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Special City Council Strategic Planning Meeting <br />Saturday, February 7, 2009 <br />Page 5 <br />^ Central Garage: Reduce staffing further; however, noted that there were only two in <br />the department at this time, as previously mentioned <br />^ Discussion among Councilmembers and staff included the City Council's request for <br />staffls percentages/numbers in writing .following the meeting to provide a clear <br />understanding of the impacts/relationship of those losses.(i.e., increased maintenance <br />costs and vehicle/equipment repair); impacts of potentially higher costs in the future <br />for deferring construction projects, and projections of whether costs will stabilize or <br />increase significantly; staff's ongoing monitoring of metropolitan construction <br />projects and the bidding climate; and net value delivery impacts for engineering fees <br />generated. <br />Police Chief Carol Sletner <br />Chief Sletner reviewed the analysis and process the Police Department Police <br />Department considered when submitting their original budget; the initial cuts prior to <br />presentation to the City Council at 3.9%; further reductions to a 3.7% levy <br />recommendation; and realities of those irr~pacts to the department's functioning and <br />service levels. Chief Sletner provided this information, in the form of a bench handout, <br />entitled, F`Raseville Police Department 2009 Work Plan," auaclted hereto and made a <br />part t~ier$of: <br />Chief Sletner noted that the City's Police Department had a history of full-service, and <br />this reduced service level created stresses across the entire department as well as the <br />community. Chief Sletner reviewed some pf those services specifically impacting the <br />department's service levels to citizens and other agencies, including reduced follow-up <br />on civil and non-criminal cases; elimination of neighborhood crime alert mailings related <br />to area thefts from autos at hotels, and home burglaries; refemng citizens to other <br />agencies for assistance rather than handling it locally; limiting participation in county and <br />state-wide task forces, even though those cooperative ventures had seen excellent success <br />with metropolitan area-wide burglaries. <br />Chief Sletner advised that the deparment currently had one officer vacancy, causing the <br />department to re-examine responses to certain accidents when not involving personal <br />injury or if minor or on private property. Chief Sletner advised that further reductions <br />could cause the elimination of vacation property (patrol) requests; elimination of officer <br />park patrols; Officer Friendly visits to schools and events; some reduction in vehicle <br />patrol; and noting the high mileage of some of existing squads, realizing increased <br />maintenance costs. <br />Chief Sletner advised that the department was already implementing further reductions, <br />including taking property crime reports via phone, rather than face-to-face. Chief Sletner <br />advised that she was anticipating additional information technology maintenance required <br />for squad equipment; had not ordered two .new unmarked cars, or six new squads <br />previously budgeted; and had decreased in-force training, creating the potential of <br />