01/08/2007
BUDGET TASK FORCE MEETING MINUTES
CITY OF CLEARWATER
January 8, 2007
Present: Herbert W. McLachlan Vice Chair
Martin L. Altner Task Force Member
Joseph W. Evich Task Force Member
Isay M. Gulley Task Force Member
Charles J. Rutz Task Force Member
Jesse Sherman Task Force Member
James E. Strickland Task Force Member
Douglas J. Williams Task Force Member
Absent: R. Nathan Hightower Chair
Robert L. Longenecker Task Force Member
Joyce E. Martin Task Force Member
Also Present Tina Wilson Budget Director
Margie Simmons Finance Director
Patricia O. Sullivan Board Reporter
The meeting was called to order at 6:00 p.m. at the Main Library.
To provide continuity for research, items are in agenda order although not
necessarily discussed in that order.
2. Approval of Minutes – January 2, 2007
Member Williams moved to approve the minutes of the January 2, 2007, meeting, as
motion
submitted in written summation to each board member. The was duly seconded and
carried
unanimously.
3. Questions/Discussion regarding January 2, 2007, meeting:
Finance Director Margie Simmons reported she had forwarded task force members
information that the City of Largo had saved approximately $1.7 million by dropping wind
damage coverage.
In response to questions, Library Director Barbara Pickell said no funds are available to
extend library hours of operation. The City Manager said the City Council had funded Sunday
operations at the Countryside Library due to adequate demand. Ms. Pickell said Monday is one
of the busiest days at the North Greenwood Library, while Friday is the slowest. Main Library
utilities are expensive and opening for an extra half day would require a staff of seven. It would
be difficult to close off part of the building, which lacks barriers. The North Greenwood Library’s
schedule is staggered to meet customer needs, with nearby Head Start groups attending story
time on each of the three mornings the library is open. Small children are less attentive in the
afternoon. It was suggested that the Beach Library close several days a week during the
summer, with staff transferred to the North Greenwood Library to meet demand.
Task Force – Budget 2007-01-08 1
4. Staff Presentation: Police
Police Chief Sid Klein provided a PowerPoint presentation. The Police Department has
260 sworn officers. In 2005, the department’s 248 civilian and non-sworn employees responded
to more than 158,000 calls for service. The department, with an annual budget of $35,630,590,
patrols more than 26 square-miles of land and serves a population of 110,000 full-time
residents. Potential customers include everyone inside the City limits at any particular time.
Including budget and grant positions, the department’s sworn strength has increased by two
officers, or 0.8% during the last 10 years, while the City’s population increased 8.3%. The
starting salary for officers is $41,116, below the average $41,611 paid by 17 comparable
agencies. Each sergeant supervises five officers; each lieutenant supervises 4.6 sergeants.
The department’s current non-sworn budget and grant strength is 161.3 FTEs (Full-Time
Equivalents), which includes the Americorps Clearwater grant, with one full-time administrator
and 11.4 FTEs, who are volunteers paid a stipend. In the last 10 years, the budget and grant
strength increased by 0.7%, from 160.2 FTEs. However, excluding grant positions, school-
crossing guards, and Police Aides, the budget and grant strength decreased by 2.6 FTEs during
the last 10 years. The department’s 91 active volunteers contributed 12,471 hours of service
through November 2006.
The current ratio of sworn to non-sworn personnel is 1:8. Comparisons with other
departments is difficult as some agencies, for example, do not fund school-crossing guards.
Fort Lauderdale contracts out its communications center functions. Reducing the civilian force
would increase the department’s budget. During the first 10 months of 2006, PSTs (Police
Service Technicians) took 4,731 reports that otherwise would have to be done by a sworn
officer. PSTs also investigate traffic crashes, direct traffic, pick up found property, and other
miscellaneous functions that a sworn officer, otherwise, would have to do. During the first nine
months of 2006, PSTs wrote 963 traffic reports. It is cost effective to use civilians to enhance
the department’s sworn strength when possible.
Civilian support functions include: 1) Communication Center – in 2005, received 230,791
calls and dispatched 158,680 calls to Police Officers for action. The center has 50.3 FTEs: 39
full-time Operators; 2.3 FTEs of part-time Operators; 7 Supervisors; 1 Systems Programmer;
and 1 Manager; 2) Records Unit – in 2005, reviewed, categorized, and filed 163,726 reports,
retrieved, reviewed and copied for customers 53,830 requests for copies of reports, and verified
each of 10,621 inquiries made in the NCIC (National Crime Information Center)/FCIC (Florida
Crime Information Center) systems. The unit has 11 FTEs: 9 Police Information Technicians; 1
Supervisor; and 1 Manager; 3) Personnel and Training – In 2006, the Personnel Clerk
processed 30 sworn and 105 non-sworn new or rehired employees and the Training Clerk
processed 703 outside training requests, not including more than 40 hours of in-service
mandated training annually. The unit as 2 FTEs; 4) Fiscal Services Unit – In 2006, Payroll
Preparers reviewed, processed, and verified more than 47,000 exceptions to the normal payroll.
During FY (Fiscal Year) 2005/06, the Accounts Payable Clerks processed more than 3,000
invoices for payment. The unit has 6 FTEs: 4 Personnel/Payroll Technicians (3 funded through
General Fund; 1 funded through Extra Duty Program); 1 Accounting Technician; and 1
Administrative Support Manager; and 5) Telephone Response Unit/Patrol Support Unit – the
Telephone Response Unit provides coverage for walk-in customers to the Main Police Station
24 hours a day, seven days a week and takes minor or low priority reports over the telephone.
The Patrol Support Unit handles accident investigations, directs traffic, retrieves found property,
Task Force – Budget 2007-01-08 2
and transports police vehicles for service. The unit has 23 FTEs with 13 Patrol Support
Technicians and 2 Patrol Support Technician Supervisors in the Telephone Response Unit and
7 Patrol Support Technicians and 1 Patrol Support Technician Supervisors in the Patrol Support
Unit.
For FY 2006/07, the Police Department budget increased 7% to $35,630,590. It is
difficult to compare this budget with other agencies, which may budget items such as marine
and air patrols, code enforcement, etc. Personnel services total $28,717,310, or 81% of the
budget. The budget represents a 4% increase in SAMP (Supervisory, Administrative,
Managerial, and Professional) and CWA (Communications Workers of America) wages and a
3% General Wage Increase plus Step progression for both FOP (Fraternal Order of Police)
unions.
Total Operating Expenses equal $2,257,210, or 6% of the budget. The largest budgeted
item is the contract with PCSO (Pinellas County Sheriff Office). It is difficult to compare
operating expenses with other agencies, as some include internal service charges, debt
services, and/or capital expenditures in this category. The percentage of other agency budgets
for operating expenses is between 4.3% and 20.9%, with the average being 10.3%.
Total Internal Service charges equal $4,323,840, or 12% of the total budget. Garage
services are the most costly expense. The Budget Office sets fixed charges for radio,
telephone, and messenger services, Risk Management, Information Technology, Building &
Maintenance, and employee benefits.
Total Capital items for this year is $18,500, or 0.1% of the total budget. This cost
includes $8,500 for a replacement canine and $10,000 for miscellaneous construction materials
necessary to maintain current facilities. Capital items are purchased with grant and forfeiture
money whenever possible.
Total Debt Service charges are $213,730, or 0.6% of the total budget. Debt service
costs for FY 2006/07 include final payments for the mobile command center and traffic homicide
vehicle. The remaining debt service is for the UPS (Uninterrupted Power Supply) for the main
headquarters and network upgrades.
The Total Interfund Transfer is $100,000, or 0.3% of the total budget. The only Interfund
Transfer is a $100.000 donation to CHIP (Clearwater Homeless Intervention Project). Since it
opened in April 1998, the CHIP shelter has provided a safe overnight facility for homeless
persons and essential support services to help individuals and families begin to improve their
lives. The City has made an annual $100,000 donation to fund CHIP operations.
During the first 10 months of 2006, compared to the same time span in 2005, homicides
decreased from six to four, domestic violence cases decreased from 823 to 783, motor vehicle
thefts decreased from 371 to 354, robberies decreased from 165 to 162, burglaries decreased
from 793 to 708, DUI arrests decreased from 357 to 300, traffic fatalities decreased from 17 to
9, and traffic citations increased from 20,445 to 21,823. City-wide, the department seized
$927,296 worth of narcotics.
The department has achieved functional consolidation of Crime Scene Investigations.
On January 1, 1994, the PCSO and Police Department began a contractual agreement. The
Task Force – Budget 2007-01-08 3
$393,386.35 FY 2006/07 contract covers: 1) $98,066.80 – Latent Fingerprint Services; 2)
$55,319.55 – Property/Evidence Storage; and 3) $240,000 – Crime Scene processing, based
on 1,500 service calls at $160 per call. The contract provides the benefit of the Sheriff’s Office’s
modern equipment without costs related to purchasing, maintenance, and updates. If the Police
Department were to re-establish and operate its own crime scene unit, the cost of personnel,
operating expenses, and capital equipment would total $2,985,288. This amount does not
reflect high-cost items such as AFIS (Automated Fingerprint Identification System), which costs
more than $1 million.
Since 2003, the Police Department has worked on a needs assessment to replace its
CADS (Computer Aided Dispatch System) and RMS (Records Management System). In 2004,
the department requested a $1.6 million Federal grant and received two Congressional
earmarks: 1) $692,634 in 2004, and 2) $246,661 in 2005. The department was not able to
obtain the $660,705 balance to fund total replacement of department technology programs.
The 2003 Pinellas Assembly Process resulted in a recommendation that County law
enforcement agencies examine technologies, develop a strategic plan, and identify methods to
increase productivity and efficiencies countywide. RMS and CADS technologies that share
information between State and local agencies have long been a priority. This desire for
interoperability led the City and PCSO to explore sharing RMS and CADS technology.
Clearwater and PCSO have agreed to share the Sheriff’s Office RMS, with the Sheriff’s Office
providing, at not cost, records management software and interfaces to the TRITECH CADS
software. PCSO purchased and replaced its CAD system with TRITECH CADS, the company
selected by Clearwater as having the most advanced and flexible software to fill the needs of
each agency’s dispatch operations.
The RMS provided by the Sheriff’s Office is designed by ACISS Corporation. The PCSO
agreement will provide a proven product that interfaces with other software to provide case
management, department information security, County active and historical files, patrol field
reporting, crime analysis scripts, and an automated citation writer/printer program. By its
involvement in this process, the City is realizing a minimum cost savings of $1,272,000 and
anticipates further savings once technology interfaces are completed.
The City partners with various agencies to maximize the benefits of its investigations.
Agencies include the DEA (Drug Enforcement Agency), HIDTA (High Incident Drug Trafficking
Task Force), ICE (Immigration & Customs Enforcement, RDSTF (Regional Domestic Security
Task Force), MAGTF (Multi-Agency Gang Task Force), and Human Trafficking Task Force.
Police Chief Klein said in his experience, citizens develop unique needs and
expectations from their Police Departments. It is difficult to develop benchmarks for comparison
purposes due to the uniqueness of these needs and expectations. No guidelines or publications
are available that establish benchmarks for standard police practices to meet specialized
community needs nor standardized budgetary procedures to resolve those needs. The cost of
putting a fully equipped Police Officer or a fully equipped Sheriff’s Deputy in a patrol vehicle is
virtually the same. No economies of scale in this area would result from consolidation. Police
Chief Klein said with the quality of the officers and management team in place, he will continue
to deliver to the citizens of Clearwater, the highest quality, managed Police Department for
those dollars as recognized by local, State, national, and international law enforcement
organizations.
Task Force – Budget 2007-01-08 4
5. Task Force Questions/Discussion
In response to questions, Police Chief Klein said the Americorps grant requires a match
from the City. Americorps volunteers are registered in the Criminal Justice program at SPC (St.
Petersburg College) and their duties include transporting vehicles, directing traffic, etc.
Increases to Internal Services costs are due to the rising cost of fuel. The federal government
has diverted grant funds from policing to the Middle East.
Police Chief Klein said the State mandates that the City finance school-crossing guard
costs, with $5 from each parking ticket deposited in the General Fund toward this expense. The
School District pays half the cost of department SROs (Student Resource Officers).
Police Chief Klein said the number of patrols varies by shift and geography. At peak
times, between 40 and 50 Police Officers are on patrol. During Spring Break, community
policing resources are reassigned to the beach. All patrols are dispatched from department
headquarters with overlapping shifts and geographical coverage. Police Chief Klein said
officers work 40 hours a week, during 8- or 10-hour shifts, which begin throughout the morning,
afternoon, and evening. Hours cannot be increased without paying overtime, as mandated by
contract and law. The department submits to the City Manager a bi-weekly report that tracks all
overtime by unit and category. The department works closely with Code Enforcement
personnel.
In response to a question, Police Chief Klein said if he had to make cuts, he would
reassign community policing resources to other geographical areas. Ms. Simmons said while
the Police Department has a Controller, the Fire Department has an Administrative Support
Manager, who serves that role.
Approximately 30 Police Officers, who live in the City, are assigned take-home vehicles.
The take-home vehicle program is common and is an incentive for officers to live in the City.
While in their vehicles, program participants are required to respond to incidents, even when off
duty. The IRS specifically exempts public safety vehicles from taxes.
Budget Director Tina Wilson said the City obtains vehicles through lease/purchase
financing, which allows the City to borrow money at a tax-free rate. The department has 282
vehicles, including 156 marked cars. Deputy Police Chief Bill Baird said fully marked and
equipped vehicles cost between $34,000 and $35,000 each. Used equipment is reinstalled into
new vehicles. Department vehicles travel between 2.5 million and 3 million miles annually.
Vehicles rotated for shifts last approximately four years. Take-home vehicles last from 8.5 to 9
years. Increasing the number of take-home vehicles would require an increase to the fleet. In
response to a question, Police Chief Klein will provide information regarding the internal cost to
maintain each vehicle. Ms. Wilson said Fleet Management reviews the City vehicle inventory
annually to determine what replacements are necessary. The Police Department obtains
between 15 and 20 vehicles annually.
Police Chief Klein said Police headquarters, constructed in 1996, is too small to store
property and evidence. Although the 2003 Pinellas Assembly Process recommended that the
County pay crime scene investigation costs, as City residents already pay this through their
taxes, the Board of County Commissioners has not yet provided a funding source.
Task Force – Budget 2007-01-08 5
Police Chief Klein said only Sand Key has volunteers specifically for beach patrol. Other
department volunteers serve the entire City. The department works with the Citizens for
Progressive Action in South Greenwood’s patrol program. It has been difficult to organize
volunteers in North Greenwood. In response to a question, Police Chief Klein reviewed a
department goal to increase non-profit group participation in drug education and awareness and
crime prevention. CNHS (Clearwater Neighborhood Housing Services) efforts to train North
Greenwood community leaders and volunteers were reviewed.
In response to a question, Police Chief Klein said the department is understaffed when
compared with other tourist destinations. Department strategies provide sufficient service. The
perception of safety is important.
Discussion ensued regarding the City’s growing, non-English speaking population. It
was recommended that Police Department and recreation efforts be increased in the East
Gateway to socialize youth and avoid gang problems. Police Chief Klein said gang issues
already are a problem. Though language training is provided, the department has a shortage of
Spanish speaking officers. The department works with the Clearwater YWCA, which is on call
to provide interpreting services. City Auditor Robin Gomez reviewed City efforts in the East
Gateway and JWB (Juvenile Welfare Board) grant funding to provide civic education to the
immigrant community, encourage children to attend school, and help them learn about life here.
Assistant City Manager Garry Brumback said the County and State, which are responsible for
funding social services, are not meeting local needs.
In response to a recommendation that the Police and Parks & Recreation departments
work together to provide playgrounds for the increasing Hispanic population, the City Manager
stated that increasing services would increase the budget. It was suggested that the City
pressure the State and Federal government to provide resources. The City Manager reviewed
recent efforts by the Gateway Task Force to revitalize the area. It was felt that addressing these
issues now would be less expensive than addressing resulting problems in the future. Deputy
Police Chief Dewey Williams reviewed efforts by the grassroots group, Mexican Council of
Tampa Bay, to encourage adult and child participation in soccer and basketball recreation
leagues. The local Hispanic population is not transient, however, some adult males work out of
town during the week, returning to Clearwater on weekends.
Police Chief Klein said turnover is an issue. The department experienced significant
turnover last year, especially among younger officers. Some were lured to Tampa, the Sheriff’s
Office, and to take-home vehicle programs. The department has restructured its training to
retain officers longer. Forty-one Police Officers are eligible for retirement. The City does not
have a DROP (Deferred Retirement Option Plan). Police Officers are able to retire from
Clearwater and then work elsewhere.
In response to a question, Ms. Wilson said to keep costs steady, $400,000 is budgeted
each year for technology, although the entire $400,000 is not always spent.
Task Force – Budget 2007-01-08 6
. 6. Information for next meetinq
For discussion on Tuesday, January 16, 2007, Ms. Wilson requested that Task Force
members review the distributed packet of information on the Fire Department and the related
section in the budget document.
.
.
7. Adiourn
The meeting adjourned at 7:45 p.m.
Task Force - Budget 2007-01-08
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Budget Task Force
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