Agenda Packets - 2009/12/14 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Mounds View City Council November 9, 2009 Regular Meeting Page 4 Hull stated he understands the problem with increasing health insurance premiums but residents 1 have indicated they are willing to pay for additional officers and better streets. 2 3 Council Member Stigney stated the Police Department is the highest City expense on an on-4 going basis due to personnel costs and the time to look at those costs is now, not in the future. 5 He stated the City used to have 12 officers and didn’t incur high overhead costs. Council 6 Member Stigney asked for an overall justification for the level of staff and that other options be 7 considered such as shift rotations to reduce the staff level by one. With regard to the referendum 8 vote, he stated he spoke with residents who did not have any idea of the high cost level. He 9 noted that times have changed since five or six years ago. He stated Mounds View approved the 10 comparable cities study as a basis so he would like to use some of that information in making 11 these decisions. 12 13 Council Member Gunn stated that she understands Council Member Stigney’s point; however, 14 safety is one of the top concerns expressed in every resident survey. In addition, the number of 15 calls is increasing and this is one place she cannot support a cut in funding because it impacts the 16 health and safety of the City’s residents. 17 18 Council Member Mueller asked if the schedule can be adjusted to cover the work without 19 jeopardizing the health and safety of residents. Deputy Police Chief Kinney stated they can 20 function for a period of time, noting there have been four officers leave the department this year. 21 However, overtime may be used to fill some gaps in coverage. He noted the referendum question 22 was to maintain minimum coverages and they do not want to compromise that level for safety for 23 residents or the officers when responding to calls. He stated they are using a new 12-hour shift 24 schedule, started in 2009, that has improved coverage and levels of strength on a 24-hour basis. 25 26 Mayor Flaherty stated the City currently has 17 police licensed officers and 12 are patrol officers. 27 Deputy Police Chief Kinney stated there are currently 12 patrol officers and 3 are Patrol 28 Sergeants. Mayor Flaherty presented an analysis on the number of officers needed to schedule 29 24/7 coverage. He noted that Mounds View is only four square miles in size, but that could be 30 quite a distance when responding to an emergency call. Mayor Flaherty noted the City will be 31 saving some costs since the two officers who retired were at a Level 5 pay rate and the new 32 officers will start at a lower pay rate. He agreed the Council needed to constantly look at the 33 numbers but he felt the current staffing level was already at the bare minimum without incurring 34 overtime. 35 36 Council Member Mueller stated her impression that the Police Department is a first responder for 37 medical emergencies and arrives before the ambulance. Deputy Police Chief Kinney stated that 38 is generally correct because their response time is faster. Council Member Mueller noted the 39 Police Department has portable heart defibrillators so they can quickly react, if needed, and she 40 cannot support budget cuts for the Police Department. 41 42 Ayes – 4 Nay – 1 (Stigney) Motion carried. 43 44 D. Resolution 7521, Approving Severance for Police Officer Kenneth Koss. 45