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HomeMy WebLinkAbout101413 CCC_Open Session_Aproved_1m_BdCOUNTY OF KAUAI Minutes of Meeting OPEN SESSION Board /Committee: I COST CONTROL COMMISSION Meeting Date October 14, 2013 Location Mo'ikeha Building — Liquor Conference Room Start of Meeting: 1:35 p.m. End of Meeting: 3:15 p.m. Present Chair Sandi Sterker; Members: Dirk Apao; Lawrence Chaffin, Jr.; Joanne Nakashima Also present: Deputy County Attorney Jodi Higuchi - Sayegusa; Boards & Commissions Office Staff. Support Clerk Mercedes Youn; Administrator Paula Morikami; Administrative Aide Teresa Tamura; Finance Director Steve Hunt; Budget and Purchasing Director Ernest Barriera; Chief of Police Darryl Perry; Deputy Chief of Police Michael Contrades; and Council Chair Jay Furfaro Excused Commissioners Arryl Kaneshiro, Glen Takenouchi and Laurie Yoshida Absent SUBJECT DISCUSSION ACTION Call To Order Chair Sterker called the meeting to order at 1:35 p.m. Approval of Regular Open Session Minutes of September 9, 2013. Commissioner Nakashima moved to approve the Minutes meeting minutes of September 9, 2013 as circulated. Commissioner Apao seconded the motion. Motion carried 4:0 Budget Presentation for Mr. Hunt shared with the Commission that he would be reading his FY 2013 -14 by presentation, which is attached hereto, that was presented to Council on Finance Director March 15th. He explained that the Budget team did not do an updated Steve Hunt presentation although they are beginning to work on FYI budget. He stated that normally the Council Chair and Vice Chair would be the first to hear the presentation, and that he would not speak before any Boards or Commissions until they have at least had the courtesy to meet with Council. Budget and Purchasing Director Ernest Barreira joined in the presentation. He shared with the Commission a little bit about where the County is currently at and where it is headed in terms of the budget review process. He shared with the Commission that when Mayor Carvalho was elected to Cost Control Commission Regular Meeting - Open Session October 14, 2013 Page 2 SUBJECT DISCUSSION ACTION a full term he had a vision to create a Budget team to better serve the County's financial interest. Prior to that for some thirty -two years the Budget team was a one person operation lead by a very competent budget administrator. What was lacking in all of those years was the absence of a budget and financial analysis, which is a critical tool that can be used to conduct a self - analysis of how the County is doing by looking at the kind of monies that were budgeted, how to compare from an actual budget to a performance process in order to make policy and procedural decisions based on the management of these financial assets. He stated that the Mayor was intent on being not problematic so that the County financial circumstances would not be increased. In doing so, the Mayor had to identify existing resources within the County and he did this by leveraging existing resources by utilizing Grant Administrator Ann Wooten and the hiring of financial analyst Ken Shimonishi. Mr. Barriera shared with the Commission that he was later called upon by the Mayor to lead the process in which he accepted, but with one condition that he would be allowed to remain as the County's Assistant Chief Procurement Officer because of several initiatives that he had already started, which he wanted to see through. He stated that the Budget team saved the County about $10,000 in salaries, and that the Budget team has already shown its value by conducting a type of longitude analysis in terms of looking into the County's expenditure patterns over the past three years in order to make informed and intelligent budget decisions. He stated that the collective budgetary role of the Administration and the Council cannot be overstated, and while it's the Administration's responsibility to present a balanced budget on the 15th of March of every year only the Council by Charter has the authority to enact the annual budget. Cost Control Commission Regular Meeting - Open Session October 14, 2013 Page 3 SUBJECT DISCUSSION ACTION Chair Sterker asked if there were areas in County services that would not be cut because of the realization that it could actually hurt the County. Mr. Barreira indicated that he would have to limit his discussion until they had the chance to meet with the Council. He stated that although the Mayor has placed high priorities in his Holo Holo 2020 Vision list of initiatives, those initiatives could potentially be harmed should the County face another economic downturn that it cannot recover from. Mr. Barreira shared with the Commission information on the series of neighborhood meetings in which the public was invited to provide feedback relative to their concerns and to share their initiatives. He noted that the same survey was also presented at this year's County Farm Fair in August in which seven hundred surveys were received, which will be taken into consideration when the time comes to make budget decisions. Chair Sterker asked if it would help the County to have more volunteer groups. Mr. Barreira replied that the County's Adopt -A -Park Program is a good example of a successful initiative. He stated that the community could benefit by engaging with the County to help the program grow. Chair Sterker noted that she would like to add the Neighborhood Watch Program as another initiative because it would certainly help the Police Department. Chair Sterker voiced her concern about the lack of publicity, and asked if there was some way of getting the information out to the public. Mr. Barreira commented that it is his understanding that Parks Director Lenny Rapozo supports the initiative to expand the Adopt -A -Park Program. Cost Control Commission Regular Meeting - Open Session October 14, 2013 Page 4 SUBJECT DISCUSSION ACTION Commissioner Chaffin stated that although he appreciates Mr. Hunt's testimony he felt that it would make better sense the next time around if he created an informational chart that reflect steps being taken relative to budget review process. Mr. Barreira indicated that one of the things he would like to do prior to the start of the next budget review process is to meet with the various Commissions to share information that they are able to provide, and whatever information is appropriate in terms of the analysis. Commissioner Apao thanked both gentlemen for all of their hard work and for being thorough in every detail relative to the budget review process. The pres entation concluded at 1:55 p.m. Business CCC 2013- 21Discussion on the vacancies in the Kauai Police Department versus overtime (On-going) (a) PowerPoint presentation by Deputy Chief of Police Michael Contrades regarding how the Police Department is dealing with the expenditures for overtime that would affect the department's budget. Chief Perry took the time to thank the Commission for the opportunity to provide the presentation. He stated that the Police Department is very mindful in terms of law enforcement, and because it is a nonrevenue generating agency it needs funding to continue with the business of keeping the community safe; and revenues inputted into the County is based on how the visitors, business people and the community in general feel about being safe. Cost Control Commission Regular Meeting - Open Session October 14, 2013 Page 5 Deputy Chief Contrades' presentation to the Commission reflected a comprehensive overview of the Kauai Police Department FYI budgetary update explaining the following topics: 1) summary of overtime expenditures for the months of July through September 2013; 2) causes of overtime; 3) distribution of workload; 4) the department's inability to fill positions; 5) KPD's saddled with State agency's responsibility; 6) Mitigation efforts; 7) Projection & Prediction; 8) Three options to deal with overtime; 9) Repercussions to each option; and 10) Ramifications of no overtime. Deputy Chief Contrades stated that the Kauai Police Department does not profess to be more deserving or better than other departments, but one must acknowledge that the job of a police officer is unique in its entirety. Chief Perry provided the Commission with a handout on population driven police force ratios (On file). He shared with the Commission that when he returned to Kauai in 2007 one of his goals when he became Police Chief was to restore community trust and confidence. He pointed out that although the department has just about filled all of its vacancies, according to the Department of Business, Economic & Development & Tourism 2040 Forecast, the defacto population for Kaua'i, which includes visitors and military personnel, totals 86,446. The Kauai Police Department currently has 155 sworn officers, which is equal to a police force ratio of 1.79 versus the national standard of 199 (for the same population); this leaves the Police Department with a variance of 44 police officers at its maximum strength. He credits the men and women in the Kauai Police Department along with the community support for doing a great job despite the lack of staffing. Cost Control Commission Regular Meeting - Open Session October 14, 2013 Page 6 Chair Sterker asked that with the recent shooting involving four (4) KPD police officers, why were the officers placed on leave and for how long. Chief Perry explained that in a case such as this the first thing the Police Department does is place the officer(s) on a three (3) day administrative leave so that the investigation can begin. In conducting the investigation the investigation must be viewed from both sides, whether it's criminal or civil or both. He further explained that while the investigation is continuing the department must also consider the welfare of the police officers, as well as their families, by providing both counseling and psychological services. He stated that after the officers are cleared they are brought back in the workplace, but are placed in an administrative type of work environment until the investigation is completed. Chair Sterker asked if the Police Department has considered implementing a senior patrol program. Chief Perry stated that he has not considered it because of liability issues. Chair Sterker commended Chief Perry for his efforts in filling the vacant positions in the Police Department. She asked whether it is possible or difficult to bring in trained police officers as opposed to training the officers in- house. Deputy Chief Contrades explained that there are police officers that have come from the mainland that had to be retrained because of liability issues. The fact of the matter is that the Hawaii laws are different and the officers have to be retrained with respect to the operational procedures, policies and requirements of the Kauai Police Department. He added that although the KPD trainings are similar to the other counties in the State they may have different requirements, policies and procedures. Cost Control Commission Regular Meeting - Open Session October 14, 2013 Page 7 Deputy Chief Contrades stated that although the department's hiring process has shortened considerably from 2 years to 6 months there is an additional nine (9) months of specialized training followed by field training where the new officer is shadowed by his FTO. Chief Perry shared with the Commission that because of the shooting incident in August the officers training records are subject to subpoena including their trainers. Chair Sterker noted that based on the length of time it takes for an officer to write a report has the department considered offering report writing workshops. Deputy Contrades replied that part of the recruitment training includes report writing. Commissioner Apao asked with the hiring of the nineteen (19) police officers has it affected the police force ratio. Deputy Chief Contrades replied that although the hiring had no affect on the police force ratio it will help to reduce the overtime because the officers will be working straight time and covering all of the different shifts. Chief Perry shared with the Commission that the Police Department has a plan that has been in place for four (4) years that would meet the ratios, which will then be incorporated into beat expansion that has been delineated for the next twenty years based on the calls for services. Commissioner Chaffin asked what the retention percentage of the recruits is relative to the retirement based on the next ten (10) years. Chief Perry pointed out that when an officer first joins the Police Department they generally stay for the duration of twenty -five (25) years. However, the problem now is that some of the senior officers have chosen to seek employment in other areas of the private sector despite the fact that S.H.O.P.O has negotiated another pay increase. He noted that it is his understanding that officers in KPD are simply burnt out because of the fact Cost Control Commission Regular Meeting - Open Session October 14, 2013 Page 8 that on many occasions the officers have to wear multiple hats; unlike the Honolulu Police Department who have specialized teams who are assigned to handle different types of duties. Deputy Chief Contrades pointed out that another reason overtime occurs is during training when an experienced officer is assigned to perform training duties. Commissioner Chaffin questioned whether the department goes out to seek grant funds. Deputy Contrades explained that the department has numerous grants and a majority of the grants are reoccurring grants. He stated that roughly the Police Department receives $750,000 in grant funds, which is used toward traffic enforcement, upgrades to the traffic safety units to give the ability to investigate fatalities, and narcotics work. He shared with the Commission that most recently the department received a Cops Grant in the amount of $750,000, which the County has to match over a three (3) year period. The funds will enable the department to hire six (6) new officers. Council Chair Furfaro voiced his concerns relative to overtime issues, premium pay, expansion of beats which comes as a real cost to the County in order to reach staffing guidelines, and hiring of a Staff Planner in KPD whose responsibility will be to keep abreast of the incremental increase in salaries. Chair Sterker called for a motion to accept the presentation in its entirety. The presentation concluded at 3:00 p.m. Commissioner Chaffin moved to accept the presentation in its entirety. Commissioner Apao seconded the motion. Motion carried 4:0 Cost Control Commission Regular Meeting - Open Session October 14, 2013 Page 9 Communications CCC 2013 -23 Communication dated 9/9/13 from Council Chair Jay Furfaro to Chair Sandi Sterker, regarding a proposed draft Bill No. 2499, relating to charges and fees. Commissioner Apao moved to receive item CCC Chair Sterker called for a motion to receive item CCC 2013 -13 for the 2013 -23 for the record. Commissioner Chaffin record. seconded the motion. Council Chair Furfaro pointed out that rather than going through a cycle relative to proposed Bill No. 2499 he recommended that more attention should be made to establish a routine to review certain County costs of permits, fees, and rentals on a timely basis. He pointed out this would prevent the County from lagging on its responsibilities to make appropriate changes as needed relative to the fees and charges. With no further discussion, Chair Sterker called for the vote. Motion carried 4:0 Business CCC 2013 -22 Discussion on the vacancies in the Department of Public Works versus overtime (On- going) Chair Sterker suggested inviting the appropriate representative from the PW Department to discuss overtime justification, and what they have done to fill the vacant positions as well as how they are dealing with their expenditures. Staff acknowledged the Chair's request and will contact Mr. Dill. Announcements Next meeting: Thursday, November 14, 2013 at 1:30 p.m. at the Mo'ikeha Building — Liquor Conference Room. Cost Control Commission Regular Meeting - Open Session October 14, 2013 Page 10 Adjournment I Chair Sterker entertained a motion to adjourn the meeting. Submitted by: Mercedes Youn, Staff Support Clerk (X) Approved as circulated on November 14, 2013 ( ) Approved as amended. See minutes of meeting. Reviewed and Approved by: Commissioner Chaffin moved to adjourn. Commissioner Apao seconded the motion. Motion carried 4:0 At 3:15 p.m. the meeting was adj Sandi Sterker, Chair