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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCCWS 02-17-2004 - ~ ~~HILLS Approved: March 8, 2004 CITY OF ARDEN HILLS, MINNESOTA COUNCIL WORK SESSION TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2004,4:45 P.M. CITY HALL COUNCIL CHAMBERS, 1245 WEST HIGHWAY 96 1. Call To Order Mayor Aplikowski called the meeting to order at 4:50 p.m. Present: Councilmembers David Grant, Brenda Holden, Gregg Larson, and Lois Rem. Staff present: Administrator, Michellc Wolfe; Assistant Administrator, Aaron Parrish; Operations & Maintenance Director, Thomas J. Moore; Planner, Peter Hellegers; and Finance Director, Murtuza Siddiqui. 2.A. Law Enforcement: 2005 Proposals Ms. Wolfe provided an overview of the current status of the poliee contract evaluation . and also provided the Council with an updated timeline for public discussion and input and indicated that a public input hearing would bc held at the Monday, Fcbruary 23, Regular City Council Mecting. A t that point she opened up the discussion for the Council to ask any rcmaining questions that they might have of the Ramsey COWlty Sheriffs Depmtmcnt and the New Brighton Public Safety Department. Councilmember Holden asked the City of New Brighton about any studies that have been done indicating the cffectiveness of the grid system in reducing crime. New Brighton Public Safety Director Bob Jacobson indicated that no statistics were readily available for this evening's meeting, but did indieate that the preferred style of policing is community and neighborhood policing. Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher commented that another benefit of community oriented policing is the opportunity to interact on a more personal level with residents. Mayor Aplikowski asked how each agency handles and follows-up on vandalism complaints. Sheriff Fletcher and Sergeant Paget, both with the Ramsey County Sheriffs Department, indieated that the sheriffs department and the "VIPS" unit (Volunteers in Public Safety) do employ traditional police investigative methods as well as various neighborhood outreaeh tcchniques. Mr. Jacobson indicated that New Brighton employs a similar approach. . \ \Earth\Admin \Coul1cil\Minutes\ W orksession \2004\02-17 -04.doc -- ARDEN HILLS CJTY COUNCIL WORKSESSION FEBRUARY 17,2004 2 . Council member Grant asked, in a community that has a lower crimc rate, what is the best overall approach to policing. He generally characterized New Brighton's approach as a morc neighborhood oriented or community oriented policing versus the sheriff having a blended approach of reactivc and some proactive policing. He requested of each agency if this an appropriate eharacterization of their approach to policing. Mr. Jacobson indicated that the neighborhood model is an effective model in a community with a low crime rate. Aside from focusing on more serious crimes, it allows police to focus on issues that have particular importance to thc community. Sheriff Fletcher clarified that Ramsey County has been focusing on crime prevention and community policing efforts. Councilmember Grant asked how sergeants will handle the additional work load in New Brighton that will occur as a result of adding additional police officers to serviee Arden Hills. Mr. Jacobson indicated that adding one to two additional employees will not adversely impact their sergeants' cxisting workload and it is an appropriate span of control for publie safety operations. Council member Grant indicated that he was hopeful that the New Brighton proposal would be less expensive than the existing sheriffs eontract and was disappointed that this was not the case. New Brighton City Manager Matt Fulton responded that the City of New Brighton never approached this from a cost perspective; rather they wanted to have the City of Arden Hills evaluate police services, particularly how aIld what serviees are . provided to Arden Hills residents. Councilmember Larson requested clarification on the depth of coverage or baekup with the New Brighton proposal. Mr. Jacobson responded that a minimum staffing for the New Brighton police department is one patrol officer and one supervisor, but generally is at least two patrol officers and one supervisor with more staffing on Fridays and Saturdays. Sheriff Fletcher indicated that Ramsey County has anywhere between six and nine deputies on patrol at any given time to assist the officer assigned to Arden Hills. In addition, thc sheriff outlined other resourees that are available on a county-wide basis. Mayor Aplikowski asked ifthere is ever a time when a patrol car is not patrolling Arden Hills. Sheriff Fletcher responded that it does not happen a great deal, but it does occur on occasion when that ear is required to provide backup to another contraet community. In an instance where the Arden Hills car is called to back up, often times one of the patrols in Shorcview will come to Arden Hills. Councilmember Larson asked about the experienee of those that would be serving the City of Arden Hills. Mr. Jacobson rcsponded that New Brighton is a youngcr department, but very qualified. He furthcr indicated that the new ofticers to be hired would not neeessarily bc out in Arden Hills. Rather, they would be blended between the Arden Hills and New Brighton serviec areas as appropriatc. He further clarified that the . ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORKSESSION FEBRUARY 17,2004 3 . new officers to be hircd may be officers with additional experience depending on the applicant pool. Councilmembcr Larson asked about the training requirements for a new officer in New Brighton. Mr. Jacobson indicated that there are mandated requircments set out by the state for various education aIld training. Beyond that, both the City of New Brighton and the sheriffs office have a field training program that orients that offiecr to the department's approach to policing. In addition, New Brighton officers do have a one- year probationary period. Councilmembcr Larson askcd the Ramsey County Sheriff whether the Ramsey County water patrol would still provide service if they were not the provider of police services to Arden Hills. Sheriff Fletcher indicated that that would be the case. Mayor Aplikowski asked about how sheriffs dcputies receive patrol assignments and what their training program details. Sheriff Fletcher responded that deputies traditionally work in the jail aIld court system within the sheriffs office prior to receiving a patrol assignment. However, within the last three years the sherifI's office has bcen hiring civilian correctional offieers so the deputies are reeeiving patrol assignments faster. Councilmember Holden inquired about response times to 9-1-1 calls. Mr. Jacobson . indicated that the response time in New Brighton is about 3Y2 minutes. Sberiff Fletcher had indicated that RaInsey County's response was similar, depending on where you were in the contract eommunities. Councilmember Holden asked how effeetive each agency IS relative to the neighborhoods surrounding Mounds View High School and lrondale High School. Sheriff Fletcher indicated that there was no specific data currcntly available for activity around Mounds View High School. Councilmember Holden asked how the school resource officer is evaluated. Sheriff Fletcher indicated that each officer within thc shcriffs department is evaluated annually. In addition, the sheriffs department has a relationship with the principal and if there are aI1Y concerns they are addressed at that levcl. Councilmember Grant asked how has the Ramsey County Sheriffs Department and the City of Ncw Brighton approached the recent bomb threats at Mounds View School High School and lrondale High Sehool. Undersheriff George Altendorfer indicated that in the initial bomb tlu'eat a suspect has been charged and they are working with thc school district with regard to on-going eoncerns and have an aelive investigation into the other threats that have been made. Their current response has been to work with the school district and have an increased presence by assigning extra officers to the high school. In . ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORKSESSION FEBRUARY 17,2004 4 . responsc to the bomb threats, aside from having a patrol presence, specializcd resources of thc County such as a bomb detective dog were also utilizcd. Sheriff Fletchcr further indicated that thc Ramsey County Sheriff s Dcpartmcnt has over 50 officers of color and that they havc been a great asset in dcaling with various racial issues. Mr. Jacobson indicated that they have employed a similar responsc to the situations at lrondale High School. The school was evacuated, thc firc department was called out, Ramsey County resources were utilized, and New Brighton patrol responded to assist with the scene. A Ramsey County bomb dog was brought out to evaluate the school. A suspect was identified very quickly and is being followed up by the SRO. The suspect has been charged in connection with this incident. Councilmcmber Rem inquircd whether Arden Hills is currently paying for specialized services that are available on a county-wide basis. Sheriff Fletcher indicated that services that are generally available on a county-widc basis are paid for by the County and outside of the contract. 2.B City Hall Update Mr. Moore provided a brief update on the mold rcmediation and HV AC system with regard to City Hall. He also asked the Council if they had any preferences with regard to . any of thc landscaping, turf, and prairie grass options that were outlined in the staff memo. The consensus of thc Council was to reconsider any additional trees along Highway 96 when the Highway 96 reconstruction project is complctcd and to leave the turf "as is" and revisit this issue in the spring. The Council also indicated they would like to maintain the prairie grass through it's natural thrcc year cycle and reevaluate that issue atler the three year cycle. 2.C Economic Development Commission Mr. Parrish presented an update on an ordinance language that would create an Economic Development Commission within the City of Ardcn Hills and briefly discussed the roles and responsibilities that a commission would have and how it would be structured. Councilmembcr Holden indicatcd a preference for outlining a specific number of residents on the commission and a preference for having some type of attendance provisions written into thc ordinance that would be cause for removal if one of the mcmbers of the commission was not actively participating. Mayor Aplikowski indicated a preference for multiple ycar terms and staggering terms for all city commissions and would like to start with this one. . ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORKSESSION FEBRUARY 17,2004 5 ~~...- --..-.--- . Mr. Parrish indicatcd that he would incorporate the Council's feedback and bring this back for Council consideration and/or approval in March. 2.D Street Sign Discussion Mr. Moore and City Engineer Nick Landwer provided an update on thc street sign project and outlined the various options available to the Council, including the different proposed sign types, various options, and the estimated costs which vary between $55,000 and $70,000. It was the consensus of the Council to cvaluate other community signs prior to making any decisions. It was also the consensus of the Council to not include street numbers. Ultimately the final decision would be clarified at the Monday, February 23, regular City Council meeting. 2.E County Road E Bridge Trail Connection Mr. Landwer provided an update on the current design ofthe County Road E bridge and trail projcct and presented the Council with thrcc diffcrcnt bridge options for the project. It was the consensus of the Council to proceed with Option B which would replace the cxisting bridge, north sidcwalk, and guardrail with "F" type rail and provide a 7 foot 6 inch trail over the County Road E bridge. . 2.F Council Pay Mr. Siddiqui outlined that thc Council has been underpaid for the past two years by approximately $20 pcr ycar. It was the consensus of the Council to reconcile the di fference on a going forward basis. COUNCIL COMMENTS: Councilmcmber Holden indicatcd that the North Heights neighborhood meeting would take place Wednesday evening and requested that, when appropriate, a resolution outlining the City's position on a consolidated dispatch center be brought forth. Councilmember Larson indicated that he would be a member of a school board task force that was evaluating the school board operations and thc first mccting for this group was schcduled for next week. Councilmcmbcr Grant had no comments. CounciImcmber Rem indicated that Arden Hills Notes articles are due Wednesday, Fcbruary 18. She also notcd she will be attending a meeting on Wednesday to discuss the . ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORKSESSION FEBRUARY 17,2004 6 . environmcntal symposium for the TCAAP projcct, as well as a meeting at Mounds View High School to discuss the recent issues there. Mayor Aplikowski said she has received several calls recently on the North Heights proposal, police services contract, and Lexington A venue reconstruction. Ms. Wolfe indicatcd a 6:30 p.m. mecting of the Economic Development Authority would take place on Monday, February 23, 2004. She also e1arified how the public input portion of the on-going law cnforcement discussion would be handled at next Monday's meeting. She indicatcd March 4, 2004, would be the first meeting for the assessment policy task force. The meeting adjourned at 9:05 p.m. RcspectfiJlly submitted, Aaron Parrish - Assistant City Administrator. d.,~tr. ~~ ~. ~~ ' Bev y A ow~ I, 1ft. e Mic lelle Wolfe, ADMINIST A TOR .