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HomeMy WebLinkAbout08-11-1997 Meeting I I I PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE COMMITTEE ROOM - August 11/1997 3:30 P.M. PRESENT: Hon. H. Brigham, Chairman; Kuhlke, Mays, Zetterberg, members; R. Oliver, Administrator; J. Wall, Attorney; Beard, J. Brigham, Handy, Commissioners; Donna Williams, David Collins, Glenn Greenway, ,Finance Department; Sheryl Jolley, Solicitor; Sheriff Charlie Webster, Sheriff's Department; Chief Ronnie Few, Fire Department; Lena Bonner, Clerk of Commission. ABSENT: Hon. Larry E. Sconyers, Mayor. ALSO PRESENT: Sylvia Cooper, Augusta Chronicle; Rosemary Forrest, Metro Spirit; George Eskola, Channel 6; Channel 12. Clerk: We have a request for an addendum item; A request for an update from Sheriff Webster regarding the recent award of the Justice Department grant. Mr. Mays: So move. Mr. H. Brigham: Second. Motion carried unanimously. A request from Sheriff Webster for the approval of $33,352.75 for matching funds (25% of the grant amount). This amount necessary for the procurement of $100,058.25 in federal grant funds. Sheriff Webster: This is for three investigators including salary, fringe benefits and personal equipment as well as two vehicles. It's a one year grant, subject to renewal. If we agree with it it's $33,000; plus the Federal government will put up $100,000. Mr. Oliver: So at the end of the year then we either have to pick it up if they don't renew it, or do away with the program. Sheriff Webster: Or do away with it one. Mr. Todd: My question is for the Sheriff, is this the violent crime investigators. Sheriff Webster: Yes, this is violent crime against women. Mr. Todd: I certainly would like to go on record as speaking in support of it. Certainly I think that we need to beef up our investigative department as far as violent crimes go. Sheriff Webster: I think that family violence is probably one of the things that is heading up most of the crime today. People are taking an interest in it, they are tired of seeing women and children abused. And I don't see why this grant won't be renewed next year. I think it's something that we won't have any problem Mr. Zetterberg: Is the relationship, Sheriff, between this particular grant and the Justice Department grant that was just proposed for the City in the 3.6 million? I with what so ever renewing next year. Sheriff Webster: No sir, none what so ever. I've put in for several grants for the last two years and every one of them is under a different circumstance. I saw some federal money out there, I saw some tax money we could save Richmond County. Right here you are putting up a small percentage, 25% for three investigators and two automobiles. They are not going to take the automobiles back. We'll be driving the automobiles for one year. You're still ahead of the game at the end of the year if you only keep the automobiles, you haven't lost anything. Mr. Kuhlke: The thing that concerns me a little bit as being a Commissioner, is that the grants, obviously we want to try to take advantage of everyone we can. But the thing that really concerns me a little bit as we go forward, is you look at the short term and sometimes the short term impact is not terribly bad. But if we get to the end of the grant period and there is not a reevaluation of those programs and if we don't look budget wise whether we have the funds or not to really support these kind of programs, then hard decisions are having to be made by us. And I think that my position as is that as these things expire that if I I'm here, we are really going to look at them really strong because we are moving very rapidly towards a point down the road on some of these grants, that if there is not an extension of the grant, then we're talking about a tax increase. So, this one to me is not that significant, although I believe if we decide to continue it, and the grant is not there, we're talking about an increase in the Sheriff's budget, $133,000 a year. Sheriff Webster: That's correct. I can understand your feelings on it. But I'd also like to do this, I would like to go on record as stating, I believe that if you had to go before the tax payers of Richmond County and tell them that you are going on for public safety where people can get the protection, I don't think you would have a problem raising the taxes. Mr. Kuhlke: Well that would work about every third year. When you got two years to recover from it. Sheriff Webster: I've talked to a lot people in Richmond County and I run every four years myself, and I don't have a problem with people when I'm talking to them in regards to public safety, as long as they are getting public safety. People are getting worried in Richmond County because of the crime elements going on. Mr. Mays: Mr. Chairman, I would like to make a motion that I this be approved. I I I Mr. Kuhlke: Second. Mr. Zetterberg: I have one last question on it. Do we have any experience at all on these grants. This is all new to me, the way the Federal. government dribbles this money back to us. Do we have any experience that a grant was given to us that involved getting people and then the grant not given to us again. Mr. Oliver: I don't here, but I do in other places. The Federal government notorious for bait and switch. After further discussion; Motion carried unanimously. A request from Solicitor Sheryl Jolley for permission to apply for grants from: 1997 VOCA-Victims/Assistance Grant Program and 1997 STOP Violence Against Women Grant. Ms. Jolley: I'm here to ask your permission to apply for funding from the Violence Against Women Act. I believe that is a division of the grant that the Sheriff's Department has applied for to increase his investigators to provide services to victims of domestic. I'm really here for the 40 or 50 women a week that come through State Court on family violence charges who need to have assistance through the judicial system and whose cases need to be handled better than they have been in the past. We are averaging over 2,000 cases of domestic violence through Richmond County alone in an individual year. Our case load increased 42% last year after consolidation. It's up an additional 17% this year. So our case load has increased 59% in the last eighteen months, over our normal volume. In that regard, we have been given two additional staff from Municipal Court. We certainly did not get a 59% in the staff to handle those needs. This particular grant is a federal grant. It requires a 25% inkind/cash match. I believe I will be able to fulfill the 25% requirement through utilizing salaries that are already paid in our office, as supervisors for example. Our chief investigator would supervise the investigator that I would be asking for in this grant proposal. It would be my intention to ask for an attorney, one or two investigators, and an intake person to provide services strictly for domestic violence women. This will create a domestic violence unit from the Solicitors office to, again be able to address these needs. I think that I can honestly tell the County that we would be looking at least three years before there would be any modifications to the award wherein the County would have to look at potentially footing the bill. I don't expect for domestic violence cases to go down. We are seeing more and more of these cases. I am here to ask for your support in allowing me to apply for the grant. The deadline is August 22. I've.been working really hard to get the information together to do this and this will help off set the request that I have made in my last years budget and in my upcoming budget, that will be presented at a later time. One of the other issues that does come along with this is office space. We currently rent a building on Watkins Street, which houses the Victims Witness.. Assistance Program. It I would be my intention to place these personnel in that building and also we've been looking at some space where the Municipal Court . Clerks currently hold office. Mr. Brigham: You said that you would be able to from recaptured funds to fund your portion of it for this year. Ms. Jolley: I believe I'll be able to utilize it under in/kind services. At the very most, and I really haven't computed it specifically, but at the very most I would think a 10% cash match at the tops for that. And I would have a very specific amount to tell you today, I can tell you that it's going to run somewhere between $225,000 and $275,000; I'll have to get the price of an automobile and I need to check with personnel on how to calculate the value of the fringe benefits. Mr. Zetterberg: for $225,000. Would you just summarize again what we get Ms. Jolley: We would be able to get one full time attorney, he would be a prosecutor to specialize in the handling of domestic violence cases. One or two investigators who will be in charge with again following up with the Sheriff's Department in handling those cases. We would get one clerical person who would be in charge of intake and setup to prepare the files for report and with filing with the clerk. We would obtain travel money for any conferences that they would need to attend. We would be able to obtain their equipment, such as desk, chairs, computers. We would obtain printing money for printing of the brochures and their needed office supplies. And also, insurance replacement parts and things that you would need for the automobile. Mr. Kuhlke: These things come to us and I don't want to be redundant, but I am going to ask the Sheriff the same thing. To me I think that this Committee, prior to approving a grant for whatever it is, is that we need to be better educated on how the Solicitors office in other communities compared with our size operate. What their budget is and what ours is. Basically, looking at comparisons. And I know that you probably have a lot of that information. But all I get is what I hear from you, I want to see it in writing. And I mean Bibb County, Chatham County, Muscogee County, Athens-Clarke County, whatever, something comparable to us. And then I would like to see, a performer looked at by the Administrator, but brought to us, on supposed there is not an extension and there is a continuation, what impact is it going to have on your budget on an annual basis? And what I'm looking at is this, I'm looking at the Solicitors office, I'm looking at the Sheriff, I'm looking at whatever else department that comes in here. We get 20 or 30 grants in here and they all terminate at about the same time, everybody wants to stay where we I are, we are blowing ourselves out of the water in this community. And contrary to what the Sheriff says, people are concerned about the cost of government and taxes, and we need to be very aware of ,. I I I I that. But I think that the burden of putting, getting this back to us falls on the department head, the Administrator and the Director of Finance to give us enough information that we can make an intelligent long term and short term decision on all. of these issues that come up. So, I'd probably vote for it. Because it's hard to vote against something when you are trying to protect the public. But, I want to look at what the impact, Randy is on these grants as we apply for them, assuming and I can almost tell you 100% that once you approve something, it will not cut back, it will go forward, it will stay exactly where it is. You're talking about at least 4 to 5 new people in your office on this thing. And if you get those people through a grant, you are going to want to keep them. And I'm sure that the need is there. I hear the plea and I'm sympathetic to the plea, but I want a little more information. I want to know how we compare as a community with other communities outside. And I want to see it in writing. Ms. Jolley: That information has been provided to the County Administrators office already in writing. Mr. Oliver: It may have been provided to Finance, but I have not seen it. Ms. Jolley: Well, the Administrators office sent it to me, and then I was told that Finance would handle it. It's been presented to Finance, probably about six weeks ago, with not only the case loads for every other office in the state of Georgia, but also the amounts of most of their budgets, the ones that I could get my hands on. Also their staffing, their number of judges and their number of cases. And I can tell you that Augusta operates with about one third the staff of Gwinnett, probably Clayton, Cobb, Athens has about the same number of lawyers that we have in our office, but they only file 6,000 cases a year. They don't file 35,000 cases. So you have to be able to make sure you're not comparing apples with oranges. The budget for DeKalb County is around $1.6 million and that's excluding the grants that they receive. Our budget is really low, it's right around $650,000. Mr. Kuhlke: Well, you know we may be way behind times, and we may need to go back to the tax payers and say look we got to this and this and this and it's going to cost you this to do it, but we'll have a lot more protection, we'll push people through the courts. What I need to know, basically, is everything that's being asked of us, where is the money coming from. Mr. Oliver: I agree with you. And I'll take it one step further. I think that when we get a grant that if there is a match in that.grant that we have to identify the funding when we get it, and that should include, cutting programs and I mean arts and social programs included. Because the quickest area that can be cut in this organization are thing that we give to outside agencies. And those are areas that are going to have to be carefully looked at, carefully reviewed, in my opinion, because certain thing are already in place for this year they're going to be the areas that will be most affected.as we prepare next years I budget. . Mr. Mays: I think that the Administrator brought up a good point and that was one of the reasons for some of the unnamed agencies that he just mentioned that for some of us struggled for so long to get them included into. the sales tax package, so that we would have a uniformed way of trying to pay for those types of needs. And I'm going to say this hopefully for the item to come with what the Sheriff has to deal with. To back up what she is saying. Every bit of information that she has quoted, particularly through your county associations, public Safety's Committee that I chaired for two years. Basically, I was almost embarrassed at times when I was chairing that Committee, when I ran into even smaller populated counties with what was being done. Everything from law enforcement down to the courts. What I would suggest, Mr. Oliver is that maybe as we are bringing in people to talk about pensions, to talk about every area for this government, and obviously public safety is a very serious concern. One of the people that I think right off the top, a neutral person, Don Murray, is liaison council to NACO that represents the criminal justice element with our national association. Sometimes with the creative and preventive things you have to make a choice as to whether or not they are going to be done so that you do save monies down the road. I don't think that grants were ever intended to be a long term solution to what you are doing, but if you leave it I there and if you do nothing and if your rate of certain things are escalating, then you will have to deal with them anyway. So why not go ahead and try to work in programs that will eventually work for the community. I know we have to deal with where the money has to come from. But I would feel a whole lot better going back not knowing that over the last three or four years if somebody asked me did I leave "XU number of million dollars laying on the table, when I was going out to hire those folk anyone and pay the full price for them, I sure would have rather had them on a three year basis, a two year basis for when the crime bill was first put in and be able to work them into a budget so that they can make a difference in a community. Mr. Brigham: Just for information we are invited to the State public Safety Committee and Court Committee in Americus, Georgia, on the 20. Mr. Mays: I so move that she be given permission to apply for this grant. Mr. Brigham: Second. Motion carried 3-1, with Kuhlke abstaining. A communication from the Sheriff regarding the Justice Department I Grant award. Sheriff Webster: Talking about wasting money, yea, there has I I I been money wasted, probably one of the blggest waste is the jail we're in today. I would like to first thank the Commissioners for the salary increase because we were some of the lowest paid in the state. You talking about figures, I can show them to you and show you exactly what I am talking about. Because I went to Chatham, Bibb and Muscogee. Muscogee County is more comparable to Richmond County than any other county in the State. It's about 100 square miles less, the population is around 200,000 people and the police force on the road itself is about 125 to 150 more than Richmond County. The salaries there are a lot more, even in Bibb and Chatham too. I'm going to show you that we are so understaffed I have 713 people that work for the Sheriff's Department at the present time. Mr. Kuhlke: The grant would give you 68 new positions. I'm going to ask you the same questions I asked Sheryl, about the figures. My first concern is the $1.2 million, where is the money coming from? Sheriff webster: As for as the grant is concerned, the grant is for $3,621,745; over a three year period. The way we have it figured is, it will cost the county $3,610,867; over a three year period. The Federal grant can come up front. We can take 75% to come up front for the first year and so much for the second and third year. The first year would be $455,013; the second year would be $1,422,334; the third year would be $1,713,620. I'm telling you what the other counties have and what the people of this community need. Mr. Kuhlke: We're getting a $3.6 million grant, so is this a one for one match? Sheriff Webster: It will almost come out to it. Mr. Kuhlke: So over that three year period, we will spend about $7.2 million. So, we are talking about an increase in the Sheriff's Department budget of that amount of money over a three year period of time. But at the end of that three year period, if we continue on, we are talking about a $7.2 million increase to continue on. Mr. Oliver: $2.4 million. Mr. Zetterberg: What will you get for $3.6 million. Sheriff Webster: 68 people with the fringe benefits. For the $7 million when you put it all together you get 40 automobiles. You get all the uniforms, the fringe benefits as far as the deputies are concerned and the weapons. Mr. Zetterberg: I'm a little confused about the $7 million. This is the counties money and the grant money. But afterwards, you have 40 vehicles, 68 people, uniforms and fringe benefits and all of that in the out years cost you about how much every year? Sheriff Webster: $2.4 million. I Mr. Brigham: Is it not true that some of these we will have to do anyway, without the grant. At this time the Sheriff shows a map of the overall beats of Richmond County. Sheriff Webster: county. We have about 340 square miles in this Mr. Todd: I know that in District 4 we are overwhelmed with car thefts and drug problems, with Barton Chapel and some other pockets. We've hired and didn't have grant money since I've been here approximately 34 or 36 officers, I don't have the exact numbers, and six of them may have been through the grant program. We know that we need to hire officers. We know that we have a deficiency if we look at Muscogee County and we look at some other areas of comparable size. We've been on the Sheriff's Department since the Crime Bill was signed about going for grant money instead of just coming to the Commission for out right money from the General Fund. Well that's what the Sheriff's Department has done. I was not always in total agreement of the 68. I'm concerned about the methodology of deployment, I'm sure the Sheriff is going to have some answers there. But the suppression teams he has mentioned, additional beat in South Richmond he's mentioned. We I certainly hope to see some Weed & Seed folks out of that and hopefully get some help from the Housing Authority. Also, this is a way to fund the position that we have set here and argued about as far as Crime Stoppers. We have to start policing smart and we have got to put the people out there to get the job done. The dividends in this, are that we will bring in some monies as far as traffic tickets go, you'll bring in some money as far as other crimes and violations go. It cost money to run the Courts, but there will be some dividends here. And this is the way to put the officers on the street, to train the officers and to be ready for what's coming in the growth of crime. And to maybe get the reduction down to the point where we can reduce man power in the future. But now we need the man power and I'm speaking in support of this man power. To put the officers on the street. We talked about funding other than the dividends from this, we have a percentage of growth every year, in the digest without increasing taxes. We prioritize how we are going to spend those monies. We need to make a decision whether we are going to spend this money in law enforcement, to protect our citizens, to put adequate officers in the street, or we are going to make the decision to spend it in cultural arts or recreation, not to knock recreation, or public works or in some other area. We give away through grants and various sources of funding probably $2.5 million, if we looked at everything, including this 73 Amendment. When I came on board we were spending $5.2 million on Indigent Care, I believe today we are I spending about $2.5 million. Well, apparently we didn't need to spend $5 million on Indigent Care and a few of us raised heck about that around this table and we pretty much cut it in half. But we I I I can find the money if we have the political tuffness to do it. We can find the money to fund the cops if we need them after this grant runs out. If we don't need them, the we simply tell the Sheriff, cut your department by 68 or cut it by 100. But I don't see that happening.. I see crime growing and it's how we manage it, is what's going to, count. And I think that we are managing crime, we're not stopping it. And as long as we have drugs and as long as we have entitlements being cut and the other things that the Federal government is doing on their end, crime is going to increase, because you are going to have that underground economy. And I think that we need to go on and hire the men, get them trained, get them on the street and manage crime smartly, go for the dividends that we can get out of it and make sure that we take those monies and pay for the officers. I support this and I recommend that we sit down with the Sheriff and work out the methodology of deployment. We're not talking about all the money needed now, we're talking about 1997, we're talking about making a commitment now, we're not talking about all the money mentioned. Mr. J. Brigham: going to do with the commitment to taxes. I would like to know what the Sheriff is 68 officers. My main concern is long term Sheriff Webster: What we will do is reduce the territory of some of the beats. We would probably have additional Suppression Teams, that's probably been the most profitable think we have ever done. We started off with a six man team and were able to put them in high crime areas and let them work there for a while and then move them to another area. I would also like the State Troopers to come in here with a five man post, if they can to work the main arteries and let my people get into the subdivisions. I would like to have two or three more Suppression Teams. The Weed & Seed Program is a very outstanding program. It's a program right now that I can't participate in because I can't kill a beat. In the high crime areas, we need a lot of men, and I plan on Suppression Teams with it. We have between 15 and 20 bad areas. Mr. Oliver: Seed. The 68 includes the 6 new officers for Weed & Sheriff Webster: That would be, because, Mr. Randy, you and I have talked and I had a four man grant that I was talking about giving you three of those. If we get these 68 then I can take three more out of that. We had two, we had one in Barton Village where we had the Federal government. My people were working, the GBI and I think there was a probation officer working. Weed & Seed is a program that will work, but they are not going to pay you until after you perform. This is something that we have to do first as far as Weed & Seed is concerned. We have to produce, then we get paid back for it. Mr. J. Brigham: How many additional beats are you going to create and how many additional Suppression Teams out of the 68? Sheriff Webster: When you figure how many suppression teams I you can come up with, which it usually takes six men on each Suppression Team and maybe a Sergeant. I'm going to work it the best I see fit. But I intend to reduce the size of South Augusta and reduce the size of some other areas. I have people that work out there every day drawing up maps of the high crime areas. Mr. J. Brigham: Do you project half the people going into the beat projections, half of them going into Suppression Teams? Sheriff Webster: It will be more than half. Mr. J. Brigham: 75% going into beats and 25% of them going into Suppression. Sheriff Webster: I'll say 40 out of the 68. Mr. Brigham: So, you'll get six new beats, is that basically what you are telling us? Sheriff Webster: No, you can't add it that way. The Sheriff gives a map display. Mr. Kuhlke: What is your timing on responding to this grant? Sheriff Webster: At this time it will be soon responding to I it. But at the present time you all have given me 75 people to go to work in the jail this year, that doesn't leave anybody out on the streets to protect the people. And we're talking about 650 people somewhere in that neighbor of people in the jail that we are putting all those people to go to work with. You have almost as many people working to protect those prisoners as you have out on the road. But, we just got to have some more man power to go out with. Mr. Kuhlke: The reason I asked you about the timing is that, from my standpoint I would like to see what your program is, if you are successful in getting the grant. I would also like, just for my own education some comparisons of how we stack up with other communities in this state. I would also like something in writing from the Department of Finance in this County that if we approve this grant, they know where that money is. I want them to tell me that we have the money to match this grant. I'm tired or getting it verbally, I want it in writing. Sheriff Webster: I was talking about the 75 people that went to the jail. I'm right in the present of hiring 30 of them. Then I got to turn around and hire 29. As far as hiring any people it takes time to train him. He has to go to a nine week certification school, he has to be put in an automobile with another driver and that driver will tell us when he thinks he is capable of being a I good Sheriff and putting him in an automobile by himself. I I I Mr. Kuhlke: It is unreasonable to say that within a thirty day period of time that every question that I have asked could be answered, and that from a standpoint of a formal approval of this Commission, if that approval is given within thirty days, is that going to hamper you? I ask these questions because this is an important issue to this community and to your department. But in my opinion, for this body to approve a participation in this grant today is irresponsible, without some background information. Sheriff webster: I would have to check that, at this point I don't know. Mr. Beard: We all know the needs of this community.' And I think that we know that the safety of our citizens comes first. But, I think that what I'm hearing is that all of the Commissioners want this, but then we have to get into, as far as I'm concerned is how it is going to be utilized. First of all, where is the money coming from. After the three years what type of financial status will we be in. And right now, it appears to me that the, and I'll probably go along with this, but the problem is how are those people going to be utilized. In my district, I go to meetings and hear senior citizens complaining about the drug problems. The Sheriff and the Commissioners will have to be accountable for this. If this grant comes through, and we provide the manpower, then I think we all will have to see some results. Mr. Kuhlke: I like to make a motion that we ask the Sheriff to revisit us at our next Public Safety Committee meeting. That he provide us with his program for the use of these funds. That he gives us some information in regards to other communities, whether it's good or bad. And that we get a report from the Director of Finance on how these funds can be applied or can be made available to apply for this grant and identify the funding sources. And that at that point we take an action to carry it back to the Commission. Mr. Oliver: One thing Commissioner Kuhlke perhaps add to that, I would like to see if the Sheriff would put in there what percentage of reduction in crime he would anticipate for the additional 68 Deputies. Mr. Kuhlke: Yes, I will accept the amendment. Mr. Zetterberg: Second. Mr. Mays: I would like to make a substitute motion. I agree with everything that's in Bill's motion, but I think that we need to direct the Sheriff, the Finance Department and the Administrator, to proceed with working on putting this grant together, bring it back to us. The obvious concern is that we will have to have some additional officers. Also, that we direct the Administrator to facilitate a seminar, with Jerry Griffin of ACCG and NACo. Mr. Brigham: I'll second the motion. Mr. Chairman: All in favor of the substitute motion, 2-2. Motion fails with Kuhlke and Zetterberg voting no. Mr. Chairman: Those in favor of the original motion, 2-2. Motion fails with Brigham and Mays voting no. With no further business to discuss, the meeting was adjourned. Lena J. Bonner Clerk of Commission bjb I I I