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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes City Council - 05/30/2000 - 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 30, 2000, which were approved by the City Council on June 13, 2000. WITNESSETH MY HAND AND SEAL, this 13th day of June, 2000. A/ahtn5fr@‘-- rmando Chapa City Secretary SEAL MINUTES JOINT MEETING OF THE CORPUS CHRISTI CITY COUNCIL AND CRIME CONTROL AND PREVENTION DISTRICT BOARD OF DIRECTORS May 30, 2000 - 12:08 p.m. CITY COUNCL, Mayor Samuel L. Neal Jr. Mayor Pro Tem Dr. Arnold Gonzales Javier D. Colmenero Melody Cooper Henry Garrett Rex A. Kinnison Betty Jean Longoria John Longoria Mark Scott City Staff Present City Manager David R. Garcia Assistant City Attorney Jay Reining City Secretary Armando Chapa Police Chief Pete Alvarez Recording Secretary Rachelle P. Ramon CRIME CONTROL DISTRICT BOARD Leon Loeb, President Larry Baker Linda Bridges W.L. Hermis John Heldenfels Jose Olivares ABSENT Jeanette Bazar (Crime Control District) Danny Mora (Crime Control District) Isaac Valencia (Crime Control District) Mayor Neal called the meeting to order in the Basement Training Room of City Hall. City Secretary Chapa checked 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 said the board had submitted to the Council the district's budget for fiscal year 2000-2001 which is basically in conformance with the five-year plan originally proposed for the district. He said the board met on May 26, 2000 and heard staff's recommendations for reducing the scale of several crime control district programs Police Commander Bryan Smith, Crime Control and Prevention District Coordinator, referred to the district's budget and financial forecast for the five-year plan as well as a forecast for Year 6 (FY 2003-04). He said the upcoming Year 3 budget (FY 2000-01) reflects no major changes, although the Year 6 projections show an approximate $1.4 million yearly deficit if revenues and expenditures continue as they are. He said they are proposing curbing expenditures to match revenues so as to have a balanced budget in Year 6 and beyond. Cmdr. Smith pointed out that there is concern the voters will not reapprove the crime control district after the fifth year if the budget is not balanced. Council Member Betty Jean Longoria said she wanted to ensure that the quality of the crime control district programs is not lessened as a result of personnel expenditure needs. Cmdr. Smith said Minutes - Joint Meeting May 30, 2000 Page 2 that recurring manpower expenditures are a major part of the budget, especially due to the long process involved in hiring police officers. He noted that this budget situation has occurred because revenue growth has not been as high as originally predicted by the interim board of the district and city staff. In addition, the assumption was made that the 1/8 cent tax would also be applied to utilities and telecommunications. However, that did not occur and as a result, revenues have been even further decreased. Mayor Neal asked Cmdr. Smith what the board was recommending. Cmdr. Smith referred to Option 1 of the expenditure reductions which, if approved, would be effective FY 2003-04. That proposal includes not hiring the last 10 of the original 50 police officers and reducing support staff as follows: 6 dispatchers; 4 crime scene tech I's; and 2 pawn shop detail workers. He said the idea is to implement those reductions over time through attrition as possible. Responding to Council Member Kinnison, Mr. Loeb said adjustments will begin to be made in FY 2001-02, although a few adjustments may be made toward the end of FY 2000-01. In reply to Council Member Gonzales, Mr. Rudy Garza, Acting Budget Director, said that if the program continues as is, including if the final 10 officers begin the police academy in August 2001 as scheduled, it would result in a deficit of $872,106 according to the plan forecast for FY 2002-03. Mr. Garcia said that at the end of the fifth year, the district would have $5 million in revenues but it would cost $6.1 million in order to maintain the program in the future. He added that at the end of the fifth year, they would have to ask the voters to reauthorize the program with another 1/8th cent tax for a set period of time. However, there would be no new programs and a deficit would result because of the expenses incurred in the first five years of the program. Dr. Gonzales said the main goal of the crime control program was to hire 50 additional police officers. Council Member Garrett asked if the cost of the 50 police officers also included support personnel and equipment and Mr. Loeb said it did not --it was merely the cost for the officers. He added that without the support staff, some of the officers would have to be taken off the street to fill civilian positions. Mr. Loeb said it was Chief Alvarez's opinion that it would be better to forego hiring the last 10 officers and have the necessary support staff in place. Responding to Council Member Scott, Cmdr. Smith said that Option 1 of the budget reductions includes paring down the operation of the juvenile assessment center to the bare minimum. He said they are also looking at some new state grants that will be available in the next year or so to pay for case managers. He added that they are considering using on -duty personnel to absorb overtime costs. Cmdr. Smith further responded to Council members' questions about the proposed reductions. Mr. Loeb added that if the board and the Council expect to ask the voters to reauthorize the crime control district, it is important to present them with a sustainable program which demonstrates that they have done their best to manage the available resources. Dr. Maria Luisa Garza, Director of the Gulf Coast Council of La Raza (GCCLR) Runaway Shelter, said that a week ago Cmdr. Smith asked her to develop a proposal to absorb the activities of the juvenile assessment center. She noted that the assessment center is not licensed to keep youth Minutes - Joint Meeting May 30, 2000 Page 3 for a 24-hour period but GCCLR's runaway shelter is licensed to do that. She described the process that is followed at the shelter. She said the total cost of their proposal is $160,000 because they do not have the overhead expenses that the district has. In response to Mayor Neal, Chief Alvarez said there will be a police academy graduating on July 7th with 20 officers, 10 of which are through the crime control district. A brief discussion ensued about the academy and hiring for attrition. Referring to the district's budget, Mr. Loeb said the board's intent at that meeting was to present the Council with the preliminary FY 2000-01 budget, and he noted that a public hearing on it will be held during the June 13th Council meeting. He said the board did not need Council approval at that time on the proposed reductions that were discussed, but he encouraged the Council members to share any concerns they might have about the plan or other suggestions with the board members. Responding to Dr. Gonzales, Ms. Bridges explained the differences between Dr. Garza's program at the runaway shelter and the juvenile assessment center's program, which is a certified holding facility. She noted that if the center's services were contracted out to a third -party provider, such as GCCLR's shelter, they would lose some grants because they can only be used by governmental entities. She said the feeling was that while Dr. Garza's program is an excellent one, it is a piece of the picture whereas the assessment center is the bigger picture. Ms. Mariah Boone, director of the assessment center, further described the center's operation, including statistical information. A discussion ensued and Council Member John Longoria commented on the need to maintain efficient operation of the assessment center, including having a system that tracks the youths' progress. Ms. Paige Dinn informed the Council that Youth Opportunities United (YOU) has been working on a comprehensive strategy to prevent juvenile crime. She said a subcommittee of YOU met with three local judges who said that the information they are receiving from the juvenile assessment center is very helpful, such as whether the offender is a truant or a curfew violator. She further discussed the importance of reliable information to address the issues that arise. Mr. Abel Alonzo said the crime control board wants to run the district's programs in the most effective manner possible. He said he is aware that Dr. Garza is very committed to youth and he said she should have provided data about her proposal. Mayor Neal thanked the crime control board for their efforts. Council Member Colmenero asked that Dr. Garza and GCCLR be kept informed about these issues. There being no further business, Mayor Neal adjourned the joint meeting at 1:30 p.m. * * * * * * * * * * * * *