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Minutes for the Public Safety Committee meeting on May 17, 2005.
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PUBLIC SAFETY
COMMITTEE MINUTES
May 17, 2005
The Jonesboro Public Safety Committee met May 17, 2005 at 5:15 p.m. in the City Council Conference Room of the Huntington Building located at 900 W. Monroe, Jonesboro, Arkansas. A full quorum was in attendance. Present were: Judy Furr, Tim McCall, Jim Hargis, Mitch Johnson, Chris Moore, Harold Perrin, City Clerk Donna Jackson, Staff, Press, and Audience.
Chairman Moore opened the meeting at 5:15 p.m.
MINUTES
Councilman Perrin moved, seconded by Councilman Hargis to approve the minutes as submitted for the April 19, 2005 committee meeting. All voted aye. Copies of the minutes were provided to all in attendance.
POLICE
Wayne Dowdy Firing Range Resolution: Councilman McCall moved, seconded by Councilman Hargis to recommend to the full council a resolution naming the Jonesboro Police Department firing range the “Wayne Dowdy Memorial Police Firing Range”. The original resolution was amended with the correction of capitalization of the word “The” in the title of the resolution and correcting the word “Policing” to the word “Police” in the body of the resolution. It was recommended that a quality sign displaying the new name be placed at the fire range. All voted aye.
Cell Tower: Councilman Perrin reported the temporary tower was up and reception was better than before due to the height being decreased. He offered to consult with Alltel regarding their topography maps for placement of multiple towers. He stated a good engineering study was needed in order to provide the best service to Jonesboro. It was explained clean up of the old tower was waiting on Gallagher & Gallagher who would haul off the debris. Chairman Moore explained clean up needed to be done quickly due to the debris lying across the landfill.
Report Sex Offender Notification: Interim Police Chief Tim Eads provided a report stating notification of sex offenders was complete and they had notified 25,200 homes. He explained it was a one time notification at the time of registration. Councilman Perrin recommended the information be placed on the 911 base map enabling the City to view vital information such as the concentrated area of where the registered offenders are located.
Project 365: Councilwoman Furr reported Project 365 was successful having over 100 volunteers working in the old part of Nettleton. She reported they had collected 30.43 tons of trash, and commended the Code Enforcement Department.
Criminology Students: Councilman Perrin recommended utilizing criminology students to work vehicle accidents when drugs and criminal activity have not occurred. He stated Memphis State has such a program and volunteered to research the matter then speak with Dr. Wyatt about utilizing a similar program. Based on concerns expressed by Councilman Hargis, Councilwoman Furr explained students working Project 365 were usually at the low end of the grade scale, and were there to improve their grades, but criminology students would be more career oriented. Mayor Formon stated they were working on a recommendation for the committee and would make it available as soon as it was complete.
FIRE
New Positions - Mechanic/Maintenance
Interim Fire Chief Keller requested the creation of four additional Mechanic/Maintenance positions at an additional cost of $10,800.00 per year. He explained they currently have two Mechanic/Maintenance positions in the Jonesboro Fire Department. He stated currently these duties were being preformed by firefighters, and the additional positions would be filled with existing personnel. Chief Keller explained these firefighters currently are doing the Mechanic/Maintenance work without any additional compensation. Councilwoman Furr explained the Police Department had a similar situation. Councilman Perrin stated this could create problems with the current salary plan, and recommended getting a recommendation from Human Resources and the Mayor’s Office in order to refer it to the Finance Committee.
Grants
Mr. Paul Copeland explained the 2005 budget (Ordinance No. 3506) needed to be amended in order to include a Fire Assistance Grant that was originally applied for in 2003. He stated the 2003 Fire Assistance Grant was applied for in 2003 but the entire amount (awarded and matching funds) was included in the 2003 budget but not in the 2004 budget. The entire amount was left out of the 2005 budget due to a carry over from 2004. Councilman Perrin requested a complete Excel spread sheet of all applied grants. Mr. Copeland responded saying he would be submitting an ordinance requiring all grants come through his department. Councilman Perrin moved, seconded by Councilman McCall to refer the amendment to the Finance Committee. All voted aye.
Bids for New Engine
Chief Keller explained three out of five bids had come in for a new engine, but a decision had to be made whether to pay for it or go with a lease /purchase option. Councilman Perrin ask for clarification, stating Mr. Flowers had informed him that one truck was in now that had not been paid for. He also requested complete information be provided with the bids, such as bid specifications, when submitted to council members. This matter also, was referred to the Finance Committee.
Ladder Trucks
Chief Keller reported two of the three ladder trucks were inoperable. He explained one of the ladder trucks had a six month warranty that had expired by two months and repairs would cost approximately $6,000.00. Chief Keller was asked to contact the company and see if they would honor the expired warranty. It was stressed the company should do so if they wanted to continue doing business with the City of Jonesboro.
It was reported there were problems with the “Newport” truck and repairs were being made to the door and cascade system.
It was reported the salvage from a Squad 2 truck had been utilized. It was explained they had paid $12,500 for the salvage and had gotten $20,000 to $25,000 in parts from the salvage. It was explained the cities of Monette and Valley View were interested in the truck being donated. Mayor Formon was asked to check with County Judge Dale Hass, letting Judge Hass make the decision on how to handle the salvaged truck.
ANIMAL CONTROL
Councilman Hargis reported Vector Mosquito Control was on call if anyone needed assistance, but there was no new business.
INSPECTIONS/CODE ENFORCEMENT
Mr. Ron Shipley, Code Enforcement Supervisor reported the rail road company had agreed to mow the right of way, and they would be mowing the property were Steak and Shake is located. One option discussed was placing a tax lien on the property in order to recoup the cost of mowing. Councilman Perrin requested additional information regarding liens be added to the monthly inspections report.
ADJOURNMENT
With no further business, Councilman Perrin moved, seconded by Councilman Hargis for adjournment. All voted aye.