CITY OF BRENTWOOD
CITY COUNCIL AND REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY MEETING MINUTES
TUESDAY, 7:00 P.M.
JUNE 24, 2008
COUNCIL CHAMBER

CALL TO ORDER CITY COUNCIL (5:31 PM)
Roll Call
Present: Becnel; Brockman; Stonebarger; Taylor
Absent: Richey

PUBLIC COMMENTS (5:32 PM)

ADJOURN TO CLOSED SESSION - Community Development Conference Room - 118 Oak Street, Brentwood, CA 94513 (5:32 PM)

1. CLOSED SESSION: CONFERENCE WITH LABOR NEGOTIATORS
Pursuant to Government Code Section 54957.6
Agency Designated Representatives: Donna Landeros, City Manager; Karen Chew, Assistant City Manager; Mark Evenson, Police Chief. Employee Organizations: Brentwood Police Officer’s Association. Unrepresented Employees: Police Captains; Director of Parks and Recreation; Chief of Police; Director of Public Works/City Engineer; Director of Community Development; Assistant City Manager; Director of Finance and Information Systems; Assistant City Attorney; Assistant Finance Director; Assistant Community Development Director.

RECESS CITY COUNCIL (6:25 PM)

RECONVENE CITY COUNCIL/CALL TO ORDER REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY (07:01 PM)

REPORT ON CLOSED SESSION - None (07:01 PM)

Mayor Taylor offered a moment of silence in honor of 22 year old U.S. Army Sergeant, John D. Aragon, of 101st Airborne Division, who was killed in an area northwest of Baghdad on June 12, 2008. Following the moment of silence, Mayor Taylor offered condolences to the family and friends of Sgt. Aragon.

Pledge of Allegiance - Don Miller (07:03 PM)
INVOCATION - Reverend Austin Miles, Chaplain, Austin Miles Ministries (07:03 PM)
Roll Call (07:07 PM)
Present: Becnel; Brockman; Richey; Stonebarger; Taylor

PRESENTATIONS (07:08 PM)

A. 2007/2008 Year in Review and Next Steps for the Brentwood Youth Commission. (C. Bronzan/B. Gary)

Parks and Recreation Supervisor, Barbie Gary, invited Youth Commissioners to present the Year in Review.

Youth Commissioners, Belinda Ordaz, Leah Hocking, Matthew Strauss, and Nick Castle, presented the Year in Review.

B. Recognition of outgoing Brentwood Youth Commissioners. (C. Bronzan/B. Gary)

Barbara Gary, Recreation Supervisor, introduced the outgoing Youth Commissioners. Belinda Ordaz, Leah Hocking and Nick Castle. Sarah Simmons and Christine Mendez were not present.

PUBLIC COMMENTS (07:20 PM)

Harry York, Chamber of Commerce, asked for Council support of the Downtown Committee on Thursdays to generate more business traffic to the downtown area.

CONSENT CALENDAR (07:23 PM)

1. Approved minutes of the City Council/Redevelopment Agency meeting of June 10, 2008, and special City Council meeting held May 29, 2008. (M. Wimberly)

2. Accepted a Proclamation recognizing July as Recreation and Parks Month. (C. Bronzan/S. Barry)

3. Approved a one-year extension of the Brentwood Redevelopment Agency’s Project Area Committee to July 9, 2009. (C McCann/D. Kwong)

4. Accepted recommended candidates for appointment to the City of Brentwood Youth Commission. (C. Bronzan/B. Gary)

5. Approved recommendation of the Arts Commission to allow Discovery Builders to pay In-lieu Contributions for public art requirements at Prewett Ranch Subdivision #8954. (C. Bronzan/P. Scherff)

6. PULLED FOR DISCUSSION - Adopt a Resolution approving a Memorandum of Understanding between the City of Brentwood and the Brentwood Senior Citizens Club, Inc. regarding running a wide variety of programs, activities, and services at the Brentwood Senior Activity Center, approving a fee waiver for fiscal year 2007/08 of $24,069.77 and the current MOU fee waiver not to exceed $13,000 and authorizing the City Manager or her designee to execute the Memorandum of Understanding. (C. Bronzan/P. Scherff/M. Kaiser)

7. Adopted Resolution 2008-151 approving a Grant Deed to the State of California for roadway along Highway 4 required as part of the Brentwood Boulevard Widening - Central, CIP Project No. 336-31490 and authorizing execution of said Grant Deed. (B. Grewal/M. Sullivan)

8. Adopted Resolution 2008-152 accepting off-site non-potable waterline improvements constructed by Brentwood Specialty Center, LLC as a part of the Streets of Brentwood, Design Review No. 06-08, located at the northwest corner of Sand Creek Road and Shady Willow Lane. (B. Grewal/D. Galey)

9. Adopted Resolution 2008-153 accepting all off-site public improvements; accepting the Maintenance Bond; and releasing the Improvement Securities for Empire Crossing Retail Center Design Review No. 06-09, located at the southwest corner of Lone Tree Way and Empire Avenue. (B. Grewal/D. Galey)

10. Adopted Resolution 2008-154 approving and authorizing the City Manager or designee to execute a Funding Agreement and any related documents between the City of Brentwood and the California Department of Transportation. (B. Grewal/S. Kersevan)

11. Adopted Resolution 2008-155 approving and authorizing the City Manager or designee to execute Amendment No. Six to the Professional Services Agreement with William J. Silva, P.E., for Engineering Support Services to extend the contract termination date from June 30, 2008, to June 30, 2009. (B. Grewal/P. Eldredge)

12. Adopted Resolution 2008-156 approving and authorizing the City Manager or City Attorney as appropriate to execute the City’s Purchase Orders, Change Orders and/or Agreements, after approval as to form by the City Attorney, with specified vendors. (P. Ehler/D. Davies)

13. Adopted Resolution 2008-157 authorizing the write off of an uncollectable account receivable in the amount of $5,577.65. (P. Ehler/K. Breen)


14. Adopted Resolution 2008-158 reinstating the classification description and salary range for Landscape/ Facilities Manager (K. Chew/P. Standley)

15. Adopted Resolution 2008-159 approving Amendment Number 3 to Employment Agreement between the City of Brentwood and Damien Brower, City Attorney (Mayor R. Taylor/K. Chew)

16. Adopted Resolution 2008-160 authorizing the City Manager or designee to execute a reimbursement agreement with Shea Homes for costs incurred by the City in the planning and development of the City’s Vineyards at Marsh Creek project. (C. McCann/L. Maurer)

17. Adopted Resolution 2008-161 approving Temporary Use Permit No. 08-14 to allow the Brentwood Chamber of Commerce the use of City right-of-way for the staging of the annual Cornfest, located within the downtown and affecting the closure of surrounding streets. (C. McCann/J. Zilm)

18. Adopted Resolution 2008-162 in support of Assembly Bill 2168 as recommended by the Agricultural Enterprise Committee. (C. McCann/L. Maurer)

19. Adopted Resolution 2008-163 amending the 2007/08 Operating Budget for Lighting and Landscape District 99-7 in the amount of $15,000. (C. Bronzan/T. Clark)

20. Adopted Resolution 2008-164 authorizing the Mayor to send a letter to the California State Legislature in opposition of Senate Bill 1507. (B. Grewal/D. Galey)

21. Adopted Resolution 2008-165 repealing Resolution No. 2008-121, in its entirety and calling and giving notice of the holding of a General Municipal Election to be held on Tuesday, November 4, 2008, for the election of Mayor and two [2] Council Members as required by the provisions of the laws of the State of California relating to general law cities, and directing the City Clerk to take certain actions as required by State law. (M. Wimberly)

22. Approved the formation of a Local Preference Program Ad Hoc Committee and appoint Councilmembers Richey and Stonebarger as committee members. (B. Grewal/D. Galey)

23. Adopted Resolution RDA-142 to amend the Redevelopment Agency’s 2008/09 Budget and Authorize Expenditures for fiscal Year 2008/09. (C. McCann/G. Rozenski)

24. Approved warrants from Warrant lists dated May 28, 2008 and June 03, 2008. (P. Ehler/L. Schelbert)

CONSENT CALENDAR ACTIONS (07:23 PM)

Motion: Approve Consent Calendar items 1 - 24 as recommended, with the exception of Item 6.
Moved by Brockman, seconded by Becnel.
Vote: Motion carried 5-0.
Yes: Taylor; Becnel; Richey; Stonebarger; Brockman

6. Adopt a Resolution approving a Memorandum of Understanding between the City of Brentwood and the Brentwood Senior Citizens Club, Inc. regarding running a wide variety of programs, activities, and services at the Brentwood Senior Activity Center, approving a fee waiver for fiscal year 2007/08 of $24,069.77 and the current MOU fee waiver not to exceed $13,000 and authorizing the City Manager or her designee to execute the Memorandum of Understanding. (C. Bronzan/P. Scherff/M. Kaiser)

Director of Parks and Recreation, Craig Bronzan, presented a staff report and said the Memorandum of Understanding was for the use of the current community center and future Brentwood Senior Activity Center. The seniors and their activities had been mostly self sufficient. Staff wished to memorialize the agreement which allowed the seniors to use the facilities at no cost, which had been included in the budget. The seniors ran their own programs and handled their own finances and in lieu of that, the City provided them a place to meet.

Barbara Russell-Cambra said the seniors appreciated what the City was doing for them and commended staff on the agreement.

Motion: Adopt Resolution 2008-166 approving a Memorandum of Understanding between the City of Brentwood and the Brentwood Senior Citizens Club, Inc. regarding running a wide variety of programs, activities, and services at the Brentwood Senior Activity Center, approving a fee waiver for fiscal year 2007/08 of $24,069.77 and the current MOU fee waiver not to exceed $13,000 and authorizing the City Manager or her designee to execute the Memorandum of Understanding.
Moved by Taylor, seconded by Stonebarger.
Vote: Motion carried 5-0.
Yes: Becnel; Brockman; Richey; Stonebarger; Taylor

NEW BUSINESS (07:24 PM)

25. Adopt a Resolution amending the 2008/09 Operating Budget. (P. Ehler/K. Breen)

Kerry Breen presented a staff report, spoke about revenue resources, and recommended general fund revenue reductions of $8.9 million. He said staff proposed a budgetary decrease of $2.5 million in sales tax revenue. The City had averaged $9 million in revenue from 2001 to 2007 from the City’s Building, Planning, and Engineering Departments and staff expected $3 million in revenues this fiscal year and $2.6 million next fiscal year, which represented a budgetary decrease of $4.1 million. To compensate for the revenue reductions, staff recommended expenditure reductions of $9.3 million. Reducing expenditures by more than reducing revenues would allow the general fund to continue to operate in a fiscally responsible manner where revenues exceeded operating expenses. All City departments and funds were analyzed and re-budgeted to capture all possible savings. Staff was able to present Council a balanced budget and the general fund was projected to have revenues exceed operational expenses by $400,000, and did not include the impacts of pending employee contractual agreements with Brentwood Police Officers Association and non represented staff. The State may subject the City to additional take-aways in an effort to balance their budget. Undesignated reserves in the general fund were projected to remain at the Council goal of 30 percent of budgeted appropriations.

Council Member Stonebarger asked about the decrease in supplemental property tax revenue.

Finance and Information Systems Accounting Manager – Business Services Manager, Kerry Breen, said if a property was sold at a higher value than was previously assessed, or if a new structure was put into place, the County assessed at the higher amount and asked the property owners to make up the difference, which usually occurred within 18 months. This year, the City lost most of the benefit of supplemental tax revenue.

Council Member Stonebarger asked if the loss of supplemental tax revenue had been taken into account since a number of residents may have asked to have their home revalued.

Finance and Information Systems Accounting Manager – Business Services Manager, Kerry Breen, said staff had taken that into account and additional projects would come on line and help buffer that.

Council Member Richey spoke about subsidizing several local community programs and said no cuts were made there. He asked if the City would explore reducing community programs and how many of the programs the City was under contract with, where reductions could not be made.

Director of Finance and Information Systems, Pam Ehler, said in the current fiscal year, the City had donated, had grants or contributions to other agencies of $1.2 million. There were several obligations such as Village Community Resource Center, Tri Delta Transit, Police Activities League, and Library.

Council Member Richey asked about programs such as the Downpayment Assistance Program (DAP) and if the money was coming from the in-lieu fees.

Finance and Information Systems Accounting Manager – Business Services Manager, Kerry Breen, said the funding was from affordable housing.

Council Member Becnel said the City was not sure what the State would do to balance their budget and commended staff for their work on the budget.

Vice Mayor Brockman asked if anticipated take-aways had been anticipated and budgeted for.

Finance and Information Systems Accounting Manager – Business Services Manager, Kerry Breen, said staff had budgeted for what the Governor had indicated he would take away. The State had not fully balanced their budget and staff had included an additional approximate $200,000 amount and anticipated additional cuts. Staff felt the City would be within range of what the State cuts would be.

Mayor Taylor asked about budget cuts from the County and if the City received money back from the County that was owed.

Finance and Information Systems Accounting Manager – Business Services Manager, Kerry Breen, said the County had not responded to the City’s request for the additional property tax administration.

Mayor Taylor asked how much money that was and Finance and Information Systems Accounting Manager – Business Services Manager, Kerry Breen, responded the County had just taken $123,000, which was approximately $45,000 higher than staff felt it should have been.

Director of Finance and Information Systems, Pam Ehler, said the City was waiting for the County to re-evaluate homes.

Mayor Taylor opened public comments.

Mayor Taylor closed public comments.

Council Member Richey asked staff to bring forward to Council the community programs and organizations not under contract and to work with each individually for policy direction. The programs had been encouraged to seek alternative funding outside of the City through other private sources.

Council Member Becnel asked Council Member Richey if he was suggesting that Council look at the community programs for this budget or the budget next year.

Council Member Richey felt it should be this year’s budget since the amount was over one half million dollars, some of which was contractually obligated and a portion was not.

Vice Mayor Brockman said the funding given to the community was 2.6 percent of the budget which was a moderate amount as a whole. He did not have a problem with the issue coming forward for discussion and would not want to hold up the budget.

Mayor Taylor agreed with Vice Mayor Brockman and did not mind bringing the item back at a different time to review the evaluation process. He did not want to stop the budget or take away funding from those that had already budgeted.

Council Member Becnel said Council may wish to consider setting aside a fixed amount or a percentage of the budget for the organizations.

Director of Finance and Information Systems, Pam Ehler, said the City was at $1.8 million two years ago and a report was brought forth to Council every August on the previous year’s activity.

Council Member Stonebarger said he believed a policy should be formed for the organizations and he would not want to hold up the budget process to re-evaluate the community programs. He felt the organizations should not be protected in the mid-year budget process when the City was looking at reducing expenses. He commended staff for bringing forth a balanced budget and asked to keep the 30 percent reserve in place.

Motion: Adopt Resolution 2008-167 amending the 2008/09 Operating Budget.
Moved by Becnel, seconded by Brockman.
Vote: Motion carried 4-1.
Yes: Becnel; Brockman; Stonebarger; Taylor
No: Richey

26. Receive report on Municipal Code Section 2.28.030 Ratio of Sworn Officers to City Population and provide direction, if any, to staff. (D. Landeros/P. Ehler/M. Evenson)

City Manager, Donna Landeros, introduced the comprehensive staff report regarding Police Department staffing.

City Attorney, Damien Brower, spoke about the current Ordinance No. 648 relating to Police staffing levels, which set Police service levels at 1.5 officers per 1,000 residents. The City’s General Plan had various staffing level references ranging from 1.5 to 2.5 officers per 1,000 residents. There was a provision in the California Constitution that prevented local governments from incurring obligations that could not be satisfied in the current year’s budget. He explained that most obligations that created a liability on the City beyond the year in which the funds were received violated a section of the Constitution. The Municipal Code requirement of hiring a particular number of officers was a continuing obligation that was contrary to that section of the Constitution and was not legally enforceable. As long as it was understood by Council that the section could not be enforced, it could stay in the Municipal Code. The Council may wish to consider taking the section out of the Code or amending the section to be legally enforceable.

City Manager, Donna Landeros, said staff had worked to provide Council with the information on record, such as the approval of the Ordinance, the fiscal analysis taken at the time, and examples of benchmarks that Council may want to consider. Staff felt there was not a perfect measurement or a single indicator that served a community as a benchmark of effectiveness. A template had been created and staff would be able to track progress in the community and Council could annually consider the benchmark with the budget and the template could be refined. The four indicators in the report were regarding incidents of crime and crime rate, workload, response times and clearance rates.

Council Member Stonebarger asked if the new crime analysis software had been used to generate reports and if the software had the ability to generate future reports on an annual or quarterly basis.

Chief of Police, Mark Evenson, stated the crime software had not been used for the report and the Department would be able to use the software to monitor workload and response times once it was in place.

Council Member Becnel asked if historical data would be input.

Chief of Police, Mark Evenson, said there would be historical data input.

Council Member Richey asked if one of the benchmarks served better than the other.

Chief of Police, Mark Evenson, said he felt the benchmarks needed to be taken as a whole in order to determine staffing levels.

Council Member Richey asked what the optimum level needed was to appropriately staff the Police Department.

Chief of Police, Mark Evenson, said staff needed to look at authorized positions and there were officers out for various reasons. Depending on how many officers were out, it could have a serious impact on the ability to staff. The Police Department patrol met minimum requirements and the City was covered properly, which could be a benchmark. Council may wish to add patrol as a benchmark which would give staff an idea of how many staff members were needed.

Council Member Richey asked to include patrol.

City Manager, Donna Landeros, stated that data could be generated within the department and in comparison the other agencies had the same percentages of officers that were off.

Council Member Becnel asked about refining the workload per sworn officer to productivity per sworn officer. He asked if some sort of measurement of the workload could be factored into the report.

Chief of Police, Mark Evenson, said the staff report showed workload combined workload with proactive work and those could be broken down to give a better indication of the work coming in and the enforcement aspect.

City Manager, Donna Landeros, said in the future, staff would look at proactive time that an officer had between calls.

Chief of Police, Mark Evenson, said that was a benchmark that a lot of agencies used to help measure the amount of work the officers were dealing with. He commended Police personnel for their hard work and keeping the City safe.

Council Member Stonebarger asked about Police beats and the amount of officers in each beat.

Chief of Police, Mark Evenson, explained the patrol configuration and staffing levels.

Council Member Richey asked about grant money sources to subsidize the budget and repositioning officers.

Chief of Police, Mark Evenson, said he would return to Council with more information.

Vice Mayor Brockman felt more information was needed on what the proper benchmarks were to set the rate and the City needed to create a viable benchmark. The crime rate was actually down 30 to 40 percent and he commended the Police Department.

Mayor Taylor opened public comments.

Jennifer Fernandez, Shadow Lakes Neighborhood Watch Steering Committee, said she no longer felt safe in her neighborhood and was in favor of having more police officers and a street crime impact team. She urged Council to support the Police Department and a safe community.

Pete Andrea said he felt the crime rate was going up and the Police Department was short by 14 officers. He spoke about the police beats and felt that all the law enforcement could be tied up if there was an incident. The increase of police officers was crucial and the officers were overworked and needed assistance.

Linda Nakaji urged Council Members to keep the goal of 1.5 police officers per 1,000 residents. Residential burglaries and incidents of crime had increased with the opening of Highway 4 Bypass, the mortgage crises and the declining economy. More police officers were needed to decrease the number of crimes and the clearance rates. She felt the opening of the Streets of Brentwood would bring more crime and she requested 1.5 Police Officers per 1,000 residents and said safety and security were the foremost concerns.

Mayor Taylor closed public comments.

Council Member Stonebarger said public safety was his first priority and spoke about the General Plan and finding the right staffing level number. He was not willing to adjust the number of officers per residents unless there was some type of formula in place. He felt the City needed more police officers and he spoke about workload, staffing, crime rate and response time and said the City needed to evaluate the number of officers and fill positions. The Operating Budget had been cut and there was not extra funding and he asked for a plan to find revenue for more police officers. He spoke about the allocation of funds for financing of the City Hall out of the General Fund and asked to see $10 million set aside and use the interest gained for police personnel.

Council Member Becnel said there was no sound analysis for the 1.5 officers per 1,000. The Ordinance was inflexible and mandated a staffing pattern and he felt Council should set the goals and direction for the Police Department. The City did not follow the Ordinance and a mechanism for evaluating the proper staffing level was needed. Having more police staff did not mean the crime rate would go down and there were other factors that affected the crime rate. The City’s crime rate was currently lower than when the Ordinance was passed. When the criteria for staffing was set up, the City needed to begin to benchmark and Council could analyze the trends on an annual basis. He was in favor of having more police officers and was not interested in using reserves to pay for the officers, which could create a structural deficit. Appropriate staffing levels needed to be analyzed with a mechanism set to evaluate properly and he commended the Police Department for their work.

Council Member Richey spoke about benchmarks and said the City would come up with a formula and a policy set with the number. He felt it was difficult to establish an accurate average amount of discretionary time per shift for proactive enforcement and the only way to accurately measure and improve it, was to have a team of officers directed towards discretionary time and enforcement, via a street team. The only way to do that was to increase the staffing in the Police Department since it could not be done while protecting the quality of patrol and ensuring the officers remained safe when deployed into the field.

Vice Mayor Brockman asked to come up with a benchmark and said the City had to look at where the recurring funding would come from. He agreed it would be nice to have more officers and he asked for information on how the beat worked. The City needed to determine where the new staffing levels would need to be, how it would be paid for, and he asked to modify or re-write the Ordinance.

Mayor Taylor said public safety was important to keep the City safe. During the economic down turn, no police officers had been laid off. The City has outstanding police services and as the City grew, the Police Department needed to grow to keep up with the increasing demands on Police resources. He asked for staff recommendation on Police staffing levels. Once a recommendation was established, Council could make an informed decision.

Motion: Fully fund the Police Department based on the 1.5 staffing in the 2008/2009 and 2009/2010 fiscal year.
Moved by Stonebarger, seconded by Richey.

City Attorney, Damien Brower, asked if the motion was a goal of the City or a mandate of the City Council. Council Member Stonebarger responded that it would be a goal.

Council Member Becnel said he felt staff needed time to refine the direction that had been taken to determine an appropriate staffing level and it was not fiscally responsible.

Vice Mayor Brockman suggested reviewing the information.

Mayor Taylor said he felt the Council needed to hear from staff members and a study needed to be done.

Council Member Richey stated he was in support of Council Member Stonebarger’s motion and did not want to fall any further behind. A study would help to serve the purpose of establishing an increased level of staffing, which he was in support of.

Vote: Motion failed 2-3.
Yes: Richey; Stonebarger
No: Becnel; Brockman; Taylor

Motion: Determine a method of an analysis to get to the staffing level within 120 days.
Moved by Stonebarger. The motion did not receive a second and was lost.

Council Member Stonebarger said that by getting to a method of analysis within 120 days, there was an opportunity for mid-year adjustments and working to attain the staffing level goal and he felt Council needed to be proactive and aggressive.

Motion: Pursue a method of analysis within 120 days with the intent of making mid-year budget adjustments.
Moved by Stonebarger, seconded by Richey.

Vice Mayor Brockman asked for clarification on the motion.

Council Member Stonebarger said it would give the City four months to come up with a method of analysis to be agreed upon and gave staff a number around mid-year adjustment to try to attain that number.

Council Member Richey said he cared about public money and protecting public safety, and he did not want to delay this item. He asked for an aggressive timeline.

Council Member Becnel asked staff for a realistic assessment of how long it might take to develop and refine a staffing model.

City Manager, Donna Landeros, asked if the 120 days included the fiscal capacity to fund it, and she would not be comfortable coming back with an analysis that did not have the discussion of affordability. She shared concerns with residents about crimes in the community and said the budget needed to balance. Public safety and fiscal responsibility were both Council priorities and needed to work together.

Director of Finance and Information Systems, Pam Ehler, said the analysis within 120 days would hit the Finance Department during an audit, which would not be complete until the end of October. Staff would like to explore the ten year fiscal model since Council had directed staff to review the ten year model every year. The economic down turn had affected the City harder than expected in the last fiscal model and staff would like to give time to the ten year model. She supported public safety and was required to keep the City fiscally responsible. Staff had cut 25 percent out of the budget and the cost of personnel would be $3 million next year without support staff and one time costs associated with it, and it would need to be sustained. The $10 million would be gone in 3.5 years at that pace and she asked for additional time to prepare the analysis since the primary focus was on the fiscal model and audit.

Council Member Stonebarger was not suggesting a mandate of funding. The motion determining the method of analysis within 120 days to start to pursue the funding was within the mid year budget cycle and adjustments could be made on the staffing level number because the number would be known. He did not anticipate getting 14 new Police Officers, if the staffing level number was 1.5, in 2008/2009 and was not feasible for the City right now.

Council Member Richey said he believed it was critical that the financial side came into the analysis and said his second still stands.

Mayor Taylor said the Council wanted proper information and he asked the Finance Department how much time was needed to prepare the analysis.

Vice Mayor Brockman said he viewed the analysis model with financial sustainability and did not believe a time frame needed to be set.

Council Member Stonebarger said 120 days would be before the holidays and asked staff to return in September/October with a status report as to where they were at with the analysis.

Vice Mayor Brockman said without a time frame, he would be in favor of the analysis.

Mayor Taylor was also in favor of the analysis without the time frame.

Vice Mayor Brockman suggested modifying the motion to create an analysis model to be brought forward by staff as expeditiously as possible, with a report of where they stand at 120 days, and to include financial sustainability of the model.

Motion: to adjust the motion to determine a method of analysis, within 120 days, and if not within 120 days, report back to Council with the status of the method of analysis at 120 days to give further direction and a path to add financial sustainability.
Moved by Stonebarger, seconded by Richey.

Council Member Becnel said he felt that an analysis of staffing needs and the decision to fund it were separate issues. He agreed that the analysis could be done in a short time period understanding that there would be a financial element to it and that Council would need to discuss the staffing level fiscal element. He asked to limit the motion to the analysis of what the staffing ought to be. Council could then discuss the appropriate mechanism for funding should Council choose to adopt a certain number.

Council Member Stonebarger said the intent of the first motion, with the 120 days, was that the staffing level number would be analyzed and there would be the ability to make adjustments if Council chose to at mid-year.

Vice Mayor Brockman said the staffing level of 1.5 was originally picked without any consideration of financial sustainability. He asked if the City was going to come up with an analysis model, how it could be done without an understanding of the costs and where the funding would come from.

Council Member Becnel said he believed the appropriate police staffing was a function of a number of factors, none of which were financial in the sense of dealing with crime rates, work load, and response times. He felt it was a separate discussion of whether the City could or should pay for it and he viewed it as a two step process.

Council Member Stonebarger withdrew his previous motion.

Council Member Richey was not in favor of a two step process as he felt the process would be prolonged.

Council Member Stonebarger was in favor of the 120 days, not with regard to the City’s ability to afford the staffing level, which he agreed was a separate exercise. He asked to have the staffing level number put in place so Council could start to move toward the number.

Council Member Becnel asked staff if leaving the financial aspect out of the analysis, would 120 days be a realistic time period for developing a template.

Director of Finance and Information Systems, Pam Ehler, said yes.
Motion: approve that staff report to Council with a method of analysis within 120 days.
Moved by Stonebarger, seconded by Becnel.
Vote: Motion carried 5-0.
Yes: Becnel; Brockman; Richey; Stonebarger; Taylor

INFORMATIONAL REPORTS FROM COUNCIL MEMBERS (09:26 PM)

Council Member Stonebarger spoke regarding the Agricultural meeting and the American Avenue Task Force.

FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS – None (09:27 PM)

ADJOURNMENT (09:28 PM)

Motion: Adjourn
Moved by Richey, seconded by Stonebarger.
Vote: Motion carried 5-0.
Yes: Becnel; Brockman; Richey; Stonebarger; Taylor

Respectfully submitted,



Cynthia Garcia, CMC
Assistant City Clerk