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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes City Council - 05/25/1999 - JointI HEREBY CERTIFY that the foregoing is a true and correct copy of the minutes of the Joint Council Meeting of the City of Corpus Christi of May 25, 1999, which were approved by the City Council on June 8, 1999. WITNESSETH MY HAND AND SEAL, this 8th day of June, 1999. Armando Chapa City Secretary SEAL MINUTES JOINT MEETING OF THE CORPUS CHRISTI CITY COUNCIL AND CRIME CONTROL AND PREVENTION DISTRICT BOARD OF DIRECTORS May 25, 1999, 12:18 p.m. CITY COUNCIL Mayor Samuel L. Neal Jr. Mayor Pro Tem Henry Garrett Javier D. Colmenero Melody Cooper Rex A. Kinnison Betty Jean Longoria John Longoria Mark Scott City Staff Present City Manager David R. Garcia City Attorney James R. Bray Jr. Assistant City Secretary Mary Juarez Police Chief Pete Alvarez CRIME CONTROL DISTRICT BOARD Leon Loeb, President Larry Baker Jeanette Bazar Paul Dodson (Alternate for Mike Hummell) W.L. Hermis Danny Mora Jose Olivares Isaac Valencia ABSENT Dr. Arnold Gonzales Linda Bridges (Crime Control District) 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. Mr. Loeb verified that there was a quorum of the Board of Directors of the Corpus Christi Crime Control and Prevention District. Mr. Loeb then read a lengthy report about the district's activities which he had prepared. He noted that due to the short time between the board's last meeting and the day's meeting, his report had not been reviewed by other board members. He added that he thought the contents of his report represent a consensus view of the board. With regard to the district's budget, Mr. Loeb said it is anticipated that the district will spend $1,647,083 of the budgeted total revenues of $2,961,327 (about 56%). He described the reasons for the expenditure shortfall: a delay in the hiring of uniformed and support personnel funded by the district (approximately $600,000); lack of progress and spending on the Juvenile Truancy and Curfew Assessment Center ($557,000); and a lack of complete expenditures for other activities (about $157,000), including pawn shop detail, legal advisor, MDT/AVL support, street lighting, and the School/Police Partnership. Mr. Loeb further described the lack of progress on the Juvenile Truancy and Curfew Assessment Center. He said that initially, the board formed a subcommittee to develop a plan for that project and a request for proposals to fulfill the various program elements. He said that as of March 1999, the subcommittee had not proposed a form, budget, or plan for the program. The board then agreed to hear a proposal on May 19, 1999 from representatives of the TRIP program, CBAY, and Minutes Joint Meeting May 25, 1999 Page 2 the city for the operation of the program. Mr. Loeb said the board agreed in principle to proceed with a city -managed program with an overall annual budget of approximately $557,604. However, several issues still need to be resolved, including which city agency will be responsible for the management of the program; the source of funding for sworn personnel to staff the facility; and whether parental approval or court order will be required prior to initiating the assessment/case management process. Mr. Loeb also discussed the status of the Citizens' Advisory Councils (CACs), which he said are still in the planning stages. He explained that the Police Administration Department has been working with several existing neighborhood groups to refine a format for the CACs, and they are requesting additional input from the board. The President said the board intends to appoint a new subcommittee to deal with that issue. Regarding the district's FY 2000 budget, Mr. Loeb said the district's planned meeting earlier in the spring was deferred because of publication of the report from the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), which was commissioned by the City Council. Mr. Loeb said the board has requested but has not yet been given a presentation by the Police Chief on the IACP recommendations. Consequently, said Mr. Loeb, the budget the board members developed does not take into account changes that may occur in the district's budget and programs as a result of the IACP recommendations. Mr. Loeb said the district's proposed budget coincides with the original five-year plan with the following exceptions: a proposed increase of approximately 5% in the base salary level for the legal advisor; unexpended funds in the School/Police Partnership program have been carried over from FY 1999; and funding of $15,600 has been proposed for incidental expenses in the operation of the Citizens' Advisory Councils. Mr. Loeb also expressed concern about what he said was an inadequacy of financial reporting from the Finance Department, which relates to the district's funding schedule. The Board President concluded by saying that the board needs guidance from the City Council as to its vision of the future of the district. He said the board had recently discussed the possibility of hiring a full-time administrator for the district, but they finally voted not to do so. Council Member John Longoria asked about the Juvenile Truancy and Curfew Assessment Center. Mr. Loeb and Ms. Bazar said the plan is to expand on the existing TRIP program with some modifications. Mr. Longoria expressed concern that since the board did not go out for requests for proposals (RFPs) for the operation of the assessment center, there was basically no other choice than to operate the program in-house. Mr. Valencia said he served on the subcommittee addressing that issue and it was their understanding that the RFP was being developed, but it was not. He said they all agree, however, that progress in that area needs to be made. Mr. Longoria suggested that the board form a committee to review the situation and report back in 30 days on the status of it. Minutes Joint Meeting May 25, 1999 Page 3 Council Member Betty Jean Longoria asked about street lighting. Mr. Loeb replied that he believes all of the upgrades of luminosity that were identified by the Police Department have been implemented. He said they are now waiting for coordination between Traffic Engineering, Park and Recreation, and Central Power & Light regarding high-intensity lighting in several parks and around the city. City Manager Garcia commented that one of the issues that both the district board and city staff have been dealing with is administration of the district's programs, i.e., how best to overlay the district's additional projects on the city's existing ones, Council Member Scott asked about the IACP recommendations. Mr. Garcia noted that the IACP report had been presented to the Council, and the Police Chief and his staff are now finalizing a detailed list of recommendations for the implementation of the IACP plan. He said they decided it would be best to present the Police Department's recommendations to the Council first and then to the Crime Control District Board. Council Member Colmenero addressed several aspects of the district's programs, including street lighting, administration of the district, assessment center, and STEP funds. Council Member Kinnison asked about the School/Police Partnership program. Mr. Loeb replied that CCISD had not yet received its portion of the Crime Control District's funding. He explained that school district representatives had presented the board with a proposal to use a substantial amount of their allocation for two new police cars and a van. He said it was the board's feeling that the proposal was not within the parameters of the program, which is to provide a larger police presence on campus. The board then suggested that CCISD return to the board with a different proposal for expenditure of the funds. Mr. Loeb said the board has not received requests for reimbursements for the other school districts' programs, but most of them should be forthcoming. Regarding the assessment center, Mr. Kinnison said he is aware that funding for the TRIP center ends on September 1st. He expressed concern that while the idea of expanding the TRIP center to provide assessment functions may be the logical solution, he wants to ensure that it is the best solution. Mr. Loeb replied that one of the items in the funding for the assessment center is about $150,000 for police overtime and off-duty hours. He said they need to examine whether the proposal being made would supplant rather than supplement the center's existing functions. He said another issue is the timing and purpose of the assessment/case management process. A discussion ensued. Council Member Garrett commented on the administration of the district's programs, and he suggested that a police captain be assigned to that task. Police Chief Alvarez commented that 95% of the district's projects have been completed. He said one of the reasons it appears the district's projects are behind schedule is due to vacancies which frequently occur in some positions, such as police dispatchers. He said there are only three projects which have not been completed: the assessment center, the video imaging system, and the biannual evaluation process of the district's activities. He said the assessment center has been delayed because the expertise to operate such a center is not available. Minutes Joint Meeting May 25, 1999 Page 4 Ms. Paige Dinn, Chairperson of the Commission on Children and Youth, said she disagreed that the expertise was not available. On the contrary, she said, the TRIP center has been studied as a model program by many other cities, which she explained. Council Member Cooper said she thought the district needs to have an administrator. Ms. Bazar said the board reviewed how other Crime Control Districts have addressed that issue and only two have hired an administrator, which are only paid about $7,000 a year. A discussion ensued about the purpose of the TRIP center and its function as a truancy center or a curfew violation center, as well as the purpose of the proposed Juvenile Truancy and Curfew Assessment Center. Chief Alvarez said the purpose of the assessment center is to identify at -risk youth, not solely to house curfew violators. Mayor Neal said the Crime Control District Board had asked that the Council approve their recommendation to use city staff to move the Juvenile Truancy and Curfew Assessment Center forward. Mr. Garrett made a motion to endorse the recommendation of the Crime Control District Board in that regard; seconded by Mrs. Longoria. Mr. Longoria asked how the vagueness of some of the projects will be addressed. Mayor Neal replied that he agreed with Mr. Longoria's suggestion that a report be brought back in 30 days. Mr. Loeb said that during their last meeting on May 19th, the board agreed in principle to proceed with the assessment center, but they want to see a definitive plan before they give final approval. He said at that point they intend to include that item in the district's final budget which the board will present to the Council after June 8, 1999. Mr. Loeb added that they were not asking the Council for any action during the joint meeting. Mayor Neal replied that the Council is asking the board, the City Manager, the Police Chief, and city staff to implement the Crime Control District program as it was intended to be. Mr. Longoria emphasized the importance of clarifying the responsibilities of the center. He also asked about the location of the facility. Mr. Dan Whitworth, Assistant Director of Programs for Park and Recreation, said the Joe Garza Recreation Center is a temporary solution for a facility, while a long-term solution would be a police substation/juvenile assessment center. Mr. Longoria also raised other specific questions about the center. Mr. Colmenero made a motion to amend Mr. Garrett's motion to accept the principles recommended by the Crime Control District Board, who can then bring back a refined plan to address the concerns and questions raised by the Council. Mr. Garrett said he would accept that amendment. Mayor Neal called for a voice vote on the motion, and it passed (Gonzales absent). There being no further business, Mayor Neal adjourned the joint meeting at 1:52 p.m. * * * * * * * * * * * * *