HomeMy WebLinkAboutMN-CES-2007-09-12 Communications & Emergency Services Committee
Regular Meeting September 12, 2007 7:00 p.m.
PRESENT:
Chair J. R. Clairborne
Alderpersons (2) Michelle Berry, David Gelinas
OTHERS PRESENT:
City Clerk— Julie Conley Holcomb
Director of IT— Duane Twardokus
Fire Chief— Brian Wilbur
Senior Deputy Police Chief— Edward Vallely
Deputy Police Chief—John Barber
EXCUSED:
Alderperson Korherr
Note: Alderperson Shane Seger resigned from Common Council effective September 3,
2007.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES:
By Alderperson Berry: Seconded by Alderperson Gelinas
RESOLVED, That the minutes of the July 11, 2007, Communications and Emergency
Services Committee be approved as corrected.
Carried Unanimously
PUBLIC COMMENT:
Theresa Alt, City of Ithaca resident and volunteer producer at the Pegasys Access
Studio, addressed the committee regarding the reduction in hours at the studio. She
stated that Time Warner has been collecting fees from the cable bills in addition to non-
resident producer fees but has reduced the number of hours that the studio is available.
She called upon the City to protect the interests of its citizens. Ms. Alt further noted that
the resignation of Alderperson Shane Seger leaves a vacancy in membership and the
Council liaison position for the Access Oversight Commission.
Chair Clairborne read correspondence received from Michelle Thompson regarding
community safety concerns in relation to a recent bomb scare at Cornell University and
the visiting Cornell University Clarke Middle East Fellow. Ms. Thompson questioned
what emergency response plan was in place and requested a public address by both
community and university leaders.
RESPONSE TO PUBLIC BY COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
Alderperson Berry thanked Ms. Alt for speaking and complimented her work on behalf
of the community. She further stated that she fully supports the on-going discussions
between the City and Time Warner Cable.
September 12, 2007
Alderperson Berry further commented on the correspondence received from Ms.
Thompson and stated that the collaboration between the City and Cornell University
should continue and she supports community discussions on public safety and crime
prevention measures.
Chair Clairborne echoed Alderperson Berry's comments and also thanked Ms. Alt for
sharing her concerns. He further sent well wishes to former Alderperson Shane Seger
and thanked him for all of the work he did while serving on Common Council, especially
his efforts with the Access Oversight Committee and the Rental Housing Commission.
Discussion followed on the floor regarding the procedure to fill the vacant Council seat.
6. PRESENTATIONS
A. 2008 DEPARTMENTAL BUDGET HIGHLIGHTS:
Ithaca Police Department
Senior Deputy Police Chief Vallely presented the highlights of the Police Department's
$6.7 million budget. He noted that most of the budget is composed of payroll costs
however his proposed budget includes:
• (2) Data Entry Clerks for the Records Unit. He explained that the Records Unit is
currently using overtime dollars to try to catch up on the 2-3 month data entry
backlog of records.
• (1) Special Investigator for narcotics investigations
• (2) Bicycle replacements
• Equipment purchases such as a copier, printers, and lateral file cabinets for the
Records Unit.
Deputy Police Chief Barber explained that the department is currently fully staffed with
73 sworn uniformed officers however they are preparing for one disability retirement and
two other retirements. He noted that the department has hired 16 new officers in the
past 22 months. In 2008, fourteen (14) police officers will be eligible to retire. The
recruitment team and the department will continue to work hard to fill vacancies in a
timely manner.
Alderperson Clairborne questioned whether community policing initiatives were planned
for 2008. Senior Deputy Chief Vallely responded that community policing is being
integrated into the patrol units. He stated that the entire department needs to be
community policing oriented, and he has asked officers to keep logs and documentation
of their walks through businesses and community centers noting who they talked to and
any issues or concerns that were raised.
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September 12, 2007
Alderperson Berry applauded the Police Department's aggressive recruitment of people
of color and praised the current efforts being undertaken by the recruitment team.
Deputy Chief Barber reported that a large recruiting campaign would begin next week
as the police exam is scheduled for November 2007.
Ithaca Fire Department
Fire Chief Wilbur described the complexity of the six (6) 2008 budget scenarios that he
provided to the Mayor. He noted that the Strategic Funding for Fire Fighters Committee
(S4F) has been working to try to create ways to increase the number of fire fighters. He
explained that the 1% and 3% proposed budget increases result in a reduction in staff
due to contractual obligations. Some the optional budget scenarios presented to the
Ma--)r include:
Option 1: - Add 2 fire fighters
Option 2 — Includes a Safer Grant and would add 4 fire fighters
Option 3 — Add an additional engine, which requires 12 fire fighters
Chief Wilbur noted that (5) fire fighters are eligible to retire in 2008 and a Lieutenant will
be deployed to Afghanistan through the National Guard. Additional challenges facing
the Fire Department include new equipment standards and the increased number of
req 'fired inspections.
Chief Wilbur further explained that the front office staffing has been impacted by the
resj;nation of one employee and the retirement of another. The positions are currently
being filled by temporary staff and the department is searching for replacements while
considering a staffing reconfiguration.
Department of Information Technology
Dire tor of Information Technology Twardokus stated that with the 1% budget increase
his lepartment would continue in its role, however the "Parts" account would be
reduced by $7,043. He explained that this would not compromise the IT Department's
abil ty to perform repairs as he has been successful in reducing the costs of services
pre. :ded.
IT Director Twardokus further explained that the 3% budget increase would allow the
department to increase its Staff Development account by $2,069 in order to keep skill
ley( ' intact. He confirmed that the department would be able to stay on track with
equ ment replacements, and is investigating a Think Client initiative that would reduce
the :osts of work station replacements.
City Clerk's Office
Cit Clerk Holcomb explained that both the 1% and 3% budget increase proposals
would result in a reduction of staff hours for her department. To offset this loss, she
incl_,ded contract funds to hire an intern or temporary employee to try to keep up-to-date
on v.ork. She stated that she also submitted an optional budget that would leave her
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September 12, 2007
operational budget lines intact and provide for full funding for staff. She noted that she
is confident that Mayor Peterson will give the optional budget full consideration.
B. START-OF SCHOOL-YEAR ACTIVITIES ON LOCAL CAMPUSES
Senior Deputy Police Chief Vallely and Deputy Police Chief Barber reported on the
results of the following special detail set-up in anticipation of the start of school year
activities:
The detail ran from August 17 — September 9, 2007 from 7:00 PM to 3:00 AM and
included 1 supervisor and 6 officers each night. Less overtime hours were used this
yea;- as there were fewer officers assigned to the detail. The detail resulted in 480
qua' y of life arrests on East and South Hills consisting of the following offenses: noise,
open container, underage drinking, disorderly conduct, public urination, impersonation,
forged instruments, possession of controlled substances, fireworks, littering, vehicle &
traf. i violations, etc. The Spring detail ran for 36 days and resulted in 116 arrests.
Alderperson Gelinas noted that the detail is clearly working very well and there have
been less complaints from the neighborhoods and the students. He suggested that the
language of the Noise Ordinance be reviewed and that the standardization of police
pro:ndures (warnings vs. citations) would be very helpful.
Alde-person Berry questioned how other Ivy League college towns handle these types
of situations. Deputy Chief Vallely explained that the special details provide more
cor.nistency in police procedures and students are now able to post bail on scene so
they don't have to be taken to the police station.
Alderperson Gelinas stated that further discussion should occur regarding the posting
bail ;,olicy as the Community Police Board has determined that most students do
ap;ear for court appearances.
Fire :Thief Brian Wilbur reported that the Fire Department responded to 607 emergency
cal': between August 1 — September 13, 2007. Of those calls, 47 were false calls from
Cornell University and 21 were false calls from Ithaca College. During the same time
per-d in 2006, the department responded to 519 emergency calls (36 false calls from
Cornell and 12 from Ithaca College). In 2005 the department responded to 499 calls.
He r<plained that as the department receives more calls the response time becomes
lon ; -r. Multiple calls coming in at the same time are becoming the norm instead of the
excn )tion. He further noted that he believes the police department's special details are
wor' ing as evidenced by increased civility being displayed by the students during
inci Thr+s.
7. UPDATES:
A. -'ME WARNER CABLE AND THE ACCESS OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE
Wa; es Brown, Secretary to the Access Oversight Committee (AOC), noted his thanks
to fo mer Alderperson Shane Seger, Chair of the AOC, for his efforts on behalf of the
con, nittee. He explained that the franchise agreement states that there shall be 5
me. hers of the committee, 51% from the City (3 members) and, due to the vacancy
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September 12, 2007
created by Mr. Seger, there are only four members. He urged Council not to delay in
app: inting someone to fill the vacancy.
Mr. Brown reported that the reduction in studio hours is having a negative impact on the
studio producers as the studio is only open for 4 hours per day, Monday—Thursday.
He stated that the Studio Manager is wonderful to work with but when she is on
vacation, Time Warner closes the studio and the automatic playback equipment plays
pre-recorded programming for a week. He expressed frustration that Time Warner does
not respect the resolutions that the AOC passes and inquired as to whether his
prof ,sed resolution voicing opposition to the cuts in the Public Access TV Studio hours
cou, . be brought to Common Council for consideration.
Mayor Peterson reported that Alderperson Dan Cogan has agreed to meet with City and
Time Warner officials when the next meeting is scheduled. She also agreed to ask
Common Council members if one of them would volunteer to fill the AOC vacancy for
the remainder of the year.
B. ' O-MHZ COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEM
Fire hief Wilbur explained that the terrorist attack on 9/11/01 pointed out the need for
pub safety agencies to respond efficiently to emergency situations and how critical
communication and equipment interoperability is.
The Tompkins County Department of Emergency Response has embarked on a $20
million radio communication project that will allow all of the emergency response
agencies in Tompkins County to talk with each other. The system was projected to go
live on October 7, 2007, however that cut-over date will not be met due to tower
equ. ment problems. In the mean time, the microwave loops are being brought on-line
and a radio equipment is being delivered. Once the radio system is operational, the
nev■ gaging system will be brought on-line. There is an intense effort being conducted
to develop policies, procedures, and training sessions on the proper use of the system.
The County is also implementing a wireless 911 system as the use of cell phones has
dramatically increased and dispatchers are having a difficult time c:etermining the
loca';on of calls. The new system will use GPS technology to Iccate cell phones.
The Tunty continues to investigate Reverse 911 Systems. Cornell University will be
impl menting an emergency notification system within the mon:h.
A m :eting has been scheduled for October, 2007, to review the current Memorandum of
Understanding between the City and County regarding dispatch services.
C. IFD STAFFING
Fire T;ef Wilbur reported on the following staffing changes:
AssH,nt Chief C. Thomas Parsons was promoted to Deputy Fire Chief in charge of the
Fire ' revention Bureau on September 2, 2007.
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September 12, 2007
Lieutenant Willis Sheldon was promoted to Assistant Fire Chief and Municipal Training
Officer. Interviews are being conducted to fill the vacant Lieutenant position.
Offers of employment have been made for 2 fire fighter positions.
The fire fighter exam will be offered in June 2008. A recruitment committee is being
established to recruit people to take this test. IFD is hoping to learn from the Ithaca
Police Department's recruitment efforts to diversify the department.
Executive Assistant Christine Wilbur retired after 35 years of dedicated service between
the lt' 'ca Youth Bureau and the Fire Department. She will continue to work on a part-
time Lssis until the vacancies are filled. A retirement celebration will be planned after
she "truly" retires!
Alderp^rson Berry thanked Chris Wilbur for her amazing service to the City.
Alder, arson Clairborne extended his congratulations to Chris Wilbur as well.
ADJOURNMENT:
On a motion the meeting adjourned at 9:00 p.m.
Julie ;Tuley Holcomb, J:`R. Clairborne
City Clark eChair
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