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City of Fulton Public Safety Committee Meeting Minutes, February 24, 2021

City of Fulton

Public Safety Committee

Meeting Minutes

February 24, 2021

 

 

Date: February 24, 2021, at 5:15 p.m., in the Fulton City Council Chambers

Present: Council Committee Members: Margaret Crosthwaite- chair, Paul Banker, Fulton Police Department Interim Chief Nick Neblung and Sgt. Dwayne Hamilton

Chairperson Crosthwaite called meeting to order at 5:15 p.m.

Items of Discussion:

Budget: Currently sitting at 78% of budgeted expenditures.

Overtime- last pay period was $900.00. Overall, sitting at 136% or $8,800.00 over budget due to department staff not being replaced as of today’s date.

Committee Recommendation: Have city council direct the police department to hire the seventh officer and send this officer to the PTI Academy May 10, 2021. Our agency had reserved a spot for this academy by former Chief Bartels last year. Confirmation deadline for attendee is April 26, 2021.  

Total cost is $6,020.00, no hotel costs required and 100% reimbursement to department upon graduation from academy by the officer candidate.

Department has no certified officers on current applicant list.

If candidate is sent to this academy, he/she will be finish/return to department on August 12, 2021, and Field Training Officer Program (FTO) completion and road patrol release date projected for mid-November 2021.

Next possible Academy vacancy is January 2022. With this option our department would not be seeing the seventh officer on road patrol till August 2022. Overtime cost will continue to hamper our PD budget and community programming will be very hard to implement with not having officers to fulfill these desired duties along with maintaining the normal required duties of our department staff.

SQUADS -   Karl Chevrolet, Des Moines, IA has our departments 3 Chevrolet Tahoes on site. Waiting on cages- not in production yet, being told 6 weeks out.

Interim Chief Neblung confirmed Cradle Point is included in the Axon package, which is a $14,000 - $17,000 savings for the city.

New in car cameras are scheduled to be installed sometime in June or July. After discussion, committee directed Interim Chief Neblung to direct officers to use only their Body Camera every time they exit a squad. This will keep our current in car camera units intake, instead of snip and cut current camera units for transfer multiple times. With the short time frame between squad arrival/camera install/ radio install having a source for recording (body camera) versus cost of two camera transfers it makes since to keep current body camera units intake. Hopefully these current units will be sold intake and the goal would be to use monies towards supplying all squads with AEDS.

To be able to move forward, Interim Chief Neblung will be contacting Interim City Administrator Dan Clark on getting both the radio and camera contracts signed.

New Business:

9th Street and 10th Avenue – discussion had on best way to slow traffic going past the School Park, going down/ up 10th Ave hill. Interim Chief Neblung reported since 2019 there has been 5 accidents (3 personal injuries) and tons of near misses at this intersection. Committees recommendation to council is direct Public Works Department to install a 4 way Stop Sign controlled intersection here, upon update of ordinance including this location and weather permitting for installation.

Calendar Parking Ordinance – Committee recommends to council to approve a Calendar Parking Ordinance. Interim Chief Neblung to be gathering and bringing to next city council meeting an ordinance draft including such direction of parking during snow events and encompassing all disasters, etc. along with fees for removing such vehicles in non-compliance with ordinance. Benefit having this would allow public works to clear streets better and in a more orderly fashion.

ATV Ordinance- Much discussion had on all the criteria of allowing these vehicles on city streets.   Committee’s recommendation is to set a $75 inspection fee and having a $25 Temporary (14 day) city usage fee. Recommended crossing intersections on 14th Ave would be 4th ST, 9th ST and 14th AVE. Interim Chief Neblung will be following up with Interim City Administrator/Public Works Director Dan Clark to check with Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) with getting answers/permission on designating these intersections for crossing of ATV/UTVs. Interim Chief Neblung will be bringing and presenting a compiled possible ordinance to next council meeting for mayor/alderman to review.

Sidewalks – After much discussion, committee acknowledges the need for a sidewalk ordinance, but currently feels the city does not have enough employees to consistently monitor/maintain all sidewalks in our city daily. This is a topic that will remain in future discussions. At this time committee recommends City of Fulton continue handling sidewalk repairs on a complaint bases only and referring these to Public Works Department to inspect and spot fix as required.

City Operational Plan – Committee would like to see the City of Fulton to begin and work towards completion of such plans. With the City starting and having a plan organized the city and community will be proactive/organized versus reactive to an emergency (natural or materialistic). With plans in place monies could be obtained from county, state, and federal levels possibly quicker, resources could be obtained faster and in reciprocal manners. All in the hopes of having A PLAN IN PLACE for if or when the next unknown event occurs. Our city has recently experienced such an event, which could have been a lot worse and unexpected costs have been realized. Now is the time to act, not later. Interim Chief Neblung stated he will reach out to persons to get information on starting implementation and report back to committee and council.

Next meeting to be determined due to committee members work schedules.

Committee adjourned with all present voting yea at 6:12 p.m.

Respectively submitted by Council Person Margaret Crosthwaite                                    

 

Published in Public Meeting Minutes