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HomeMy WebLinkAbout11-26-2001 Meeting ,I PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITIEE COMMITTEE ROOM - November 26, 2001 1:30 P. M. PRESENT: B. Young, Mayor, L. Beard, Chairman, J. Brigham, S. Shepard, M. Williams members; W. Mays, Mayor Pro Tern, A. Cheek, Conunissioner, T. Boyles, Chiefe. Scott, Deputy M. Ridgers, Fire Dept.; R. Strength, Sheriff, R. Crowden, Fleet Maintenance, Commissioner-elect, G. Kolb, Administrator, J. Wall, Attorney, L. Bonner, Clerk of Commission. ALSO PRESENT: L. Mercer Cobb, Region 6 Coordinator. ABSENT: S. Shepard, member. MEDIA: S. Eidson, Metro Spirit, G. Eskola, Channel 6, R. Jones, Augusta Focus, H. C. Williams, Augusta Chronicle. Discuss cost comparison for the Sheriffs Office, Road Patrol Division on whether unassigned vehicles are more economically advantageous to the citizens of Augusta. (Deferred from Public Safety November 13, 2001) I Mr. Crowden: Back in 1997 l'vIr. Siddall conducted a comparable study. In 1997 he restricted his focus to the road patrol and the vehicles of the road patrol. The conclusion of that study showed that the direct cost, meaning those cost associated with fueling and maintenance of those vehicles, that the direct cost would support the assigned vehicle policy within the Sheriff's Office. It went before the Commission and the Commission did support Sheriff Webster's request to maintain assigned vehicles within the department. This year, in order to be consistent with the 1997 study using the same formulas and criteria they are validated and assessable through the NAP A Organization and the Associated Public Works Administration. We made a comparison of the assigned 136 road patrol vehicles against 78, which represents the same reduction of vehicles that was in 1997. We gathered information on the average annual miles driven by those same vehicles and it does show that the unassigned vehicles would travel just less than 50% more than the assigned vehicles. Our annual fuel consumption would show an increase in assigned vehicle consumption against unassigned vehicles. And the annual maintenance is approximately the same between the two. There's not much difference. If you look at just the direct cost it would show that the direct cost would support the unassigned vehicle policy which is contrary to the 1997 study. You need to go beyond the direct cost to look at all cost. The whole impact of going to the unassigned vehicle would go to indirect cost and those indirect cost address the issue of overtime, shift change and other job requirements of the deputy which currently are not being covered under the assigned policy. The bottom line is, our study shows that if you look at the direct cost and the indirect cost if you would overwhelmingly, for the assigned vehicle policy based on the indirect cost. I Mr. Cheek: Do we conduct shift turnovers now for the deputies now at the substation before the go out into the field? Sheriff Strength: No, they go to different subs. North precinct goes to the substation in Daniel Village. South precinct goes to the substation in Southgate. I Mr. Cheek: Are they receiving turnover at that point from the officer that was on that same beat? Sheriff Strength: Right. They are receiving any information that they need to carry into the field with them. After further discussion, Sheriff Strength: This comes up every few years because somebody thinks it saves a few dollars. We've made two major mistakes in my twenty-five year career and both of them were hot seating cars. It was a total disaster. It won't work and it doesn't save money. Some of the reasons why we shouldn't park these vehicles: number one is because of visibility, which is very important out there, it is a crime deterrent, as we all know. We have at any given time, especially when officers are going to work we have half as many at that time in the street. We have cars parked in neighborhoods that you can be assured that these neighborhoods feel it is a lot safer and it is a deterrent there. Our guys work special duty at the mall, shopping centers and nightclubs and athletic games for the high schools where they are responsible for everything that happens there. Therefore, we're not using the few cars that we have in the street to answer these calls. We don't have enough right now to answer the calls that we're getting. So that is such a benefit, not just to the Sheriff's Office and those guys working the specials, it is great for the community. If they drive their own cars we can monitor the cars. When we hot seated the cars they were never serviced on time, they were not taken care of, they were damaged and run down. I Mr. Brigham: I'm in agreement with you most of the way. I have a problem with the take home policy. I don't believe taking the cars outside of Richmond County does anything for the protection of the Richmond County citizen. I want to make a motion that we approve the policy as is. Mr. Beard: Second. How many people do we have taking cars outside of the county? Sheriff Strength: I don't have a number to give you right now. We have a seven mile limit outside the county and we do have officers that live outside the county. Mr. Beard: Are you going to look at a possible policy for that? Sheriff Strength: I don't mind looking at it and I couldn't give you any numbers now. I. I Mr. Beard: Will you bring that information back to us at the next committee meeting? Sheriff Strength: I will. Motion fails 2-1 with Mr. Williams voting no. Discuss ambulance contract. (Deferred from Public Safety November 13, 2001) I Mr. Kolb: At the last conunittee meeting we presented to you a recommendation proposing that we enter into a contract for one year with Rural Metro. In conjunction with signing the contract that we immediately prepare request for proposals to competitively go out and search out other ambulance services for a longer-term contract the awarded negotiations of the contract and implementation by the end of next year. In conjunction with that we would have to get approval from the Region 6 EMS Council of the ambulance service that we would contract with as its own provider and that it would stay within the law and we would present our perimeters to make that happen. One of the major reasons that we're recommending entering into a contract with Rural Metro now is because they are the only licensed zone provider for Augusta and for us to get that would require us to go through a process both internally and with the EMS Council to make that happen. After negotiating with Rural Metro we did negotiate with them what we considered to be a very good performance based contract. However, the cost to implement that for one year was quite expensive. In lieu of executing that particular contract however, and since it is for a twelve-month period, we have in the alternate requested to extend the current contracted for twelve-months. Since that contract expires at the end of December 31,2001 the cost of that also increased by the amount of actually dispatching the ambulances which they are currently doing now and that total is in excess of $400,000 per year. Another alternative is that we actually do the dispatching which we are not at this moment prepared to do. But can implement the first quarter of next year. So by the end of March of2002, we believe that we can reduce the cost of that contract down to its current $50,000 a month or $600,000 per year and that's what we recommended to you at that time. The Commission chose to refer it back to this committee. I just gave you that recap because that is the discussion that you wanted to engage upon prior to making a decision prior to the next commission meeting. Mr. Williams: I need to get some clarification because I'm not clear on the licensing and being able to serve the community. We only have one resource one company to deal with because of the licensing. Is that what you're saying Mr. Kolb? Mr. Kolb: That is correct. To my understanding the state law requires an ambulance service to be qualified and licensed to serve in a particular zone as designated by the EMS Council. I Mr. Beard: Isn't there such a thing as an emergency that you could get another service provider in case of an emergency? Ms. Mercer-Cobb, Region 6 Coordinator: Ifthere was not a 9-1-1 provider, then the council could take action. But 3111 as it is now gives the authority to the EMS Council to assign the 9-1-1 provider in a zone. During this process, when zoning is opened in a county, the county participates with that also the county is involved with the process. I Mr. Williams: Is the zone open now? Ms. Mercer-Cobb: No. There was a request that the council received in July to open zoning in Richmond County. It was considered at the August EMS Council meeting a letter was sent back to the county and we had a letter from Mayor Young that asked us to extend the time frame to March 2002. The council worked out a time line and sent a letter back to Mayor Young asking if the county wanted to participate. The answer we received back in mid-September was that the county did wish to participate but asked us to extend thc time frame. Mr. Kolb: And the reason being is because the commission decided to negotiate a one-year contract with Rural Metro and that we would go to bids for proposals in the first part of2002 and at the same time the EMS Council could then also open up the zone. Thenjointly, since there was only one provider that would be selected, then based on the counties competitive bid process and that's who the EMS Council would qualify for the actual provision of services. After a lengthy discussion, I Mr. Shepard: I move that we forward this to the full commission with no recommendation. Mr. Williams: Second. Motion carries unanimously. ADJOURNMENT: With no further business to discuss the meeting was adjourned. Lena J. Bonner Clerk of Commission Ibb I I PUBLIC SAFETY AGENDA COMMITrEE ROOM - November 26,2001 1:30P.M. 1. Discuss cost comparison for the Sheriff's Office, Road Patrol Division on whether unassigned vehicles are more economically advantageous to the citizens of Augusta. (Deferred from Public Safety November 13, 2001) 2. Discuss ambulance contract. (Deferred from Public Safety November 13, 2001) I I