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11/10/1993 City CouncilEDMONDS CITY COUNCIL APPROVED MINUTES November 10, 1993 THESE MINUTES WERE APPROVED BY CITY COUNCIL ON NOVEMBER 23, 1993 The special work session meeting of the Edmonds City Council was called to order at 7:00 p.m. by Mayor Laura Hall at the Community Services Building Conference Room, 250 5th Avenue North, Edmonds. PRESENT STAFF Art Housler, Admin Service Director Chuck Day, Accounting Manager Minh Truong, Accountant Buzz Buzalsky, Fire Chief Dan Prinz, Police Chief Robin Hickel, Asst. Police Chief Brent Hunter, Personnel Manager Anne Compaan, Admin Sec (Police) Doug Farmen, Accountant Wally Tribuzio, Asst. Police Chief Steve Perry, Police Admin. Supvr. Jeff Jones, Police Detective Mike Stark, Data Processing Rob Chave, Planning Manager M;4 Ann Paige, Recorder 0� (Both Councilmembers previously notified Council of their absence from this meet - ing.) Also present were Councilmember elect Barb Fahey and citizen/taxpayer John Eastes. moflo Laura Hall, Mayor Dave Earling, Council President Michael Hall, Councilmember Jeff Palmer, Councilmember Tom Petruzzi,Councilmember Chris Hewett, Student Representative ABSENT John Nordquist, Councilmember William J. Kasper, Councilmember REVIEW OF POLICE BUDGET: Police Chief Dan Prinz reviewed the Police budget line items in detail. He stat- ed that the budget shows 55 regular FTE police employees, and that on page VII, under Police, it should be corrected to show 41 for a total 55 employees. General Funds: Administration. There is an increase in salaries due to the added clerical pcsition. The overtime increase is to run the administration department and to try to keep up with necessary reports and paper works. Advertising will increase because they plan to hold two auctions this year. In response to Councilmember Petruzzi's question, Chief Prinz responded that they will need two auctions be- cause of lack of storage for items, and it is less expensive to have two auctions than rent storage space. Maintenance has been increased to cover their share of the leased copy machine. Interfund is decreased because no new vehicles are required this year. Investigation. There are few changes services, which has an increase because which will require additional funds for reports for the new hires. in this budget except for professional they expect to hire at least two people polygraph, personal history and credit Patrol and Traffic. There are increases in supplies based on usage in 1993 and their anticipated expenses for 1994. There are also. increased expenses in Interfund Rental for rental of patrol vehicles. There was discussion on the merits of our vehicle lease agreement. Crime Prevention. The main increase in for the Neighborhood Watch and Business begin a Medical Watch Program. this item is for supplies, especially Watch programs, also they would like to Training. The increase in supplies is mainly to purchase ammunition. There is some increase in travel expenses. Chief Prinz feels that it is important that we send someone to the Police Facility Planning and Design Class so that we have someone trained to act like a project manager for a new police facility. He also stressed the need for training of personnel and in particular sending someone to the Composite Art School. He noted that our fee for the Ident kit is equal to the Composite Art School, which is much more effective. Communications. The 44 percent increase in communications is for cellular phones for police vehicles. Councilmember Dwyer gave a detailed report on the increase on the Intergovernmental budget for SnoCom and provided Councilmembers with a handout. 1993 was 80 percent of what is budgeted for 1994. This is a 21 percent increase in the Police Department assessment. There are four reasons for the increase in Edmonds contribution - three of them have to do with the increase in SnoCom's budget, and the fact that the County is withdrawing from SnoCom. The largest increase is the necessity of installing two frequencies for SnoCom dis- patch. After discussion, it was Council consensus that two frequencies are neces- sary. Municipal Court and Superior Court. Chief Prinz stated that it is difficult to project these budgets because it is hard to judge the number of cases. Reserve. This budget is increased because two new reserve officers have been hired. Security. All the costs in this budget are passed on to Stevens Hospital. There is an increase in overtime because of having the officers on 12 hours shifts, which necessitates Kelly Days. Prisoner Care. There is an increase in this budget to cover home detention which will necessitate purchase of electronic bracelets. Equipment has been increased to purchase four chairs. Criminal Justice. It is anticipate that this section will receive $16,000 under the Motor Vehicle Motor Excise Tax, instead of $63,000. The reason for the reduction is that if 602 passes we will only receive $16,000. It is hoped that they will know what funds will be disbursed by the State before the budget is finalized. Chief Prinz also hopes to receive some funds for a Domestic Violence and Victims program, and will partner with Lynnwood to administer this program. There are few changes in Administration. There is in increase in overtime for Investigation for special assignments, but some will be a carryover from 1993. Under training there is an increase in supplies but again it will include carry- over of funds not expended in 1993. Court Services reflect a decrease in the 1993 budget because one clerk was riffed. He noted an error in the 1994 budget column on page 56 under Court Services, but this will be corrected, and the to- tals are correct. Page 2 November 10, 1993 APPROVED MINUTES Drug Enforcement. This fund is difficult to administer because this unit goes to a different jurisdiction ever two years, however Chief Prinz is satisfied with the projected revenues for 1994 and feels it should be solvent in 1994. On the expenditure side, there are not many significant changes. There is an increase in small equipment for surveillance equipment. The D.A.R.E. supplies are in- creased to cover supplies for the education program. Confiscated funds are in- vested, or put in a safety deposit box, and once they receive an Ok to take the assets, the funds are split between Edmonds, Lynnwood and Mountlake Terrace, which will flow back into the 000 Program or the D.A.R.E. account. Recess Mayor Hall called a short break at 8:05 p.m. Reconvene Mayor Hall called the meeting back to order at 8:10 p.m. REVIEW OF FIRE BUDGET Fire Chief Buzz Buzalsky reviewed the Fire Department Budget. He noted no in- crease overall because salaries are not yet included for 1993 or 1994, and be- cause of a reduction in equipment requests. Under Administration he has in- creased Professional Services to cover advertising, and to show these charges under the proper line item. Under Fire Suppression there is an increase in small equipment to cover pass devices for all rigs. Fire Prevention shows a 6 percent increase primarily to cover the costs of a new inspector. Training increases covers supplies such as library tapes, training manuals, and miscellaneous materi- als. If funds are sufficient he would like to purchase a fire simulator, as it is the most used training device. The Volunteer budget covers added salaries and benefits. These were not paid in 1993, but should be paid in 1994, also they have not had an increase in pay for at least six years. The EMS uniform budget is increased to cover additional cleaning and possible replacement of uniforms because of the possibility of blood on uniforms. There is also an in- crease in Interfund Supplies to cover increase in cost of fuel and oil for aid units. The increase in EMS Dispatch funds for SnoCom was covered under the Po- lice Department review. Under Fire/EMS Equipment he noted that the cost of hear- ing protection alone is $6,200 and if possible, he would like to obtain Rescue II equipment for an additional $8,000. He is still obtaining information on a new piece of Rescue II equipment, and if he can get the information it may be on the consent calendar next month. Councilmember Palmer asked Chief Buzalsky, under travel for EMS training, if he had checked into our legal basis for paying for chaplains conferences. The Chief replied, that no he had not, but also we had not spent any funds in this account for the last several years. Councilmember Palmer suggested that staff find out about this matter. Chief Buzalsky distributed a schedule showing long range vehicle replacement for the Fire Vehicle Aid fund. He reminded Council that last February he had present- ed a similar chart and at that time suggested that if we transfer $40,000 into this fund each year we should be ok until 1999. He noted that in the Mayor's budget request she requested $40,000 be transferred into this fund. Councilmem- ber Palmer asked if it made any difference to the Fire Department if this trans- fer is made in 1993 or 1994, and the Fire Chief responded no, that the overall affect was the same. Fire Chief Buzalsky said that the $85,000 in the 1994 budget is for an aid car and will come from EMS levy revenues. Councilmember Palmer noted that the 1993 revenues, as shown on page 76, appear to be approved, when they are not, it is a proposal. He noted that of the $70,000, $40,000 is an Page 3 November 10, 1993 APPROVED MINUTES end of the year transfer request that is not yet approved, and that we cannot transfer a line item until we have it. Councilmember Palmer stated that by re- porting these figures as if they have been approved, it has the net effect of making a 4.6 percent increase in the budget appear to be only a 1.7 increase. Councilmember Petruzzi stated that this is what he brought out last night, we actually are budgeted at a 4.6 increase. He is not adverse to the transfer as long as he knows that the money will be there. Even if we have enough money to transfer, it only accomplishes the $85,000 for the aid car. If we do transfer $70,000, that is going to give us a beginning cash balance in 1994 of $137,770, and in 1994 we are anticipating an ending cash balance of $144,270 with one expen- diture of $85,000, but we still have not made any contribution to a reserve for fire equipment. We are right back to the same problem we had last year, and that is that are facing a huge problem in fire equipment over the next few years. Councilmember Dwyer stated that we have enough time to decide when we want to do a bond for fire equipment and that we have enough for basic equipment now. Also, we will decide the final budget in December. Chief Buzalsky reviewed the Firemen's Pension Fund, which is ongoing and required by law. The Rescue Boat Operation fund, shows some incorrect figures in that the ending balance will be $0 in 1993. He did not purchase any supply items from this fund in 1993 because he had applied for a Grant, which he did not receive, therefore those expenses for 1993 will carry over into 1994. Chief Buzalsky provided several charts. One was a comparison cost of EMS cost versus the EMS levy; another was a comparison of the Fire Department 1993-1994 operating budget; and a comparative chart showing the cost to homeowners to fund the general fund and the net savings per homeowners for having a class 4 Fire Department. It is important that we retain a Class 4 Fire Department in order to hold these costs. Chief Buzalsky addressed the exhaust system for Station 6. He stated that this is not in the Fire Department budget, but will be reviewed during the Public Works budget review. Due to a misunderstanding, it has not been included in the Public Works budget. The Chief has received quotes ranging from $18,000 to $35,000 depending on how extensive the scope of work is. Chief Buzalsky stated he brought this up so that it does not fall through the cracks. REVIEW OF MUNICIPAL COURT BUDGET Personnel Manager Brent Hunter reviewed the Municipal Court Budget. Brent noted that they have hired a very well qualified Court Administrator who will begin �y work the end of this month. The salary line under this budget appears to have an 11 up and down trend and the reason for this is because of the large turnover in this department. The 1993 expenditures includes the $13,000 buyout of the previ- ous clerk. The judges salary is included under Professional Services. Council - member Petruzzi asked Brent if it is realistic to have nothing budgeted for over- time in 1994, and Brent replied that they feel this department is now fully staffed and that should eliminate any need for overtime. There is an increase in Maintenance because it includes this department's share of the photocopy lease. Councilmember Petruzzi questioned, off.the subject, about the fax machine in the Police Department, and was informed by Chief Prinz that the Police Depart- ment has a good fax machine, but what they do need is a printer for their comput- er. Councilmember Palmer had a question on the Jury Services budget, on how we expended 174 percent this year on miscellaneous, yet next year we expect a 12 percent decrease. Brent replied that this budget is based on demand and the budget is projected on historical information. There was a question that if the increase in the jail budget tells us that some other budgets might increase as Page 4 November 10, 1993 APPROVED MINUTES well. Councilmember Hall asked if staff had double checked the projected fig- ures in the Court budget and Brent replied that it appears to be in line. Art Housler provided Councilmembers a list of equipment for the General Fund as requested by Councilmember Palmer at the November 9 meeting. REVIEW OF PROPOSED CITY-WIDE COMPUTER SYSTEM Art Housler reviewed the computer history of the City from 1972 through 1984 when •we purchased our current IBM System 36. About a year and a half ago ,the City formed a Information System Technical Advisory Committee to study our problems, our current needs, and our future needs. The Committee was comprised of employ- ees from various departments. This Committee has been working since September 1992 and he feels it has saved the City approximately $30,000, as we did not need to hire an outside consultant. Mike Stark reviewed several viewgraphs: the current system problems; the comput- ing time by application type; the objectives of a new system; the solutions and alternatives to upgrade the system; the recommended solutions; the implementation plan; and the implementation costs. In answer to questions from Councilmembers, Mike replied that the life of the proposed system is about eight years. Thirty-seven new work stations will be purchased. Everyone who currently has a computer will be on this system, plus some new stations. The time frame is approximately nine months for the first phase and 12 months on the second phase. The Committee is asking for approval of the funds for both phases now, as they would like to begin this year. Rob Chave stated that an advantage of this system is that it is incrementally up-gradeable and is a system that is able to deal with changes. The new system will have a great impact in the Police Department as they have very few PC's. Also, it will be linked to the CAD system, as well as other data bases that include County and State-wide information. Councilmember Petruzzi stated that he feels this should be a priority in just the savings in man hours alone. Art Housler stated that although $275,000 seems like a hugh price, he feels we will save approximately $10,000 per year on maintenance costs, which brings it down to $200,00 over eight years. In 1984 we spent $220,000 for the IBM system. Art feels that $275,000 is a very reasonable cost. Financing will come from LID's. Because interest rates are currently so low, many people are refinancing and paying off their LID's. We have a surplus in our LID account of roughly $229,000, and we propose to fund this project with these funds. We would like to make a transfer from the Guaranteed LID Fund 213, to the Beginning Cash Balance of the Information System Upgrade fund, and to incorporate this transfer into the year end budget ordinance amendment. Councilmember Petruzzi clarified that we have a guaranteed LID fund, and because the LID's are prepaying, it releases the guarantee money. He asked how much guarantee money we have, and Art replied about $330,000, which funds have been accumulating over the last two years. The project will need to be phased in two parts because of what is involved in set- ting up the Financial System. Although this budget item will be discussed at future meetings, it was the consen- sus of Council that the proposed City-wide computer system should be approved. Page 5 November 10, 1993 APPROVED MINUTES MAYOR Mayor Hall announced a Parking Lot dedication at the Financial Building tomorrow at 4 p.m. Mayor Hall stated that City Hall will be closed for Veteran's Day tomorrow, November 11. With no other business before the Mayor or Council, Mayor Hall adjourned the meeting at 9:25 p.m. eccll-10.93 R ND A I. MA H, CITY CLERK Page 6 November 10, 1993 APPROVED MINUTES AGENDA EDMONDS CITY COUNCIL WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 1993 7:00 -10:00 P.M. SPECIAL MEETING WORK SESSION ON 1994 BUDGET LOCATION: COMMUNITY SERVICES BUILDING CONFERENCE ROOM 250 5TH AVE. N., EDMONDS, WASHINGTON CALL TO ORDER - 7:00 P.M. 1. (45 Min) REVIEW OF POLICE BUDGET 2. (45 Min) REVIEW OF FIRE BUDGET 3. (30 Min) REVIEW OF MUNICIPAL COURT BUDGET 4. (45 Min) REVIEW OF PROPOSED CITY-WIDE COMPUTER SYSTEM ADJOURN PARKING AND MEETING ROOMS ARE ACCESSIBLE FOR PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES. CONTACT THE CITY CLERK AT 771-0245 WITH 24 HOURS ADVANCE NOTICE FOR SPECIAL ACCOMMODATIONS. The Council Agenda appears on Chambers Cable, Channel 32.