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Minutes for the Public Safety Committee meeting on September 20, 2005.
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PUBLIC SAFETY
COMMITTEE MINUTES
September 20, 2005
The Jonesboro Public Safety Committee met September 20, 2005, at 5:15 p.m. in the City Council Conference Room of the Huntington Building located at 900 W. Monroe, Jonesboro, Arkansas. Present were: Jim Hargis, Chris Moore, Harold Perrin, Tim McCall, City Clerk Donna Jackson, Staff, Press and Audience. Councilwoman Judy Furr and Councilman Mitch Johnson were unable to attend.
Chairman Moore opened the meeting at 5:15 p.m.
MINUTES
Councilman Perrin moved, seconded by Councilman Hargis to accept the minutes as provided for the August 16, 2005, meeting. All voted aye. Minutes were provided to all in attendance of the meeting.
ANIMAL CONTROL
Mosquito Control: Mr. Jim Stark of Vector Disease Control provided reports of monthly operations for the City of Jonesboro. Mr. Stark reported that 556 gallons of adulticide are being used. The light and control traps in and around the city are also helping to catch mosquitoes. He further indicated storm drains in the city have been treated with an insect growth regulator to stop the production of larvae. Mr. Stark also discussed concerns that he had heard about regarding Vector Disease Control cutting back on their operations. Mr. Stark assured the committee that they are not cutting back on services and believe the citizens of Jonesboro are happy with their work. Committee members indicated they had not heard anyone talk about changing mosquito control companies. Mr. Alan Loe of Vector Disease Control also informed the committee that the company’s commitment to the city is long-term and are willing to help assist with anything they can. They indicated they’re working to present, by the end of the year, a history of what the company has done since they’ve taken over mosquito control for the City of Jonesboro.
Mayor Formon also indicated ASU has gotten rid of the equipment they used.
Vicious Animal Ordinance: It was indicated that at the next meeting, an ordinance would be prepared addressing vicious animals. It was also discussed that Animal Control has tried to cut back their miles, but was unable to due to the high amount of work they have.
FIRE DEPARTMENT
Disaster Plan: Fire Chief Aaron Keller presented a monthly report regarding the activity in the fire department.
PENDING: It was also discussed whether the City of Jonesboro has a disaster plan in case a similar incident to Hurricane Katrina happens to the City. Fire Chief Keller indicated a liaison is needed between the City and the state management system. He also informed the committee they have two drills a year to ready the staff in case of a disaster. But, if anything did happen, there is nothing in the way of an emergency management center in case of a disaster. Police Chief Michael Yates also discussed federal money available for disaster planning. It was asked for the Mayor, Police Chief and Fire Chief to bring a recommendation to the committee regarding a disaster plan. Mayor Formon indicated the City has two to three other locations, outside the state, where the City’s information is kept and is updated often.
POLICE DEPARTMENT
Future Police Reports: Chief Yates presented the new monthly report to the committee for feedback. The activities of the department are listed and compared to the numbers from the same month from the past year. He also indicated he’s having trouble getting the crime data together due to how it was collected in the past. It was asked to include an executive summary with Chief Yates’ view of what is happening in the department. Chief Yates also indicated he’s thinking of color coding the information to easier see what is good and what is bad in the report. It was also questioned whether the reports could be coded by zone, but the data system is not capable of outputting that kind of data currently. He also explained PROWL was not functional in August, so they were not included in the report. But, so far they have made 50-60 arrests and seized about $20,000 worth of drugs, as well as a brand new Lexus.
PENDING: Private property accident reports: It was also discussed whether the city should still take reports over private property accidents. Chief Yates explained that taking the reports concerning private property accidents is basically a public relations issue. The reports are also used by insurance companies use them to verify a real accident occurred. He also indicated it would be good for the department to not worry about taking the reports anymore, saving man power and time. It was questioned whether ASU students could take the reports. Chief Yates informed the committee he does not know of anything in state statute that would allow the police department to have students take the reports, as well as it would take time to train the students for the job in addition to allowing them to use city vehicles. It was asked for Mayor Formon and Chief Yates to get together and make a recommendation to the committee at the next meeting regarding taking private property accident reports.
Auction: The auction is planned for October 29. Due to the paperwork for the seized items, the auction is not able to be sooner. Mayor Formon indicated they’re hoping to have the auction on the first Saturday in October in the future.
E911
Reports: Mr. Bob Andrews provided a report showing the activity from the E911 call center for August. Mr. Andrews also informed the committee that the phones are now being transferred to the Records Department and the county is answering their calls as well.
Ordinance to hire a new dispatcher: Mr. Andrews indicated he would like to hire a new dispatcher to help reduce the overtime the current dispatchers work, as well as lighten the stress of the work. Councilman Perrin moved, seconded by Councilman Hargis to send the ordinance to the Finance committee for approval. All voted aye.
CODE ENFORCEMENT
PENDING: Department goals: Mr. Ron Shipley indicated the department hasn’t increased fees in about 10 years and would like to increase the fees by $3, which is still below the national average. Also, they would like to adopt the new codes that are being recommended by the state. Mr. Shipley asked the committee to think about his goals and further discuss them at the next meeting. It was also asked for Mr. Shipley to provide more information regarding further increasing the fees to match other cities around the state.
Problems with Springbook: Mr. Shipley informed the committee his department is having problems with the new Springbook software. He was advised to talk with Mr. Larry Flowers and Mr. Alan Young regarding the problems.
OTHER
Questions had been raised concerning whether the old services building being torn down had been approved by either the Public Works or Public Services committee. It was discussed that the building being torn down was the only option due to how the building and the street were originally built. The members had been in agreement that the building needed to be torn down in talks back in July, but was never formally voted on. Councilman Moore indicated that unless anyone had any questions, he did not see a problem with the building being torn down.
ADJOURNMENT
With no further business, Councilman Moore moved, seconded by Councilman Hargis for adjournment. All voted aye.