CC MINUTES 04221986 - Laserfiche WebLink

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-7- Councilmember Marks then gave a preview of actions taken by the St. Anthony • Chemical Abuse Information Committee towards reorganization with a goal of greater efficiency and effectiveness in getting the message about chemical abuse out to the public. He said the study committee on which he serves had recommended the establishment of a Board of Directors as the legal entity who would report back to his committee and the School Board and whose responsibility it would be to evaluate the whole Committee program and to provide representation on the subcommittees formed to run the various functions of the program. Councilmember Marks indicated that during the review of those programs, the question had been raised about the legal ramifications of having committee members referring those who might seek their aid to the appropriate agencies who might be able to help them. Mr. Soth indicated he perceived no legal problems with providing a referral service. The Councilmember concluded his report by reporting he had three meetings related to his service on the executive board of the Youth Service Bureau scheduled for that week and hoped to be able to report back to the Council on both committees at their next meeting. Several descriptions of cases the Fire Department had handled in March were clarified for the Council benefit before the department report for that month was ordered filed. The consensus of the Council appeared to be that the Fire Department 1985 Annual Report Chief Entner had provided each of them had been very informative, especially the graph the Chief had drawn to illustrate the preponderance of medical emergencies over fire runs last year. Councilmember Marks suggested Chief Entner should be commended for an excellent report. The Manager assured the Councilmembers that there were reserves in training at this time and said he knew there was usually a waiting list of potential reserves available to the Department. As there had been with previous reports from the City Prosecutor, there was a reiteration of the Council 's sense of frustration with the level of fines and sentences imposed by the Court as a result of plea bargaining for what were perceived to be very serious DWI violations reported in the Hance firm listing of matters conducted at Hennepin County Municipal' Court, April 2nd. Councilmember Makowske said it had been her observation when she sat through one of those court sessions that the judge's decision in many cases appeared to have been tempered by the defendant's ability to pay. Councilmember Marks said he had gotten a somewhat similar judicial perception of the same problem when he had talked to a Ramsey County judge after a recent RCLLG seminar because the judge had told him he personally felt limited on the fines he could impose on a defendant with no money. Mr. Childs indicated he believed the City prosecutors had taken a tougher stance than almost any other community in this regard. The effect "judge shopping" might have on the level of fines and sentences imposed was also explored before the Prosecutor's report was ordered filed as informational , as was the copy of the minutes of the April 9th meeting of the District #282 School Board, which also had been included in the agenda packet. Included in the items from the April 16th staff meeting notes which were discussed with the Manager at some length, was the reference to the type of injuries which seem to be "plaguing" the Public Works Department, on which Mr. Childs indicated, staff is working hard to curtail . He also indicated he perceived the type of employee assistance program being proposed by Health Fitness Consultants, which had been • reported on in the notes, would be very helpful towards solving some of the personnel problems staff hasn't quite known what to do about in the past and which would work well within the existing personnel policy.