HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes City Council - 09/08/1998 - JointI HEREBY CERTIFY that the foregoing is a true and correct copy of the minutes of the Joint
Meeting of the Corpus Christi City Council and the Crime Control and Prevention District Board
of Directors of September 8, 1998, which were approved by the City Council on September 15,
1998.
WITNESSETH MY HAND AND SEAL, this 15th day of September, 1998.
Armando Chapa
City Secretary
SEAL
MINUTES
JOINT MEETING OF THE
CORPUS CHRISTI CITY COUNCIL AND
CRIME CONTROL AND PREVENTION DISTRICT BOARD OF DIRECTORS
September 8, 1998
12:10 p.m.
CITY COUNCIL
Mayor Samuel L. Neal Jr.
Javier D. Colmenero
Alex L. Garcia Jr.*
Dr. Arnold Gonzales
Betty Jean Longoria
John Longoria
Dr. David McNichols*
ABSENT
Mayor Pro Tem Edward Martin
Melody Cooper
Terry Baiamonte (Crime Control District)
Mike Hummel (Crime Control District)
Dr. Sandra L. Lerma (Crime Control District)
Arthur Serrano Jr. (Crime Control District)
CRIME CONTROL DISTRICT BOARD
Rose Vela, Chairperson
Leon Loeb, Vice Chairperson
Jeanette Cantu Bazar
Rex Kinnison
Isaac Valencia
City Staff Present
City Manager David R. Garcia
City Attorney James R. Bray Jr.
City Secretary Armando Chapa
Assistant City Secretary Mary Juarez
Police Chief Pete Alvarez
Acting Finance Director Michael Harty
Mayor Neal called the meeting to order in the Basement Training Room of City Hall.
Assistant City Secretary Juarez called the roll and verified that a quorum was present to
conduct the meeting. Ms. Vela called the roll of the Board of Directors of the Corpus Christi Crime
Control and Prevention District and she verified that a quorum of the Board was present.
Ms. Vela said the Board has been meeting monthly, and she noted that the Council members
had been given an update on the district's projects, including the school/police partnership program,
the juvenile truancy and assessment center, and the Citizen's Advisory Council (community policing
program).
Ms. Bazar, Chairperson of the School/Police Partnership Committee, distributed a proposal
to allocate crime prevention funds for that program based on elementary school free and reduced
lunch rates in the school districts of Calallen, Corpus Christi, Flour Bluff, Tuloso-Midway, and West
Oso. She said the program would not only provide increased campus security but it would also allow
police officers to be seen as role models on the school campuses. Ms. Bazar, Ms. Vela, and Chief
Alvarez further described how the formula for the distribution of funds was developed, and they
noted that the superintendents had supported the proposal.
*Council Member Garcia arrived at 12:20 p.m.
Minutes
Joint Meeting
September 8, 1998
Page 2
Following further discussion, Council Member John Longoria made a motion to direct the
Crime Control Board to ask the school district trustees of each independent school district to pass
a resolution approving the allocation of crime prevention funds as recommended by the Crime
Control Board. Council Member Betty Jean Longoria seconded the motion, and it passed (Cooper,
Martin, and McNichols absent).
Responding to Council members' questions, Ms. Vela read from a draft letter to the school
districts notifying them of the types of expenditures they can make with crime prevention funds. City
Attorney Bray pointed out that the letter refers to an interlocal agreement that will need to be
developed. Mr. Longoria suggested that rather than ask the school boards to pass a resolution, they
could send the school boards the interlocal agreements, which will contain the allocation formula.
Mayor Neal commented on the need to move quickly on this issue, and Ms. Vela said the
Board will work with city staff in preparing the interlocal agreements. She added that the districts
will receive the funds on a reimbursement basis and they will be required to report back to the Crime
Control Board.
In response to a question about the crime control district's funding, Mr. Harty said that as
of July 315' there is an unreserved balance of $802,926, which represents three months of sales tax
and 11/2 months of interest earnings. He said that figure is approximately $79,000 below the estimate
for the first three months. He said the State Comptroller's Office advised them that it is difficult to
estimate the revenues for the first six to nine months of a new initiative such as the crime control
district.
Mr. Loeb, Chairman of the Citizen Advisory Council Committee, said there have been
several discussions regarding the boundaries that should be used in forming the Citizen Advisory
Councils. It was finally determined that the boundaries should be based on the high school
attendance zones with the further subdivision of Flour Bluff into the Padre Island and Flour Bluff
districts.
*Council Member McNichols arrived at 12:32 p.m.
Mr. Loeb said they are now developing a job description for the position that will be created
to staff the Citizen Advisory Council program; that person will work in the Community Relations
Division of the Police Department. He said they have not yet determined how that position will be
funded.
Chief Alvarez explained that once the additional police officers are hired, eight of them will
be assigned to address the concems of the citizens from the 16 Citizen Advisory Councils that will
be formed. Additionally, three people from each council will be elected to meet with Police
personnel. He said the structure of that program will include the Neighbors on Watch program which
Minutes
Joint Meeting
September 8, 1998
Page 3
consists of dedicated citizens concerned about crime prevention and control. A brief discussion
ensued.
Ms. Vela said that Mr. Hummel, who was not able to attend the meeting, is the Chairman of
the Street Lighting Committee. She explained that the committee members have been meeting with
the City Traffic Engineer and CPL representatives regarding the street lighting issue. She said
$50,000 has been allocated in the district's budget for street lighting and the Police Department has
identified 42 sites as having a high priority. The Council members and Board members discussed
the importance of enhanced street lighting in diminishing crime rates and vandalism, and they
commented on the need to quickly proceed with this issue as well.
Mayor Neal suggested that when an area's street lighting is improved, citizens should be
made aware through a sign or other means that that project represents their crime control dollars at
work. Mr. Loeb suggested that the city verify that CPL is relamping city street lights as per the
required schedule.
Ms. Vela said Ms. Baiamonte could not attend the meeting but she would report on the
efforts of the Juvenile Truancy and Assessment Center Committee, which Ms. Baiamonte chairs. She
said the Board members approved the development of a request for proposals to create the juvenile
truancy center, which she explained. She said there is approximately $555,000 budgeted for the
center and the plan calls for looking at existing facilities and agencies rather than trying to construct
a new facility from the ground up. Chief Alvarez added that the RFP will state that the center will
have to be centrally located.
Council Member McNichols commented that the Crime Control Board should have some
target, such as April 1999 (one year after the sales tax began to be collected) to provide the public
with an update on progress that has been made on the five-year crime control plan. Other members
agreed, adding that there are other opportunities to publicize the district's progress, such as the street
lighting and school/police partnership programs.
There being no further business, Mayor Neal adjourned the meeting at 1:10 p.m.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *