and
shared they were in the middle of negotiations with the FOP.
Chief Ruzskowski added to the discussion of PSAP which explained that it was totally
dependent on the County's ability to pay; if not, the City would have to bear the costs of
PSAP operations.
John Murphy followed up that Finance and Administration is estimating taking a large
amount of reserves given the costs may be much higher than anticipated. He also added
the issue could be much worse in 2018.
Mr. Glowacki explained the department has not since 2013 come close to the ideal
number of officers at two - hundred and sixty (260). Therefore, the department never
budgets for all two- hundred and sixty (260) officers.
Committee Chair White opened the floor for Committee questions.
Committeemember Williams- Preston asked Chief Ruzskowski if the Shot Spotter data
was placed online, so people can see where the shots were fired.
Chief Ruzskowski responded that they are working with the Legal Department, but
there's a concern relating to Shot Spotter equipment being damaged if the equipment
location was public information. He went on to explain that some data is able to be
released as long as it doesn't compromise the Shot Spotter location.
An officer explained that Indiana law prohibits information from being public due to
issues related to domestic terrorism, compromising locations which reduces the efficacy
of officer's policing.
Committeemember Williams- Preston asked for access to the all Shot Spotter data.
Chief responded that he is working with IT on releasing the data that is safe to make
public.
Councilmember Scott also shared that the Police Department has crime reports and maps
that are public on their website. There is applicable Shot Spotter data available under
crime reports.
Committeemember Williams- Preston asked about train the trainer programs and
encouraged Chief Ruzskowski to make these highlights known to the wider community.
She asked how the information is communicated to the wider public and how can the
Council help. She also wondered if there was available data regarding the trainings and
outcomes.
Chief Ruzskowski responded he was uncertain as to how the department could collect
data on implicit bias, but he's looking at calls for service compared to reports, arrest and
uses of force trends.
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Committeemember Williams- Preston would like to follow up with Chief Ruzskowski
regarding how she could help through the Community Relations Committee in sharing
department highlights. She also asked about surveillance cameras and the expansion of
the program.
Chief Ruzskowski explained that the cameras are being used on Smart Streets, but he'd
like to use cameras to monitor public schools and parks for precision policing.
She would also like to see a conversation regarding Code and illegal dumping to monitor
the dumping hotspots which can also lead to solving other crimes.
Chief Ruzskowski agreed that it an example of Broken Windows Theory.
Councilmember Kelly thanked the Police Department for the presentation and efforts in
public safety. He also asked what South Bend can do to mitigate the potential of Chicago
violence and crime spilling over into the South Bend area.
Chief Ruzskowski recognized it as a concern to public safety; especially as it relates to
drugs and gangs.
Councilmember Scott asked if the plate ID equipment is effective.
Chief Ruzskowski responded that Indiana has six - hundred (600) different specialty plates
which cause issues with software updates.
Councilmember Scott mentioned that he was impressed by the department's Career Path
programs. He wondered if officers utilized the library if they'd get points or credit toward
the interview process or if the department would consider cross - training or a rotational
system.
Chief Ruzskowski responded that the interview questions are all HR approved and
written and recognized the idea as a possible addendum to the process. In regard to cross -
training, Chief Ruzskowski responded that he'd like investigators and supervisors to
serve as trainers and potentially utilize their expertise in the streets.
Councilmember Scott asked if grant writing is a proactive priority of the department.
Chief Ruzskowski responded they are looking into grants, but what happens when the
grant funding runs out.
Councilmember Scott argued to the Administration and Chief Ruzskowski that recruiting
needs to be an urgent budget priority and reflected in proactive training and resources.
James Mueller, Mayor's Office, responded that the Mayor's Office is concerned about
the recruiting issue as well, and that'll be an upcoming priority of the department.
Councilmember Scott asked how PSAP funding works and expressed his general
frustration regarding the transition and lack of information provided to Council. He
shared he's having a meeting with Ron Banicki and Rafael Morton who are generally
unhappy with the process as well.
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John Murphy responded that PSAP operations is a County fund, so the County ultimately
controls the costs based on the interlocal agreement. We used to pay the PSAP allocation
from the General Fund, but now we pay from the EDIT. We also have to pay the bond
payment on the PSAP structure which is also an EDIT deduction.
Councilmember Scott asked John Murphy for a breakdown of what the City has spent so
far on PSAP. Councilmember Scott believes the PSAP project is a complete waste of
City funds and is currently mismanaged. He hopes to have conversations with the Mayor
in the coming days to discuss his contempt of the project. Councilmember Scott also
requested to have PSAP come and present an update to Council's Health and Public
Safety Committee. Councilmember Scott asked James Mueller if the PSAP administrator
is still requesting more staff — eighteen (18) staffers.
James Mueller explained that what the past director was requesting was unrealistic, but
we do need more staff than we currently have.
Chief Ruzskowski further explained that the bare minimum the SBPD dispatch operated
with was five (5) staffers. He thinks a consolidation of dispatch services doesn't
necessarily equate to a reduction in staff, which is what happened initially and the PSAP
staff has been behind since then.
Councilmember Scott responded that it's time for someone to take accountability for
reforming the challenges immediately, because they keep asking for more money without
any tangible results or progress. He strongly suggested that South Bend may need to go
back to operating their own dispatch center and potentially holding back any PSAP
investment.
Councilmember Scott asked Committee Chair, Karen L. White, to request an update
regarding IT allocations and PSAP progress.
Committee Chair White agreed and transitioned to Councilmember Jo M. Broden for
questions.
Councilmember Broden asked about specific measures--quantitative and qualitative —
and outcomes related to the substantial reorganization of the department. She thinks the
communication of these measures are important to the Council but also the public.
Councilmember Broden also referenced the Events Ordinance in regard to Notre Dame
home games and the costs to the City.
Chief Ruzskowski expressed that home games are a significant challenge given the next
year's schedule is not confirmed, so it's difficult to project accurate budget expenditures.
Committee Chair White also mentioned Notre Dame contributed to costs and asked John
Murphy if those monies are still received and tracked from the University.
John Murphy shared that approximately $300,000 is contributed by the University and is
reflected in the General Fund.
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Committee Chair White asked if the contribution is enough to cover the department's
costs for policing home games.
James Mueller shared that the University also contributes a payment in lieu of taxes
because they're non - profit.
Committee Chair White recalled a conversation and letter written by former
Councilmember Roland Kelly to address contributions given by Notre Dame toward the
costs of home games. She mentioned she'd pull that information from her notes as a
resource.
James Mueller responded that he'd be happy to have that conversation with the
University.
Councilmember Broden asked if there's a way to track and record the savings related to
the department's transition to CNG fuel.
Mr. Glowacki explained that there will be an adjustment to the numbers, he also has a
model built that allows him to calculate exact savings. Unfortunately, it's too early to
have any reliable data.
Councilmember Broden asked for the specific number of cars that are utilizing CNG fuel.
Mr. Glowacki shared that there are approximately seventy (70) cars utilizing CNG fuel.
Committee Chair White asked if there were any additional Council questions.
Committeemember Voorde asked about the current state of morale and job performance
of the officers in light of so many structural and administrative changes within the
department. Or if they're experiencing any resistance from his officers.
Chief Ruzskowski responded that police officers don't like change or stagnation as it
relates to structural departmental changes. Chief Ruzskowski recognizes it at as an
unprecedented change which has never happened in the history of the police department.
It's been a challenge but is a necessary change to dismantle the "good ole' boys" model,
promote accountability and inclusion, and gain the trust of the community.
Committeemember Voorde asked what if you run into someone who is interested in
becoming a police officer.
Chief Ruzskowski responded to send them to the Police Department and to make sure
that you take their contact information. He highlighted some of the recruitment strategies
of the department and mentioned that retention is equally as important to the
department's strategy moving forward.
An SBPD officer added that officer recruitment and retention is a nationwide challenge.
One recruitment strategy looks at attracting already certified officers by offering
incentives like career development and other creative strategies in attracting talent. What
worked twenty (20) years ago is no longer applicable to recruitment and retention.
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Committeemember Voorde stressed the importance of officer buy -in and morale as an
important key of the recruiting process.
Chief Ruzskowski responded the department has yet to narrow the problem down to
specific, tangible issues that can be addressed in regard to officer morale and satisfaction.
Committee Chair White wrapped up the meeting and asked John Murphy about the
possibility of having the Building Department present later with the Council and Clerk to
give ample presentation time to other departments.
John Murphy responded that he'd reach out to the Building Department.
Committee Chair White shared that there'd be a community conversation regarding
policing and race at the Kroc Center. She asked Chief Ruzskowski to elaborate on his
expectations for the meeting.
Chief Ruzskowski shared that he sees the meeting as an opportunity for the community to
express their concerns and for the department to understand community frustrations and
attempt to address them.
Committee Chair White shared that Chief Ruzskowski should share some of the
accomplishments of the department with the general public, and with no further business
adjourned the meeting at 7:25 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Karen L. White, Chairperson
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