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HomeMy WebLinkAbout11/10/1998 Adjourned Business Meeting 303 CITY OF YAKIMA, WASHINGTON NOVEMBER 10, 1998 ADJOURNED BUSINESS MEETING /BUDGET REVIEW The City Council met in session on this date at 8:30 a.m., in the Council Chambers of City Hall, Yakima, Washington, Mayor John Puccinelli, presiding. Council Members Clarence Barnett, Henry Beauchamp, Lynn Buchanan, John Klingele, Mary Place, and Bernard Sims present on roll call. City Manager Zais, Director of Finance & Budget Hanson, and Deputy City Clerk Skovald also present. Mayor Puccinelli called the meeting to order to begin review of . the Preliminary Budget /Policy Issues for 1999. POLICE DEPARTMENT • Operating Budget (Budget Page 343; No Policy Issues) Police Pension (Budget Page (Budget Page 360) Law and Justice Capital (Budget Page 361) Don Blesio, Chief of Police, introduced members of his staff involved in developing the Police Department's budget, Marsha Whitmore, Administrative Assistant to the Chief of Police; Doug Bronson, Captain of the Services Division, and Roy Willson, Captain of the Uniformed Patrol Division. Directing attention to page 315, Council Member Barnett requested clarification of Yakima Center's budget request to increase their Professional Services Account 410. This requested increase would allow the extra funds needed to contract with the Yakima Police Department for security needs at the Convention Center. Chief Blesio explained the Convention Center has requested the services of off -duty police officers because of their professionalism and expertise. Additional comments, questions, and discussion occurred among Council I/ members and staff concerning this request as opposed to hiring a private security company. Chief Blesio, Captain Bronson, and Captain Willson responded to a number of questions about the operating budget for the Police Department. Topics included the number of police officers, patrol vehicles, and characteristics common to the makes of vehicles utilized by the police. A status report on establishing the Canine Unit was given, and there was brief 304 NOVEMBER 10, 1998 discussion among Council members and staff concerning that program. Detention costs for the jail, repairs and maintenance costs for various areas throughout the Police Station /Legal Center facility, and the . number of outstanding misdemeanor violations were also issues that the Council asked questions about. Throughout the budget review specific corrections were noted, and staff responded to a variety of inquiries about line items within the service units summarized in the preliminary budget requests for the Police Department. Technical - terms specific to the law enforcement field were explained. Staff clarified the request to make improvements to the Butler Building to better utilize that facility by storing vehicles used by the Police Department. Funding for those improvements along with the feasibility study for jail expansion requested under Construction Projects on Budget Page 362, will come from the Law and Justice Capital fund. At 9:00 a.m. Mayor Puccinelli directed attention to the next item on the agenda and noted it was time to begin the public hearing. Budget Review will continue after that item is concluded. PUBLIC HEARING ON RATIFICATION AND ACCEPTANCE OF APPLICATION GRANT FROM THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE (SEE RESOLUTION) City Manager Zais explained this grant would allow additional funding to pay the salaries for School Resource Officers and to buy Mobile Data Terminals and other necessary equipment for the Police Department. He also provided a brief overview of some of the special conditions and instructions of the grant application, such as time limitations and the public hearing requirement. Chief Blesio noted that this grant would provide additional funding over the next two years for the. Local Law Enforcement Block Grant Program. A portion of the grant money will go to Yakima County via an interlocal agreement, and there will be a coordinated program to reduce crime and improve public safety. Chief Blesio responded to several questions from the Council concerning the City's portion of the salaries for the School Resource Officers assigned to Davis High School, Eisenhower High School, and Washington Middle School. Mayor Puccinelli opened the public hearing and invited comments from the audience. Jerry Henderson, representing the Westside Merchants Association, urged the Council's support to ratify this grant application to provide additional manpower in the schools. There being no one else wishing to comment, Mayor Puccinelli closed the public hearing. Resolution No. R -98 -150 having been read by title only, it was MOVED BY SIMS, SECONDED 2 305 NOVEMBER,,10 , 1998 BY BUCHANAN, TO ADOPT THE RESOLUTION. The motion carried by unanimous roll call vote; Beauchamp temporarily absent. RESOLUTION NO.'R -98 -150, A RESOLUTION ratifying application for a grant in the total amount of $161,742 from the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Administration, for funding the Local Law Enforcement Block Grant Program, and further designating and authorizing the City Manager to act as the official representative of the city and to take such additional steps as may be necessary and prudent to complete transactions associated with the grant. Police Department Budget Review (Continued) (Budget Page 351, Detention Services) Council Member Klingele asked for clarification about funding repairs and maintenance costs for the jail. City Manager Zais explained some of the differences between general operating - related expenditures for the jail to repair and maintain the facility included in Office and Operating Account 310, as opposed to more extensive expansion associated with major repairs and maintenance funded in the Law and Justice Capital Fund Account 480. No funding was put in the budget for major repair and maintenance; however, should any unforeseen expenses occur, an adjustment would be made in the Capital Budget at that time. Council Member Place requested that the jail costs per day be indicated in the budget summary on page 354. There were numerous questions about various items listed on budget pages 354 - 356, concerning Capital Outlay Requests for Small Tools and Minor Equipment and Capital Outlay Items. Council Member Place directed attention to Law and Justice Capital, Budget Page 361, Service Unit 699 - General Revenue, and noted the whole paragraph should be deleted since it refers to a budget request from last year. Public Safety Communications (Budget Page 381, Policy Issue Page 113) • Al Gillespie, Fire Chief, and Don Blesio, Chief of Police, introduced Wayne Wantland, Communications Manager for the Public Safety Communications Division. Wayne Wantland urged the Council to approve their request to increase the half -time Clerical Assistant to full time. He explained that a full -time position would greatly enhance their ability to address issues in the day -to -day operations and to more effectively deal with administrative functions within that 3 306 NOVEMBER 10, 1998 office. Mr. Wantland responded to Council Member Sims` question about allocating duties to other employees within the division. He explained that it would not be feasible since they need a focal person to process legal requests for information about different cases and other technical issues. Mr. Wantland also provided a brief overview of the Public Safety Communication Division, including the ongoing changes taking place in the operation of the 911 Calltaking and Public Safety Dispatch service units. The workload is handled entirely within the division. Mr. Wantland directed Council's attention to the Public Works telephone system and reported that the system needs to be upgraded because it has reached its maximum capacity and needs to be Y2K compliant. Mayor Puccinelli strongly urged staff to make sure all emergency communication equipment are Y2K compliant. As far as 911 system being Y2K compliant, Mr. Wantland reported there will be a local upgrade later in 1999. They are testing and reviewing the 911 equipment to determine any complications, but they have been assured that the main system will not be affected. Mayor Puccinelli commended the Communications Division for keeping costs down and maintaining the 911 System within the limits of the 911 excise tax revenue. Council Member Sims 'requested cost containment figures for both estimated and actual costs to consolidate the 911 system. Comparing those figures will show how cost effective consolidation is. Fire Department Operating Budget (Budget Page 365; Policy Issues Page 115) Fire Department Capital (Budget Page 386) Fire Pension (Budget Page 391) Chief Gillespie introduced other members of his staff including Gene Martin, Deputy Fire Chief and Abel Castilleja, Training Battalion Chief. He reported that the Fire Department had 4,500 runs so far this year compared to 4,100 emergency responses last year. Staff entertained a variety of questions from the Council concerning the Fire Department Capital Fund and typographical errors within the budget summary. Also discussed were issues involving volunteer firefighters, performance statistics, budget 4 307 NOVEMBER 10, 1998 constraints, the impact that the new fire investigator position has had on the number of arson cases solved and the arson investigation process, and how many calls came from newly annexed areas. (Mayor Puccinelli and Council Members Henry Beauchamp and John Klingele temporarily absent.) • Referring to Budget Page 374, Council Member Sims asked if there are any plans to develop the training facility on Nob Hill Boulevard into a statewide facility for firefighter training to generate some revenue. He feels this should be planned out two years in advance to involve other jurisdictions. Battalion Chief Castilleja explained they have been trying to establish the training center as a regional facility to recoup costs by bringing in expert speakers to the training center. He explained options are currently being reviewed for various training programs involving federal, state, and local agencies such as the school district. He reported they are surveying other self - supporting facilities to develop a basic fee schedule for training services. Chief Gillespie reported that they are bringing in some outside experts for certain area because it is cost effective. The Fire Department has a wealth of people with skills to instruct, such as technical rescue training or customized training programs for outside agencies. In response to an inquiry from Council Member Place, John Hanson provided a historic overview of the Fire Capital Fund and its revenue sources as it relates to the Fire Capital Expenditures Summary on Budget Page 387. Council Member Klingele asked how the Clean Air Authority fees would affect the training center. On budget pages 388 and 389, there was discussion about the Above Ground Fueling System and other Capital Outlay Requests, including the brand of replacement call recorder radios for the dispatch center, as well as various corrections of typographical errors on budget page 388. FINANCE AND BUDGET Financial Services (Policy Issues Page 85 and Budget Pages 233 - 278) John Hanson, Director of Finance and Budget, introduced Bert Tabayoyon, Customer Services Manager; Rick Pettyjohn, Information Systems Manager; and Cindy Epperson, Accounting I/ Manager. He commended Ms. Epperson for the fine job she has done in the budget process. Mr. Hanson reported that the Finance Division has recently experienced change with approximately one -third of their staff either retiring or leaving last year. He noted that the reorganization policy issue on page 85 is a culmination of efforts to improve the department. He expects the changes to take about six months to one year to go through the reorganization process. Mr. Hanson responded to several questions from the Council about the 5 303 NOVEMBER 10, 1998 preliminary Budget requests on pages 233 -277. City Manager Zais reported that the City has received the Government Finance Officers Association's (GFOA's) Distinguished Budget Presentation Award 14 years in a row. He commended Mr. Hanson for the excellent development of the Finance and Budget Department, particularly for his proactive approach used in audit findings. There was discussion about the amount of overtime for the Financial Services Division and Year 2000 Compliance for systems' program needs for the Data Processing service unit. Information Systems (Budget Page 238) Members of the Council raised questions and requested clarification about the format of the City's website. Rick Pettyjohn explained its development, and Marketa Oliver, Administrative Assistant to the City Manager, talked about putting information online. She explained that they are trying to determine what information is most interesting and what the public wants. City Manager Zais pointed out that the website already was in existence, but others had developed it. He noted that the City's new website has been developed with existing staff. There was also discussion about the availability of information on the City's website. The Council also inquired about some of the Capital Outlay requests for data processing and the Copy Center. Customer Services (Budget Page 248; Policy Issues Page 85) There were a number of questions about the customer Services Division concerning the Animal Control Officer Lead position, which has been underfilled. On budget page 250, the number of delinquent billings due to the change in irrigation billing and the collection total for all delinquent utility billings were requested. SunDome (Budget Page 256) District Court (Budget Page 257) Capital Theatre I/ (Budget Page 260) Risk Management Reserve (Budget Page 262) • 6 309 NOVEMBER.10, 1998 Cemetery Trust (Budget Page 265) City Manager Zais answered questions from the Council about SunDome construction bond debt service costs listed on Budget page 256. He also summarized the process of the District Court " closeout" of pending cases, except for some outstanding collections. On budget page 261, there was discussion about interest costs and revenue from the Capitol Threatre Reserve Fund, as well as Risk Management budget requests on page 263, and the Cemetery Trust budget on page 265. Municipal Court (Budget Page 227; Policy Issues Page 83) John Hanson introduced Probation Services Manager Colby Way. Council Member Place asked some questions and requested clarification about several aspects of the Municipal Court budget, including the policy issue to change the court commissioners position from half time to full time. John Hanson noted the increase in home detention units within the Probation Services service unit. He explained that the efficiency of the Probation Center would be determined this year after being established one year. INTERGOVERNMENTAL Yakima Valley Regional Library_ (Budget Pages 501 - 504) Finance and Budget— Intergovernmental (Budget Pages 502 - 504) Council Member Place noted that a correction was necessary on budget page 501 to correct the 30a increase to 3%. On page 502, clarification was requested as to whether the City of Yakima has legal authority under the Clean Air service unit 319 or Emergency Services service unit 129. There was discussion about whether the City can choose to do the EMS independently, but that Clean Air is required by state statute. GENERAL ADMINISTRATION City Council (Budget Page 125) There were no questions or discussion about this budget. 7 310 NOVEMBER 10, 1998 City Manager (Budget Page 128) There were no questions or discussion about this budget. Legal Department (Budget Page 131) Ray Paolella, City Attorney, introduced Helen Harvey, Assistant City Attorney, and Linda Koontz, Legal Assistant. There were questions about the length of time (2 years) that the. Legal Department has used a summer intern. On page 131, City Manager Zais explained the Assistant City Attorney position is included within the Legal Department, but is funded under the Finance Department. Council Member Barnett asked what account the Aquavella issue is funded by. Ray Paolella explained that is funded out of the Enterprise Fund under Water and Irrigation 410 Account. Council Member Barnett said we should have a list of outside legal costs for this year showing the funding distribution. Records /City Clerk (Budget Page 138) Assistant City Manager Rice introduced Karen Roberts, City Clerk. On page 140 -141, City Clerk Roberts explained that her budget for 1999 is less than the 1998 budget due primarily to decreased 1998 election costs. There was discussion about payment of election expenses. Human Resources (Budget Page 142) Archie Sutton, Human Resources Manager, and Sheryl Smith, Assistant Human Resources Manager, were available to answer questions about their budget. Council Member Klingele said he heard that because our fire testing has a very high number of people who participate, we could be utilized as a testing prototype. On page 149, City Manager Zais commented about the extremely high costs for medical claims where reserves have not been able to be accumulated because of increased costs. There should be a minimum of $700,000 in reserves, which has resulted in increased premium costs. Mr. Zais said other options will be considered in the future to try to control costs or keep costs down. This is the most critical impact on this budget. Responding to Council Member Klingele, Mr. Zais explained that they expect an increase next year unless some other options are explored. 8 3 11 NOVEMBER 10, 1998 Page 145, Affirmative Action, Mr. Sutton explained the, advertising costs and Initiative 200 implication costs have not been determined. Those will be reviewed later when the information is available. Purchasing (Budget Page 157) Assistant City Manager Rice introduced Sue Ownby, Purchasing Manager, and she answered questions from Council Member Barnett concerning WMBE statistics. Those figures show that 30 percent are women owned enterprises. There was more discussion concerning affirmative action. On page 158, Sue Ownby explained the increased membership fee to utilize State Contracts is really a good cost - effective measure because using it just one time saves money. It was MOVED BY BUCHANAN, SECONDED BY PLACE, TO ADJOURN THE MEETING AT 11:40 A.M. The motion carried by unanimous voice vote; Beauchamp absent. READ AND CERTIFIED ACCURATE BY: ` 7 7 OUNCIL MEMB R DATE %: /_o?2 _ y9 d COU / MEMBER DATE ATTEST: 'e-( 704 . P'7 CITY CLERK, JOHN PUCC ELLI, MAYOR Minutes prepared by Deputy City Clerk Skovald. An audio and videotape of this meeting is available in the Clerk's office. 1 • 9