Police Advisory Commission Agenda 10-02-1996• AGENDA
REGULAR MEETING - MONTICELLO POLICE COMMISSION
Wednesday, October 2, 1996 - 7 p.m.
Members: Dave Gerads, Liz DeMarais, Brian Stumpf, Bridget Baldwin
1. Call to order.
2. Approval of minutes of the regular meeting held Wednesday, July 24, 1996.
3. Consideration of reviewing statistical information on police calls and
establishing a recommendation for additional hours of coverage for the City
Council.
4. Adjournment.
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MINUTES
MONTICELLO POLICE ADVISORY COMMISSION
. Wednesday, July 24, 1996 - 7 p.m.
Members Present: Liz DeMarais, Brian Stumpf, Bridget Baldwin
Members Absent: David Gerads
Also in Attendance: Rick Wolfsteller, City Administrator; Chief Deputy Don Lindell
2. Consideration of an~ on inting Pnlicn Cnmmi~sion officers for 1996.
With the recent resignation of Commission member Warren Smith, a vacancy
occurred in the office of Chairman. By consensus of the Board members
present, Liz DeMarais was elected Chairman. It was also the consensus of
the commission members that Brian Stumpf would act as Vice Chairman and
Rick Wolfsteller would perform the fiznctions of Secretary for the commission.
3. Consideration of reviewing the 1997 notice dep rta .ment bndg nd .nntract
TaYfl~
• Commission members discussed the current contract hours and the proposed
$34.50 per hour rate that had been established last year by the County
Commissioners. It was noted that the proposed rate increase would amount
to 4.5~Io and would bring the annual budget for 1997 to $3].6,572.
Chief Deputy Lindell noted that deputies assigned to Monticello are seeing
an increase in the number of calls for service during their shifts, which
results in less time for the deputies to do discretionary items such as
patroling specific areas or looking for speeders. Mr. Lindell felt that the City
should soon consider looking at increasing the hours of coverage above the
present 9,170 annually and possibly look at an allowance of 200 to 400 hours
per year that could be used by the Sheriff s Department at their discretion
when they feel it's warranted. It was noted that it wouldn't be necessary to
set a specific number of hours per day or month that would be used by a
deputy, but it would allow the Sheriffs Department soFne flexibility in
providing additional coverage when a problem arised or when the need was
there. Mr. Lindell also rioted that the department will soon be completing an
evaluation of their contracting services and will be looking at Monticello's
"level of service to see if the amount" of hours currently being provided is
a~~quate for the population and calls that are occurring. In all likelihood,
`the recommendation in future years will be to increase the level of service as
the population and area grow.
Page 1 ~
Police Commission Minutes - 7/24/96
• With commission members all recognizing the merits of adding additional
discretionary hours to the contract, the discussion turned to the number of
hours that should be recommended to the City Council for 1997. The
discussion ranged from the amount recommended by Chief Lindell at 400
hours annually, which would amount to $13,$00 ar approximately an
additional 4% increase, to starting with 200 hours for an annual cost of
$6,900 and approximately a 2% increase. Commission member Stumpf felt it
may be easier to get approval from the full Council an increasing the level of
service if we recommended starting at a lower level and increasing the hours
in future years as needed. Chairman DeMarais supported the
recommendation of Chief Lindell for requesting consideration of an
additiona1400 hours.
After further discussion, it was the consensus of the commission members
that an attempt be made by the Sheriff s Department to provide additional
statistical data to support the requested increase in coverage and that
options between 200 and 400 hours per year be given to the City Council for
consideration at a future Council meeting as part of the 1997 budget process.
4.
Commission members discussed the current traffic controls along School
Boulevard and Fallon Avenue and recommended that the public works
department investigate the feasibility of painting "stop ahead" on Fallon
Avenue near School Boulevard as an additional means of advising motorists
of the stop sign locations.
It was also recommended that an upcoming issue of the City's newsletter
contain an article again on the neighborhood watch program.
Meeting was adjourned.
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Rick Wolfsteller
City Administrator
Page 2
Police Commission Agenda - 10/2/96
3.
. li hin "
(R.W.)
At our last meeting, we discussed the 1997 police department budget, and a
request was made by Chief Deputy Don Lindell that the City of Monticello
consider adding some additional hours of coverage in 1997. Mr. Lindell
noted that as our calls for service have been increasing over the years, the
deputies' time available for routine patroling has been reduced, as they have
to respond to more and more calls for service. It was suggested that the City
consider adding an additional 200-400 hours of coverage that the Sheriff s
Department could use at their discretion rather than setting a specific
number of hours per day or month that an additional patrolman would be on
duty. The rationale was that this would allow the Sheriffs Department to
utilize the hours to cover concerns as they came up such as additional traffic
speed patroling or to cover problem areas because of a rash of burglaries or
whatever.
The Police Commission recommended that the City Council consider adding
200 hours in 1997 to the budget with the idea of increasing it gradually over
the coming years to 400 hours. The City Council considered the request for
an increase in contract hours at their Council meeting August 26 and did
agree to add an additional 200 hours of coverage to the 1997 budget b~
required that additional information from the Sheriffs Department be
provided regarding where and when the hours would be used or needed.
Councilmember Herbst felt that if the Sheriffs Department could not
indicate when the hours would be utilized, possibly the need for the hours
did not exist, and he seemed reluctant to simply grant an additional 200
hours to be used at the department's discretion.
Since our last Advisory meeting, Chief Deputy Lindell did prepare a
summary of statistics that show the calls for service have increased 15%
since 1992. While these statistics may not be enough for the City Council to
automatically add the 200 hours to the contract, I believe the Commission
members should discuss and recommend to the City Council how the
additiona1200 hours should be used and our reasoning for the
recommendation. Possibly if we had another meeting, we could came to a
consensus on some additional information that may satisfy the full Council in
accepting either the establishment of regular hours far this additional time or
agree to allow the Sheriffs Department flexibility to utilize the hours as they
see fit.
. D. SUPPORTING DATA:
Statistics from August 13; Council minutes of 8/26/9Fi.
Council Minutes - 8/26/96
• 12.
City Administrator Rick Wolfsteller reported that at a recent Police Advaisory
Commission meeting, commission members discussed with Wright County
Chief Deputy Don Lindell the current 24-hour-a-day coverage in regard to
providing adequate protection. Lindell noted that the increase in coverage to
24 hours a day began in 1993 and that the City should consider increasing
the hours of coverage by an additional 200-400 hours per year that could be
used at the Sheriffs Department's discretion. Statistical information
provided to the commission indicated that calls for service have increased
approximately 15%, which corresponds to the increase in population of about
14% in the last three years.
Wolfsteller explained that at the proposed 1997 contract rate of $34.50 per
hour, an additiona1200 hours of coverage would amount to $6,900, or about a
2% increase. An additional 400 hours of coverage would amount to a $13,$00
increase in the contract.
Councilmember Herbst requested that additional information from the
Sheriffs Department be provided regarding where or when the hours would
be used or needed. Councilmernber Stumpf, who is also a member of the
Police Commission, stated that he had suggested to the commission that if
the hours of coverage were to be increased, they should be increased by 200
hours to start. Additional hours could be added later if needed.
The City Administrator noted that Council could authorize including 200
hours in the 1997 budget, with additional information to be obtained from
the Sheriffs Department prior to increasing the actual police contract.
AFTER DISCUSSION, A MOTION WAS MADE BY SHIRLEY ANDERSON AND
SECONDED BY TOM PERRAULT TO ADD 200 HOURS OF POLICE COVERAGE
TO THE 1997 BUDGET BUT OBTAIN ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FROM THE
WRIGHT COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT REGARDING THE USE OF THOSE
HOURS PRIOR TO INCREASING THE POLICE CONTRACT. Motion carried
unanimously.
13. Review of SBR mannfactL er bidR ~ d consideration of award fnr cnntraM for
shoe drawines for w~tewatPr t ~a~en~„plant. e~m na jinn.
Public Works Director John Simola reported that as part of the design
process for the wastewater treatment plant expansion, the City hired Ewing
Engineering to evaluate the equipment of prequalified SBR manufacturers
under field conditions at Sunny Fresh Foods. The equipment of Austgen-
Biojet, using the fine bubble diffuser aeration system, and JetTech/U.S.
Page 8
Don Lindell
Ghief Deputy
Gary Miller, Captain
Administration
Gary Torfin, Gaptain
Jail Administrator
DON HOZEMPA
SHERIFF
10 2nd St. NW, RM 170
Buffalo, Minnesota 55313-1197
1-800-362-3667
DATE: August 13, ].996
TO: Monticello Police Commission Members
FROM: Don Lin ell, Chief Deputy Sheriff
SUBJECT: Statistics
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Non-Emergency 682-1162
Administration 682-7620
Records 682-7622
Civil 682-7645
Warrants 682-7688
Investigation 682-7630
Jail Admin. 682-7662
At the last Police Commission meeting, I was requested to bring to
your attention statistics regarding the number of calls far service
since the last increase in contract hours far the City of
Monticello. 2 aam hoping that the following informations wi11 be
helpful.
In 1992, Monticello was receiving 7,321 hours of patrol under the
contract. At the recommendation of the Police Commission, the
Monticello City Council took action authorizing and increase in
hours to provide for 24 hour coverage per day (and a power shaft on
week ends during peak months) beginning in 1993. That contract
brought the number of patrol hours up to 9,176, and the number of
hourrs has not .changed since then.
Please note that the• information below reflects a decrease in
crimes reported an the city of Monticello. This can be attributed
to the proactive approach taken by the;Police Commission and the
City Council by increasing coverage to provide proper levels of
service to the citizens of Monticello. •-
Calls for service Crimes Hours contracted Pop.
1992....:----. 4599 1,140 9,176 5,102
x.995...........5303 ~ 1,102 9,176 5,810
Increase: 15~ -3~ 0 14~
Please do not hesitate to .contact Sheriff Don Hozempa, Captain Gary
,Miller, ar me with any questions.Qr concerns you may have.
y. .. ,
WRIGHT COUNTY
SHERIFF'S OFFICE