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Home My WebLink About1997.0211.TCWSM.Minutes TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS MINUTES OF THE WORK/STUDY SESSION OF THE FOUNTAIN HILLS TOWN COUNCIL FEBRUARY 11, 1997 A public meeting of the Fountain Hills Town Council was convened and called to order by Mayor Miles at 6:30 P.M.,Tuesday,February 11, 1997, in the Fountain Hills Town Hall Council Chambers,located at 16836 E. Palisades Blvd., Building B, Fountain Hills, Arizona. ROLL CALL- Present for roll call were the following members of the Fountain Hills Town Council: Mayor Jerry Miles, Vice Mayor Bill O'Brien (late) and Councilmembers Marianne Wiggishoff, Don Lawrence, Sid Apps, Al Poma (late) and Penfield Mower. Also present were Town Manager Paul Nordin, Town Clerk Cassie Hansen and Marshal Steve Gendler. AGENDA ITEM #2 - DISCUSSION ON CONTRACT LAW ENFORCEMENT INCLUDING A PRESENTATION FROM GUEST SPEAKERS PAT WEST, CITY MANAGER OF PARAMOUNT, CALIFORNIA, AND TOM SCHWAB, CITY MANAGER OF GRAND TERRACE, CALIFORNIA. Pat West, City Manager, Paramount, CA Mr. West contracts with Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department for their law enforcement services. Paramount is located in southeast Los Angeles County,a community of approximately five square miles with 55,000 population. He said his community was 65%Hispanic population,20%Anglo, 10%African-American and 5%Asian and others. He said the law enforcement budget was $6 million with 38 sworn deputies. He stated his city not only contracted for law enforcement services but also fire services, engineering and plan checking services, and street sweeping and tree trimming. He said of 88 cities in Los Angeles County, 38 of them contract for law enforcement services. Crime enforcement matters were the driving force in his community. $4.5 million of the budget amount was for sworn law enforcement services and $1.5 million was allocated for non-sworn services such as code enforcement. He stated it had been difficult to obtain customized services from the Sheriffs Department in the 80's but community-oriented policing programs were now in place in the 90's. He explained that regional services were provided as well as dedicated systems which involved exclusive services for his community. A public safety supervisor was hired as a city employee to oversee the budget and services, trains and interviews deputies and acts as the chief of police. He related that it was an advantage to be able to select their own deputies but expressed problems with contract deputies not living in the city. Tom Schwab, City Manager of Grand Terrace, CA Mr. Schwab stated his city was 3.7 square miles in area with a population of 14,400 people. He said nine sworn deputies with a law enforcement contract with San Bernadino County for $1.1 million. He pointed out 20%-30% of the residents were retired, and the balance were upper-middle class professionals in this up-scale community. He said his city had the lowest crime rate in the county and had retained a contract since incorporation in 1978. He stated many cities had conducted studies which determined costs for in-house levels of services provided which compared available contract services. He felt the county and the city had both benefitted by having a contract for law enforcement. He encouraged the Council to review the various studies and examine the challenges and operations incurred by small police departments. He stated identity of police vehicles being marked exclusively for his city had been a problem but was being handled more flexibly by the sheriffs department. Also, deputies from the sheriff's department were put on one-year contracts to insure continuity. He mentioned that there were a lot of hidden costs in having a police department and that hiring personnel, training and liability were two of the biggest issues. He suggested a professional study be completed to verify the financial aspects of an in-house police department. Minutes of the Work/Study Session of the Town Council 02/11/97 i► Page 1 of 2 AGENDA ITEM #3 - DISCUSSION ON THE POSSIBLE IMPLEMENTATION OF A LOCAL POLICE DEPARTMENT INCLUDING A PRESENTATION FROM GUEST SPEAKERS KEN NYBERG, CITY MANAGER, AND RON WOOD, CHIEF OF POLICE, BOTH OF FEDERAL WAY, WASHINGTON. lkilo, Mr. Nyberg said the City of Federal Way, the third largest city in King County, had formed its own police department in October, 1996. He stated the costs of contract law enforcement with the County had been excessive and advantages of local control were two considerations why Federal Way had chosen to form their own police department. Federal Way was incorporated in 1989 and the organization of their city was similar to that of Fountain Hills. He stated the Council had directed him to organize a local police department because the city was not allowed to participate in any of the cost-control decisions made by the County. He pointed out a consultant analysis had assisted him in establishing 93 sworn officers and that reasonable costs had been determined. He noted that when the Council had approved the start-up of the local police department, the actual costs had not exceeded monies that had been previously paid for the County contract. Mayor Miles asked Mr. West how he was able to identify officers. Mr. West said the sub-station, which when located in the city of Paramount, helped to establish the presence of familiar officers who remained at their jobs for at least a two-year span. Vice Mayor O'Brien asked Mr. Nyberg about the ten-year projected costs. Mr. Nyberg responded by saying that alternate sources of police services were not available and that the former arrangement provided by the County was not considered automatically renewable. Mr. Nyberg said the community had openly accepted the local police force and that he was very satisfied with the performance to date. Councilman Mower asked Mr. Schwab if a professional cost model had been prepared for his town. He said the present costs from the County had not escalated to merit a decision to form a local police department. He said the level of service provided from the County would be difficult to duplicate on a local level. He said since his community was primarily residential, auto theft and/or auto burglary was the worst crime in his city. Councilman Apps asked Mr. West if years of experience played a role in hiring policies. Mr. West said attitude of the officers was the most important consideration, rather than experience. AGENDA ITEM #4 - ADJOURNMENT. Vice Mayor O'Brien MOVED to adjourn the meeting. Councilman Poma SECONDED the motion which CARRIED unanimously. The meeting adjourned at 7:52 p.m. TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS By: /ff� � /Jees, ayor YY�i�i A 1"1"hST: 1. 4.4114-< )i1i1^A..t"J Cassie B. Hansen, Town Clerk PREPARED BY: t�c�Q�/ �_ ...77, a'f,1" ..--i-no..... l Linda D. Le en, Administrative Assistant CERTIFICATION I hereby certify that the foregoing minutes are a true and correct copy of the minutes of the Work/Study Session Meeting held by the Town Council of Fountain Hills on the 11th day of February, 1997. I further certify that the meeting was duly called and that a quorum was present. DATED this 6th day of March, 1997. Ca4_ 4J r sliA4.4"..._D Cassie B. Hansen, Town Clerk Iltiow Minutes of the Work/Study Session of the Town Council 02/11/97 Page 2 of 2