HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes 06-06-2009 WorkshopCITY COUNCIL WORKSHOP MEETING
CITY HALL ANNEX
111 Polk Avenue, Cape Canaveral, Florida
TUESDAY
June 6, 2009
5:30 PM
MINUTES
CALL TO ORDER: The Chair called the Meeting to order at 5:32 P.M.
ROLL CALL:
Council Members Present:
Mayor Pro Tem Bob Hoog
Council Member Buzz Petsos
Mayor Rocky Randels
Council Member Shannon Roberts
Council Member Betty Walsh
Others Present:
City Manager
BCSO/Canaveral Cmdr. (outgoing)
BCSO/Canaveral Cmdr. (incoming)
BCSO/Chief Deputy
BCSO/Spec. Operations
BCSO/Port Canaveral Lt.
BCSO/Budget Office Mgr.
Recording Secretary
DISCUSSION:
Bennett Boucher
Douglas Scragg
Alan Moros
Mike Lewis
Joe Ambrose
Tom Young
Greg Pelham
Mia Goforth
1. Sheriffs Contract for 2009/10 and Level of Service Issues.
Commander Douglas Scragg, Canaveral Precinct, made his introductions of those
joining him from the Brevard County Sheriffs Office (BCSO) in attendance and
announced Cmdr. Alan Moros will be the new Canaveral Precinct Commander.
Cmdr. Scragg informed of his transfer to the North Precinct. Discussion ensued
regarding Cmdr. Scragg's perspective of the challenges in managing the City of
Cape Canaveral and Port Canaveral Precincts for the BCSO, policies on how to
handle the transients in the City and the shift in rankings at the BCSO.
Bennett Boucher, City Manager, requested permission to present to the Council.
He informed the economic situation led to the City taking a 17% hit on Brevard
City of Cape Canaveral, Florida
Sheriff's Contract Workshop Minutes
June 6, 2009
Page 2 of 4
County property taxes and equates to approximately $315,000 on the City's Police
millage. He expressed his desire that the Council and the BCSO, in working
together, will be able to keep the core level services intact and provide the services
the City's residents demand and expect out of the City's police services. Mr.
Boucher shared information he gathered after speaking to the City's insurance
adjuster; the top two (2) lawsuits being filed these days are "trip and fall" and "false
arrest". Mr. Boucher emphasized the Canaveral Precinct has had none of those
suits filed and attributes this to the training and professionalism of the BCSO.
At this time Mayor Randels requested Cmdr. Scraggs to go through the three
categories: Personnel Services, Operating Expenditures and Capital Requests.
Cmdr. Scragg presented the Precinct's requests and suggestions with information
provided by the BCSO in the agenda packet:
• Due to the Precinct's need for new vehicles, the City's capital will be
significantly reduced;
• The projection of $120,000 - $150,000 cash forward barring unforeseen
circumstances; and
• The Precinct's belief that the level of services is appropriate in the City
based on results.
Cmdr. Scragg continued by stating beyond those issues, the changes would not be
in capital or operating expenses. He and Cmdr. Moros came up with choices for
the City Council to make:
• Continue the SRO (School Resource Officer) Program, whether or not the
position was funded in part by Cape View Elementary School.
• Approve the budget Council has before it. Cmdr. Scragg indicated it is status
quo with little wiggle room, except in the capital area and cuts in services.
Discussion ensued regarding:
• Capital expenses in the 2008/2009 and 2009/2010 budget and how it has
not changed due to fuel price changes and the directive of the Sheriffs
department;
• Savings due to retirement of an officer and manpower being down, mutual
aid services (helicopters, K-9, etc...);
• Grants coming out of the Federal Stimulus Package: one being the U.S.
Department of Justice Community Oriented Policing (COPS) Program Grant
and The Edward Byme Memorial Justice Assistance Grant and their
allocations among other municipalities;
• Cmdr. Scragg offered Cmdr. Moros' to grant the Council's request to
gather location specific data regarding frequency analysis of incidents
for the City as was done for the Port Canaveral Cove area;
• Customer satisfaction surveys, customer service, community policing
initiatives and Cmdr. Scraggs request for the Council to ride with the
City of Cape Canaveral, Florida
Sheriffs Contract Workshop Minutes
June 6, 2009
Page 3 of 4
officers, City owned police vehicles being used for off -duty shifts: BCSO
Chief Deputy Mike Lewis offered to quantify the costs for Council;
• The previous request by Council for an after-hours walk-in traffic analysis to
make sure it is a good value-added: Cmdr. Scragg responded it can be
done and he would turn the request over to Cmdr. Moros;
• Council's concem over the policy of the BCSO dispatch through Titusville:
Chief Dep. Lewis suggested having the BCSO Communications
Manager help find a solution, possibly a dedicated non -emergency line
coming into the Canaveral Precinct;
• Council's desire to keep the SRO at Cape View Elementary School; Cmdr.
Scragg noted the selection of the SRO will involve the School Principal;
• County taxes pertaining to law enforcement services to the City, money that
comes back to the City after a vehicle is taken out of service and auctioned
off and how County money is incorporated back into the City budget,
confiscated goods and vehicle forfeiture funds; Mr. Boucher informed
Council, by State law, these types of funds cannot be budgeted; an escrow
account is set up, and the City Treasurer is working to offset the City's
School Crossing Guard salaries costs for such. Money gained from cost
investigation goes into the City's budget under General Funds. Council
expressed desire for the County and the BCSO Canaveral Precinct
each to provide line -by-line detail of these items in their reports to the
City;
• Council's desire for a report regarding the after-hours office operation;
• The employer portion of health insurance for employees of the BCSO is
$11,000 per person; Mr. Greg Pelham, Budget Office Manager of the
BCSO, noted discussions are taking place regarding the issue;
• The positive impact BCSO "fringe benefits" have on the City: surf camp,
National Night Out, Operation Store Front and the Holiday volunteer
programs, among others;
• Cmdr. Moros stated he met with Cmdr. Scragg, for the first time, three
hours earlier and would provide the Council with his goals for the
Canaveral Precinct, as requested;
• Bicycle patrols, take-home vehicle usage, using GPS (global positioning
satellite) to track usage, strategic outreach for the neighborhood watch
program, chronic nuisance abatement ordinance, electronic speed monitor,
strengthening communication and response times during events such as
Tropical Storm Fay and N. Atlantic Avenue construction to help citizens,
budgeted renovations for the City Annex and the Cape Canaveral Library
Meeting Room, branding vehicles with the City name and the Space
Shuttle, workers' compensation issues, sharing police and fire facilities with
Port Canaveral, complaints regarding no light on bicycles early in the
moming on A1A and transient sleeping on the sidewalk on A1A, dogs in the
school yard and Washington Avenue.
City of Cape Canaveral, Florida
Sheriffs Contract Workshop Minutes
June 6, 2009
Page 4 of 4
The City Council reached consensus to:
1) Continue the School Resource Officer (SRO) program for Cape View
Elementary School; the City Manager noted the City Treasurer will use as
much confiscated funds as possible to help offset the cost of the SRO.
2) Continue Canaveral Precinct after-hours office operation.
The City Council thanked Commander Scragg for everything he and the Precinct
has done for the City and welcomed back Commander Moros. Mr. Boucher
stated he would have the Draft Budget ready for Council at the end of the
month.
ADJOURNMENT:
There being no further business, the Chair adjoumed the Meeting at 7:33 P.M.
Mia Goforth, Recording Secretary