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HomeMy WebLinkAbout09-03-97 Personnel & Finance Commfttu Zsport: Personnel and Finance Committee �o tbt Common County of the City of iboutb nb: The September 3, 1997 meeting of the Personnel and Finance Committee was called to order by its Chairperson, Council Member Sean Coleman at 3:05 p.m. in the council informal meeting room. Persons in attendance included Council Members: Kelly, Pfeifer, Coleman, Varner, Broden, Aranowski, Udjak and Broden; Mayor Stephen Luecke, Cathy Roemer, Tom Skarbek,Loretta Duda,Terry Bland and Kathleen Cekanski-Farrand. Council Member Coleman welcomed all individuals to the first meeting of a series of meetings to review the 1998 Civil City of South Bend Operating Budget. Mayor Luecke noted that he gave two(2)basic guidelines to his department heads,that all personnel costs are set (as established by ordinance) and that all other expenses be "flat- lined". He noted a continuing commitment to public safety with approximately eighty percent(80%)of the budget being devoted to this objective. The Mayor noted that this is a "no frills budget". It will deviate from his State of the City Address, since it will reflect a five percent(5 %) increased in monies to be raised in property taxes. He noted that CCDF was earlier increased from $.12 to $ .15 and that this would be folded into the 5 % increase. The Mayor noted that the"customer survey"noted four(4)primary areas of concern: 1. public safety 2. education 3. aesthetics 4. community and economic development. He further highlighted that ten (10)police officers would be maintained in the budget and would no longer be eligible for federal grant assistance. Two (2) positions would be civilized,and four(4)additional firefighters would be added to fire suppression.He added that me met today with Governor O'Bannon and Superintendent Calvin about the "Safe Havens" program. New park crews would be added for tree trimming in tree lawns; and that the City would continued to work in partnership with Project Future. The College Football Hall of Fame budget would be deferred to a later date. Cathy Roemer, City Controller, then reviewed the various handouts beginning with the "1998 Budget-Significant Issues" She noted that all capital issues would be addressed in January and that the Council would only be reviewing an operating budget addressing cash on hand. Revenue projections in 1997 were projected at $ 40,269,280; and in 1998 revenue projections are at$42,803,035 representing approximately a 4.6 % increase. Expenditures are projected to increase to approximately 12.1%,however when all changes are factored in the expenditures result in ($2,059,625). She added that the 1998 budget summary reflects an 82 % commitment to public safety. She further added that 74% of the entire budget is directly related to personnel costs. A growing concern focuses on the pension funds for the police and fire departments which will reflect a deficit of$ 807,309 which will Personnel and Finance Committee September 3, 1997 Page 2 continued to grow. COLT is expected to generate $ 804,846 and will be addressed in January of 1998. COLT dollars will be earmarked for capital needs as well as special projects involving Good Neighbors/Good Neighborhoods. Three (3) enterprise funds are projected to operate in the red, namely parking garages, Century Center and Solid Waste;however the Century Center budget is being revamped to reflect a positive balance. Cathy Roemer then reviewed the "Debt Schedule" (copy attached). She also noted that each budget will have a summary of major changes from 1997 to 1998 after each tabbed page. Council President Kelly complimented the City Controller and her staff for improving the dissemination of budget information. CITY CLERK (FUND# 101-0201) 1997: $ 237.430 1998: $ 239.844 (3:55 p.m.) The first budget to be reviewed was the City Clerk with Loretta Duda providing a handout (copy attached) which she reviewed. She noted that the recodification project with Municipal Code of Tallehassee,Florida is underway. $3,500 will be paid in 1997 with an additional$ 10,000 being budgeted for 1998. It is anticipated to be an 18-month project. She also noted improvements on payment programs in the Ordinance Violations Bureau and her emphasis in making the office more user friendly. Ms. Duda noted that a computer terminal will be available for the Council and staff for searches. Council Member Pfeifer questioned what accommodations are being made by her office for disabled individuals and individuals who so not speak English. Ms.Duda suggested that a list be prepared of all bilingual individuals in the County-City Building so that they can be called upon when needed to provide better service. She urged the Council to give her additional suggestions in the quest of making her office more user-friendly. At this point in the meeting Chief Gunn, Assistant Chief Kilgore, Don Pinckert, Gary Horvath were called into the session to review the 1998 Police Department and Communication budgets. POLICE DEPARTMENT (FUND# 101-0201) BUDGET: 1997: $ 14.883.702 1998: $ 17.388.442 COMMUNICATIONS (FUND# 101-0802) BUDGET: 1997: $ 911381 1998: $ 943.083, (4:10 p.m.) Fiscal officer, Don Pinckert, provided a multi-page handout entitled "South Bend Police Department & Communication Center-1998 Budget" to supplement the material provided in the three-ring binder. • Personnel and Finance Committee September 3, 1997 Page 3 Police Chief Darrell G. Gunn began the presentation. He noted that the overall Police Department budget will increased by 16.8%. Much of this increase is due to the lease/purchase projects for laptop computers and take-home vehicles, as well as newly negotiated personnel wages and fringe benefits. When reimbursement dollars are considered,the increase is 7.5 % and when all factors are considered the increase is 4.8 % overall. He noted that the training budget will increase by $ 42,031.00 and will focus on community diversity and better job recruitment. Don Pinckert then reviewed the handouts focusing on the many graphs provided to the Committee. He noted that one(1) additional police officer will be added and will be funded by the Indiana Criminal Justice System grant through the County Prosecutor's office which reimburses at a 1.5 ratio. A Research & Planning Assistant is proposed as well as a Program Analyst. One (1) additional Division Chief is being requested for the Community Relations Division. Three(3) individuals are currently in the Police Academy in Plainfield, Indiana; and ten (10)additional individuals are ready to go of which one(1)is female and one(1) is Hispanic. Today there are 244 sworn members on the Police Department with 256 sworn members being budgeted for 1997 and 257 being budgeted for 1998. To date, 16 officers have left the police department this calendar year: 12 officers have retired (One additional officer is anticipated in September) 2 officers have resigned 2 officers have died. Chief Gunn noted that not being at full-strength affects the overtime budget. Gary Horvath noted that the Mobile Data System originally had fourteen (14) bids submitted which have been narrowed down to two(2)with the awarding of the contract by the Board of Public Works coming shortly. In response to a question raised by Council Member Pfeifer, it was noted that the Metro Domestic Violence Unit will have five(5)officers under the direction of County Prosecutor Barnes. They will be in charge of neglect of children,murdered children, sex crimes, etc. Council Member Broden inquired into the current status of DARE. Chief Gunn noted that he prefers the impact of the school liaison program. DARE has been reduced to the 5th grade and he believes that the approximate$ 250,000 spent on DARE perhaps could be better utilized. In response to a question raised by Council Member Coleman, it was noted that there are four (4) resource police officers who are performing proactive intervention in the educational process at LaSalle,Riley,Adams and Washington High Schools. Chief Gunn noted that this is a special partnership arrangement with the private section and the federal government,with the South Bend Community School Corporation providing funding once the federal dollars are exhausted. Personnel and Finance Committee September 3, 1997 Page 4 Council Member Broden voiced concern over the number of residents contacting him over traffic concerns. Chief Gunn noted that there are six (6) officers assigned to traffic detail plus the Uniform Division. Between 220 to 250 calls for service are typically received on the afternoon shift. Since the take-home car program has been implemented traffic citation tickets have increased. The presence of the take-home car program has been very positive. Council Member Coleman and Council President Kelly suggested that a monthly or quarterly listing of retirements from the Police Department be provided to the Common Council. Council Member Pfeifer also suggested the notices of neighborhood meetings be sent so that more beat officers could attend when possible. It was noted that Captain Shock of Crime Prevention disseminates such information. Chief Gunn noted that he is open to beat officers being present since it buttresses the"Partners with Community" concept. Council Member Broden requested notice of when meetings of the Crime Prevention Unit is meeting in his District. Operation Safe Neighborhoods was discussed with Chief Gunn advising the Council that a minor revamping of the subject areas may be in order based on types and numbers of service calls. The Council Attorney noted that the bargaining teams agreed that this would be reviewed this Fall by the Council. Don Pinckert noted that originally 20 officers were assisted with the$ 1,500 incentive and that the number has grown to 32. The Committee also requested for a copy of all officers participating in the program along with their addresses by District. The Committee then discussed the various types of incentives which the bargaining teams pursued during wage negotiations. Chief Gunn briefly explained his proposal for Investigator pay incentives which he plans to discuss at the next labor/management meeting of the FOP scheduled for September 10th. Gary Horvath noted that the Communications Budget will increase by 3.5 % overall and between the Police Department budget and Communications the overall increase is 4.2 %. He further noted that reversed E911 will enable up to 720 one-minute messages to be disseminated in one hour which address emergency messages such as a child missing, burglaries, community surveys, hazmat spills, gas leaks, etc. It would be a type of voice message service costing between$20,000 to$24,000. In response to a question raised by Council Member Coleman, it was noted that Captain Blume works closely with the Bureau of Traffic&Lighting on engineering traffic controls. Council Member Coleman thanked the Police Department administration for their very thorough presentation and handouts. Chief Gunn thanked the Council for all of their continuing support in light of the Corporal Deguch death in the line of duty. Personnel and Finance Committee September 3, 1997 Page 5 Following further discussion,the meeting was adjourned at 5:35 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Sean Coleman,Chairperson Personnel and Finance Committee Attachments