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HomeMy WebLinkAbout01-08-2001 Meeting I PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE COMMITIEE ROOM - January 8, 2001 3:30 p.m. PRESENT: B. Young, Mayor, L. Beard, Chairman, 1. Brigham, S. Shepard, M. Williams, members, R, Colclough, Commissioner, W. Hornsby, Interim Administrator, J. Wall, Attorney, T. Allen, IT, B. Mack, C. Scott, M. Rodgers, Fire Dept., L. Bonner, Clerk of Commission. MEDIA: S. Eidson, Metro Spirit. Approve and sign Maintenance Renewal Agreement with SunGard Bi- Tech Inc. for the period covering January 1, 2001- December 31, 2001. Mr. Brigham: So move. Mr. Shepard: Second. Motion carried unanimously. Discuss creation of committee to study ambulance services beginning July 1, 2001. (Requested by Commissioner J. Brigham) .,1 . Mr. Brigham: As we all know we have a potential problem. I think the sooner we can get a committee working on this better off we'll be. The two members of the Commission who seem to be most interested in Emergency Management are Mr. Cheek and Mr. Mays. Mr. Beard: I'll take your suggestion and appoint members who are truly interested. Mr. Brigham: That's my suggestion along with the Fire Chief and the EMA Director. Mr. Shepard: We do have six months but we tend to wait around and not do things timely. We know we have this expiring June 30 with Rural Metro and we need to look at all the avenues especially those Commissioners whose district will be affected need to be involved. Are we going to provide this ourselves, are we going to seek alternatives or are we going to extend Rural Metro. I think we have an opportunity to stop the problem or make the problem better before it happens. Mr. Mayor: Mr. Beard, as our representative on the Hospital Authority, has there been any discussion with respect to the hospital wanting to continue this or the city itself contracting directly for the services? I Mr. Beard: Not at any of the Board meetings. After further discussion, Mr. Mays: I think this is a situation where information early is going to be the key to this particular deal. Since we have no expertise in this area we have to trust. I think if we got involvement from a department that could be there and is a lot further along with that attitude than it was when this contract was brought on. I think as much as we can bring on board early would help. But I think it would help us too since we are in a partnership, in as much as we are still in the indigent care business in another level it would be good to see where the hospitals commitment to this situation is also. It might be good to find out to a point. maybe in the interim, of whatever we might do as to what their position is and some levels of help that they could give, not long term but even short term of bringing them in if we have to do a transition. The Committee received this as information. Consider abolishing the position of Public Information Officer in the Fire Department. (Requested by Commissioner Shepard) ~f;i::. ". Mr. Shepard: A few months I was in favor of abolishing this position and I'm still in favor of that. Since we took action on that and even though the position has been vacant for some time we have tried not to abolish it. I appreciate the fact that we have a new Chief on board and giving him heads up. In light of our budgetary situation. I think the appropriate thing to do is send this to the Position Control Committee. I think this committee will reach the same consensus that some of us already have and I think most of us know that we can live without it and we're all in the business of public information and being answerable and accountable to the public. So I would like to make the motion, Mr. Chairman that we allow the Chief to look at this and allow him to give his input. But lets refer to the Position Control Committee the issue of abolishing the Public Information Officer in the Fire Department. Mr. Mays: Second. Chief Mack: I would like a little bit more time. Although the position is there it's not hurting anyone and it's not doing anything to the budget because no one is being paid from that amount. So just as long as you don't basically withdraw that position prematurely before I can have a good look at it. Mr. Beard: That would be taken care of in his motion. We're not vacating that position now. It would go to our Position Control Committee along with your recommendation. They would have to bring this back to the Administrative Services Committee. Mr. Wall: If the position is to be abolished from the organizational chart then that has to come back to the Administrative Services Committee. If the Fire Chief comes in and says I want to fill the position and demonstrates that he is able to meet his budget and fill the position. If the Position Control Committee views the position as one that should be filled, then he would be able to hire. But, if you say you can't fill it and we're I I I I recommending that the position be eliminated that comes back to the Administrative Services Committee. Mr. Mayor: What if the Fire Chief say he wants one fire person to have an additional duty as Public Information 'Person and reclassify that fire persons position, does that go to this committee? Mr. Wall: It would go to HR to look at that additional duty to see whether or not that is to be reclassified. Then it would go to the comminee that oversees that department. Mr. Hornsby: Jim what Mr. Beard is saying that the Position Control Committee is really a recommending committee. And Jim is saying that it can implement provided that position exists. I think Mr. Beard is saying that even if the position exist that it is still a recommending committee I Mr. Wall: My understanding is that you wanted to do two things; one you wanted to put in place a mechanic by which the Commission would not have to hear every department heads appeal to hire a position that happened to be vacant in their department. The second problem was that if a position was unnecessary you wanted to remove it from the organizational chart. To deal with the first issue and that is you have a vacant position that's needed in the organization and the organization can meet its budget. Then the Position Control Committee was there as a review mechanism to be sure that the department truly had a legitimate long-term permanent solution to his budget. So that he could justify filling that position that the person wouldn't be hired for nine or eleven months and then December 31, 2001 all of a sudden have a problem with the next year's budget and having to deal with it. So the Position Control Comminee, as I understood it, and as it was envisioned as Brenda and Walter, was to satisfy that. So that everything didn't come to the Committee or the Commission. Now eliminating a position from an organizational chart is a pretty significant step. That requires Commission action. And so the Position Control Committee tells the department head that the position is not needed. We don't think that you'll be able to meet your budget unless you eliminate the position. Then that would. come. to the Administrative Services Comminee with a recommendation that the position would be eliminated. Then it would be up to the Committee to decide to either eliminate the position or send it back to the department head to find a way that he can both fill the position and meet the budget or get an increase , in his budget. ivIr. Beard: So they don't have any authority to eliminate any position? Mr. Wall: No. Mr. Beard: They would have to bring it back to the Administrative Services Committee? I Mr. Wall: Right. And if we think it's a needed position. but that there is no way they can meet the budget, then the Committee then in concert with the department head comes to the Finance Committee and says you need the position, they don't have enough money in their budget to fill the position and meet the 3.5 percent, we think a budget I adjustment is needed for that department. " Mr. Beard: Another thing Jim, I was thinking that the Position Control Committee would report back to either the full body or the Administrative Services Committee. To let us know what they are doing or what they are eliminating and what they are approving. At some point I would like to see some kind of report. .......~~ ~~~ Mr. Williams: Will we know before they approve a position? Mr. Wall: That's what I envisioned. Mr. Williams: I think we need know one way or the other. We should be able to give them the authority whether to put somebody on or cut somebody off. Mr. Wall: I thought that was the reason you wanted this Position Control Committee so that we didn't have to wait for the full Commission to act, so that they could move expeditiously to fill positions that were needed. After further discussion, Mr. Hornsby: Mr. Chairman could we as a committee report back to you as far as what has been before us? . ;:r' ~:!;i ' ~-~: ' Mr. Beard: That would be ok, I Motion carried unanimously. With no further business to discuss, the meeting was adjourned. Lena 1. Bonner Clerk of Commission Ibb I PUBLIC SAFETY AGENDA COMMITIEE ROOM - January 8, 2001 3:30 P. M. I. Approve and sign Maintenance Renewal Agreement with SunGard Bi-Tech Inc. for the period covering January 1, 200 I - December 31, 2001. 2. Discuss creation of committee to study ambulance services beginning July I, 2001. (Requested by CommissionerJ. Brigham) 3. Consider abolishing the position of Public Information Officer in the Fire Department. (Requested by Commissioner Shepard)