HomeMy WebLinkAbout09/21/2006 Adjourned Meeting 187
YAKIMA CITY COUNCIL
ADJOURNED MEETING
SEPTEMBER 21, 2006 — 7:00 P.M.
YAKIMA VALLEY MUSEUM
2105 Tieton Drive
1. Roll Call
Mayor Edler called the meeting to order at 7:03 p.m.
Present:
Council: Mayor Edler, presiding, Council Members Ron Bonlender, Micah
Cawley, Norm Johnson, Bill Lover, and Susan Whitman
Staff: Acting City Manager Zabell, Police Chief Granato, Finance and
Budget Director DeBord, and Deputy City Clerk Watkins
Absent: Council Member McClure (excused)
2. Informational public forum to introduce "Yakima's Safe Community Action -
Plan" and proposed funding sources
A. Introduction
Council Member Cawley gave an opening statement and turned the meeting over
to Captain Jeff Schneider.
B. Power Point presentation
Captain Schneider began the Power Point presentation that highlighted the need
for the additional police officers. He explained how and why the plan was
developed.
Rita DeBord, Director of Budget and Finance, presented the financial aspects of
the plan.
C. Public comment -- questions /opinions
Steve Rohrich, 1423 Hamilton Avenue, asked if 22 new officers were enough. With a
four -year ramp up, is our population growing faster than the plan? Captain Schneider
responded that it is enough to start making an impact. Mr. Rohrich claimed that Yakima
is known as "Crackima" across the state and one solution would be to provide drug
treatment. Until we address the root cause of the drug problem with treatment, the
problem will continue. Mr. Rohrich said he has met people who have come through drug
treatment and are now productive citizens. He recommended increasing the work with
low -crime offenders by having them do community work to help pay their own way.
Another problem in our city is poverty and until we can attract high tech jobs and
increase the standard of living, we will always be addressing it.
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ADJOURNED MEETING — SEPTEMBER 21, 2006
SAFE COMMUNITY ACTION PLAN — YAKIMA VALLEY MUSEUM
Wallace Friedline (Andy), 603 S. 17 Avenue, said he was in favor of the plan, but his
major complaint is the way the City funds Fire and Police. Out of the total budget, these
positions should come first. Any budget shortages requiring tax increases should be on
other programs and positions. He felt it was backwards to ask taxpayers to pay for
necessary civil services. Mr. Friedline submitted a document he had prepared outlining
recommended budget cuts. His suggestions included items such as a graduated
reduction of salaries, reducing the number of positions, privatizing transit, discontinue
using outside attorneys. With those cuts, he felt the funds would be available from the
existing budget to support the plan without a tax increase.
Jay Cady, 213 N. 29 Avenue, said he is a lifetime resident of Yakima and is not proud
of the way things are going. He expressed concern how adding 22 officers might impact
the court system. He then gave his thoughts on citizens living in the community on a
free ticket, and the lack of jail time for car thieves. He questioned the dollars in the plan
for fines and forfeitures noting that most of the people do not have the money to pay
them. He recommended looking into reducing City staff rather than asking the
community for tax dollars. His other comments were regarding holding kids
accountable, looking at every level of City government for effectiveness, lobbying efforts
by officials in Olympia to help find an answer to our problem.
Matt Lunstrom also expressed concern about the ability to obtain funds from fines and
forfeitures, the ineffectiveness of the court system, and limited jail time. He is in favor of
putting efforts into rehabilitation and prevention by targeting young people with programs
like YPAL.
Robert Mansfield, spoke about the verified response issue; how criminals are now
being rewarded, and his support of YPAL.
Yvonne Wilbur complimented Captain Schneider on a recent experience she had when
calling 911. She said she would like to see Yakima the way it was in the 50's and 60's.
Daray McCotter asked for information on future annexations. City Manager Zais spoke
about the Growth Management Plan.
Wally Betke asked about accountability on the projected 20% crime reduction. What
happens if the goal is not reached? Mayor Edler responded that the City Council will
hold the Police Department and City management responsible for producing the kind of
numbers they have expressed they will produce.
Robbie Burn commented that having 22 more police officers in town does not make him
feel safer as our judicial system cannot handle the criminals that are coming through the
system now. He suggested running the criminals out of town. Mayor Edler referred to a
comment Chief Granato had made at a previous meeting, that ultimately the criminals
will get tired of being arrested and will leave town. Mr. Zais said that, although no one ,
wants that element in their community, there have been court decisions and case law
from the State Supreme Court, that they have the right to live wherever they choose.
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ADJOURNED MEETING — SEPTEMBER 21, 2006
SAFE COMMUNITY ACTION PLAN — YAKIMA VALLEY MUSEUM
Joe Adams said he will vote for this but is not happy about it as this isn't a new problem
and should have been addressed in past years. Every year the Council approves a
budget that under funds law and order. This should have been the number one priority
all along. Law and order is a basic government service that should be paid out of basic
taxes. He said the City should cut back expenditures elsewhere such as lawsuits and
fighting development as those are not a public service, yet the public is paying for all of
that and being denied basic services. He felt four years to implement the program is
terrible and reducing crime by only 20% is not acceptable.
• COUNCIL MEMBER COMMENTS
Council Member Cawley — This plan will not fix all the problems but will be a start. City
Council members have to look into things like privatizing. As suggested, there can be
budget cuts, but some services will no longer be there. He agrees that YPAL funding
should be increased. He has done the ride - alongs with the police and understands how
• hard they work. As a city of 85,000 in population, we all need to go to Olympia and tell
them to fix the sentencing guidelines. Council cannot do it alone.
Council Member Bonlender - Economic development is crucial to our area, but we're
not going to have it if we are not a safe city. We won't be a safe city if we don't have the
proper ratio of police per capita. Companies look for quality -of -life issues. We have to
have a proactive police force, for our safety and the safety of police officers. If you are
undermanned, over the long term there will be higher turn over, lower trained officers,
and frustrated police officers. We have been discussing this for at least eight months.
We know it is a burden for many people, but the increased safety in the city will benefit
the most those that have the least.
Council Member Whitman — I'm ticked off. The .3% sales tax was spearheaded by the
sheriff, and the County got the majority of it. We got 23 %. We are nowhere near the
western state average of police per thousand population. As far as the negative
comments about ramping up over four years, we can only send so many to the academy
per year. Citizens are either going to pay the tax or pay in other ways, e.g. with higher
insurance. In response to Mr. Mansfield's comments, and others, about accountability,
we cannot treat the criminals the way we would like to. We all need to work with our
legislators to get things changed. With regard to comments about who will pay fines and
• forfeitures, I won't pay for them if I don't break the law and neither will you. We have to
have a positive attitude. I am tired of hearing people who live in this beautiful productive
community put it down. If you don't attack things with a positive attitude, nothing is going
'to get done. We started this initiative with a positive attitude. We have a problem that
has to be fixed. We're addressing it with a positive attitude. That works on our kids too.
It starts at home. We are trying to do what we can with what we have available.
Council Member Johnson — I agree that drug treatment has to be an integral part of
any program we put forward. We are working with the treatment agencies. There have
to be changes made in the penal and the juvenile code and it will take all of us going to
Olympia. The justice system in Yakima is working hard. Legislation has been
introduced repeatedly to overhaul the codes but it hasn't even gotten a hearing.
Legislation for a boot camp was also introduced, but that did not get a hearing. It cannot
be just local elected officials going to Olympia, we all have to work together.
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SAFE COMMUNITY ACTION PLAN – YAKIMA VALLEY MUSEUM
Council Member Lover - This Council gets it. We agree with almost everything the
citizens have said tonight. We have made City management uncomfortable with this
proposal as it will impact reserves. All the City budgets are currently being reviewed and
it is even more difficult than in past years. When it is finalized, I believe the 2007 budget
will be one of the leanest in memory. With regard to drugs, Comprehensive Mental
Health is working on a program in our jail. Also, Commissioner Leita is currently in
Florida dealing with those programs, referrals, and treatment. This plan isn't designed to
cure all the problems in front of us, but we consider protecting our neighborhoods as our
number one priority and it will help with this issue.
Mayor Edler – This has been an interesting process. At the public meetings, we have
gotten a lot of public input, and have gotten criticized. I am concerned where our
community is going. We strongly believe this to be the most important thing we have
faced in a long time. I serve on a legislative committee trying to press our legislators to
do more to help our communities. But, we believe, the citizens of Yakima need to take
care of the problem ourselves and this is just a piece of it. Citizens are saying we are
always asking for taxes. This is something that came from the citizenry, now the citizens
of Yakima need to decide whether they will raise their taxes. I have spent a lot of my
adult life working with kids. If you want to know what is wrong with kids, look at adults. I
may be speaking to a group of people who volunteer hours to work with kids whose
parents are in the devastating cycle of drug abuse. The City of Yakima, your City
Council and government, are not going to have the effect on those kids that you could
have if you would volunteer your life to mentor, care for and reach into these dark places
in our community because their parents can't help themselves. If someone doesn't
intervene, they will be just like their parents. Violence and crime are cyclical and you
cannot look to the government to fix it. We are asking citizens to increase their own
taxes and in this city, that is a bad word. I am saying to you, as one of seven people
representing you, I believe with all of my heart that we need to do this. I believe, with
everything in that this will be one of the best things that the citizens can do for
ourselves in a long long time.
3. Adjournment at 8:30 p.m. to Adjourned Meeting on September 26, 2006 for a Study
Session on the Railroad Grade Separation Project schedule and cost estimate
update
The meeting adjourned at 8:55 p.m.
READ AND CERTIFIED ACCURATE BY
C NCIL ME B DATE '11vAlh.c.:61,,„,(1 06, 101.-ri COUNCIL MEMBER / DATE
ATTEST:
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CITY CLERK DAVID EDLER, MAYOR
Minutes prepared by Linda Watkins. An audio and video tape of this meeting are available in the City
Clerk's Office
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