2008, 07-01 Study Session MinutesPresent:
Councilmembers:
Rich Munson, Mayor
Dick Denenny, Deputy Mayor
Rose Dempsey, Councilmember
Bill Gothmann, Councilmember
Gary Schimmels, Councilmember
Steve Taylor, Councilmember
Diana Wilhite, Councilmember
MINUTES
CITY OF SPOKANE VALLEY
CITY COUNCIL STUDY SESSION
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Staff:
Dave Mercier, City Manager
Mike Jackson, Deputy City Manager
Mike Connelly, City Attorney
Mike Stone, Parks and Recreation Director
Ken Thompson, Finance Director
Kathy McClung, Community Development Dir.
Neil Kersten, Public Works Director
Cary Driskell, Deputy City Attorney
Carolbelle Branch, Public Information Officer
Bill Miller, IT Specialist
Chris Bainbridge, City Clerk
Mayor Munson called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. and welcomed everyone to the meeting.
Employee introductions: Public Works Director Kersten introduced new Stormwater Engineer Shilo
Sprouse, who will be with us temporarily for six months and who formerly worked for the Department of
Ecology; and introduced new Construction Inspector Ken VanDyk, who is our temporary employee for
Appleway. Deputy City Manager Mike Jackson then introduced his new Administrative Assistant
Michele Rasmussen, who has worked the last five years for a financial advisory group. Council greeted
and welcomed the new employees.
Per Mayor Munson's request, City Clerk Bainbridge called roll; all Councilmembers were present, and
they welcomed back Councilmember Schimmels.
ACTION ITEMS:
1. Motion Consideration: Approval of Memorandum of Understanding, Washington Traffic Safety
Commission: Overtime Funding — Rick VanLeuven
It was moved by Councilmember Taylor and seconded to approve the Memorandum Of Understanding,
Washington Tragic Safety Commission, in an amount not to exceed $3,000 for overtime for the August
campaign of "Drive Hammered get Nailed" DUI Emphasis Patrols, and authorize the City Manager or
designee to sign the document. Police Chief VanLeuven explained that this is for reimbursement of a
grant from the Washington State Traffic Commission, which provides overtime funding for DUI
emphasis patrol, which is a nation -wide program which gets a lot of media attention for that purpose.
Mayor Munson invited public comment; no comments were offered. Vote by Acclamation: In Favor:
Unanimous. Opposed: None. Abstentions: None. Motion carried. Mr. Mercier said in relation to this
topic, prior to tonight, this sort of grant was directed to the Sheriff's Office which was responsible for the
related accounting which was credited to the Sheriff's Office, so Council has not had a previous role in
accepting these kinds of grants; that there will be a series of these grant coming forward, often coming to
staff with a required short turn - around time; and he asked about Council's willingness to have a
delegation of authority to accept these grants over time. Mayor Munson said he wants to make sure the
public knows that Council is supporting these efforts, while at the same time would be willing to work out
a way to expedite approval. Mr. Mercier said that staff can compose a list of emphasis grants we think
may be available for presentation to Council for prior approval, and then if the funds come, we could
move expeditiously to capture them. Chief VanLeuven mentioned the type of project would be similar to
the recently implemented nighttime seal belt enforcement campaign.
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2. Motion Consideration: Accept the ICMA Assessment of Law Enforcement Services Proposal — Dave
Mercier
It was moved by Councilmember Taylor and seconded to accept the proposal for the Assessment of Law
Enforcement Services presented by ICMA (International City /County Management Association), and
authorize the City Manager to finalize and execute a contact for such services. City Manager Mercier
then gave his PowerPoint presentation of the proposed "Proactive Evaluation of Law Enforcement
Services for the Citizens of Spokane Valley," which included a slide of "Practicing what We Preach," to
which Mr. Mercier added that the Parks and Recreation MasterPlan would be included in that list as well.
Mr. Mercier's slides included a copy of the ICMA Proposal dated May 27, 2008, describing the purpose
and scope as:
• "The Primary objective of this assessment is to present to the City an unbiased review
of the positive and negative ramifications of renewing its contract with the Sheriff's
Department versus establishing an independent police department.
• In both cases, the City wishes to have in place processes and procedures to measure
service performance.
• Establish current levels of performance and workload; introduce routine performance
measurements and identify opportunities for improved performance.
• Determine the appropriate staffing levels within the city's fiscal constraints and the
city's policies regarding levels of public safety service."
Mr. Mercier said that an assessment is not a new idea, that we have had a series of discussions on this
subject since the day of incorporation to apply this practice to law enforcement the same as we did to
other services, that law enforcement is the highest factor of the City's budget, and that the $126,500 cost
for conducting this assessment is 1% of that department's budget; and that he is not aware of any
generally accepted government accounting that would except from review, this largest and most important
part of public service.
Councilmember Gothmann asked if this is the only case where we examine the inside of a contract; to
which Mr. Mercier replied the JUB Street Master Planning document as well as the Parks and Rec
MasterPlan are two examples of reviewing this type of complex issue; but Mr. Gothmann further
explained that we don't have a contractor relationship with those and asked if this is the only contractor
we ask about their hiring practices? Mr. Mercier responded that of the service providers for the City, we
have not performed this kind of assessment using outside folks to look at all operational dimensions, but
what we have done often is go to private sectors to solicit alternate providers to reduce cost and increase
the amount of material they can produce for this City; that the issue at present is clearly complex and
sensitive, and as we look to undertake a study of this nature, we have to be practical and recognize the
emotional aspect connected to these kinds of services; that we want to increase public confidence in the
study and to assure there is no baggage on those conducting the study; and that it is routine for
government units to go to a third party to make these types of assessments. Mr. Mercier said the police
department is different as it is the highest amount of investment and represents Council's top priority; that
in order for the assessment to create performance measures, it is important to look at a variety of areas of
critical functions in order to get the holistic view; that this is not something to do on the quick and narrow
but from a wide spectrum view of the department. Mr. Mercier mentioned that as an example,
government entities are required to validate prevailing wages being paid by independent contractors doing
work for the City, and we have to examine payrolls and verify they are complying with the law.
Councilmember Taylor asked Mr. Mercier about Morgan Koudelka's role in evaluating contracts, and
what percentage of the sheriff's office budget is our contract. Mr. Mercier explained that Mr. Koudelka's
role is our internal management analyst; that we ask him to examine the elements of a variety of contracts
of service providers, and that he is skilled at that analysis and each year, our eighteen county contracts
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come up for settle and adjust and he reviews the data; and that the work of the Spokane Valley represents
about 43% of the overall costs of operating the Sheriff's Office; and Mr. Mercier agreed with Mr.
Taylor's assessment that any change in costs, such as changes in collective bargaining, of which we have
no control, will have an impact on our costs; and he said that Mr. Koudelka works closely with members
of the Sheriff's Office finance team as whatever settlement comes about, the City will pay its share of
costs.
Councilmember Gothmann quoted several parts from the contract we have with the Sheriff's office,
including portions that detail the duties of the sheriff's office and portions that detail the duties of the
City; and said that there is nothing in that contract mentioning the involvement of a consultant; and said
he fails to understand what a consultant would do, as examining costs is up to the purview of the Sheriff's
Office. Mr. Mercier again went over the dual scope of the proposal as it calls on the sheriff's office to
identify all costs associated with positions being used to provide service in the Valley; and in order to
itemize the cost of establishing an independent police department, they would identify the costs to date of
officers' service in the unit. Councilmember Gothmann countered that it is the Sheriff office which sets
the standards. Mr. Mercier replied that we would be asking the consultant to help us by making
suggestions on what would be reasonable amendments to the contract, that their first tasks would be to
identify and document what exists —not to go in and re -order everything; and to compare its findings with
generally accepted performance measures to see if there are any opportunities for improvement; stressing
that the consultants have no authority to go in and re- direct the management of the Sheriff's office; the
consultants would assess, identify, and document what is occurring. Councilmember Dempsey asked
about the premise of this as Council receives monthly data from the Police Department already, and
questioned why pay for this service if we already have it. Mr. Mercier explained that the policing
operating research is a methodology being used nationwide to examine raw data of crime statistics and
pass them through new models that are being used to help understand the nature of the crime and identify
strategies for dealing with it; that maybe their data is 100% correct and every interpretation is 100%
correct, but he doubted that is the case as data can be interpreted in many ways; and a thorough
examination will not ignore existing data, but such might even prove to be a terrific validation.
Councilmember Taylor mentioned that it appears many of these questions are geared toward Mr. Mercier
as to why we are doing this assessment, as if it was his idea; and he reminded everyone that the idea to
have an assessment was forged at the January retreat, and that Mr. Mercier was not at that meeting, and at
that meeting, there was council consensus to move forward and look at an opportunity to move toward an
assessment of the contract and to look for areas of improvement, and to have the information at hand so if
we ever do need to resort to an alternate, we would be prepared; but that was never the primary objective
to have an assessment; and that it would be good for the public to see what value of services are we
receiving from the Sheriff's office. Councilmember Taylor posed the question of how can we improve
without an assessment; and said that we are not at the point of forming our own department; but requested
that staff bring forward a proposal and that is what Mr. Mercier did and he thanked Mr. Mercier for
following through on council's directive. Councilmember Gothmann said he disagreed with the pretext of
Councilmember Taylor's interpretation concerning the January retreat and the purpose of the assessment.
Councilmember Schimmels said that regarding the sheet handed out at the retreat June 14, he took
exception to that because of the goals listed; but there it is in black and white, that is part of the aim of
this study; that he initially thought that we would compile a laundry list of the benefits and duties of our
department and at least get something on common ground for some dialogue; but said that here we are
getting a reaction; and that it is not fair to the public or the Sheriff's Office or members of SCOPE, and
that perhaps we could have such a cost down the road, but that it is not the first step.
Mayor Munson asked if we will share this information with the Sheriff's Office, and Mr. Mercier replied
that the assessment can only be made in close interaction with members of the Police Department and that
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Leonard Matarese met with Doug Silver who is the custodian of statistics for the Sheriff's office as the
assessment would rely on the raw data coming from that source to pump into their models; that such
assessment must have those interactions: data first, decision later. Mayor Munson added that since our
relationship with the Sheriff's Office is based on a contract, after five years both sides found things we
like to discuss more, and knowing where we are starting from, would provide both parties with a baseline
that does not now exist, and added that this study is not trying to predict any outcome. Mr. Mercier said
that the desired outcome is for gathering reliable data that will enable council to structure long term
strategic planning in the community.
PUBLIC COMMENT:
Mayor Munson asked that in the interest of time, citizens not repeat what others have previously stated,
that comments will be limited to three minutes each, that he asked that the comments be civil, and it was
determined that Council would first ask those to speak who have not commented at the last meeting.
Prior to taking the first comment, Mayor Munson asked City Clerk Bainbridge to read the statement
received from the Pollards.
James and Mary Pollard, July 1, 2008 e -mail was read into the record: in summary, that e -mail, directed
to Mayor and Council and with a closing from Mary Pollard of the North Greenacres Neighborhood asked
Council to support the current efforts of the police department and respect the checks and balances by
having Sheriff Knezovich oversee the valley police; that they are pleased with the help received in 2006,
and said that Mr. Mercier's job should not include any purview of the police beyond fiscal matters since
he is not an elected official.
Scott Lanes, North 20 Raymond Road , Spokane Valley: said that the contract to have a police department
started five years ago with Sheriff Sterk; and that this is not Ozzie's contract; but since Ozzie, the
services, attitude and respect of the community toward the police have been shown to be an asset; that he
hasn't heard council pass a resolution to do Appleway, or do the City Center; and that there has been no
action on them, and most business people want to know what is going on; that Ozzie has done more for
police enforcement; and when Sterk was sheriff, Mr. Lanes said he was a sworn enemy of every cop who
came to his business, but such is not the case now.
Jenie Willardson, 12722 East 223 Avenue: said she has worked for consulting firms and knows about
consulting, and there are no reasons for this as we already have one of the safest cities in the state at the
lowest cost; and that the Sheriff has great citizen support; she voiced concern of why we are only looking
at one consulting firm; that she is not against the idea of looking at the Sheriff's Office, as it would be a
good idea to have a baseline study and find out about the system as there is always room for
improvement; but it seems to be the idea of rather then improving our services we have, the underlining
idea is to have our own Police Department, and she also voiced concern with using consultants from areas
outside our own state.
Garth Werner, 11415 East Ave: said he spoke last week about our tough economy, said this is a mess;
that the Sheriff's Office is doing a great job; that we need to look at the big picture; but estimated that to
build a new police department would cost between $2 and $3 million, then we would have to have a
contract for a jail as well and that that is ridiculous; and everybody he knows is proud of the support the
Sheriff's Office gives us now.
Patrick Martin, E 6606 Ave: said he is president of Edgeclift SCOPE, and that he is blessed to work
with dedicated volunteers who work hand in hand with members of the Sheriff's Office; and that he is
impressed by the amount of caring and concern he sees from the deputies daily; that they risk their lives
for the citizens; and when his neighborhood was having problems, they took an active role to eradiate
crime from their neighborhood; that he understands the need to make educated decisions when dealing
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with tax dollars; and part of him thinks this is moot as we have a sheriff's office who is regulated by the
state who actively seeks the best policies and procedures as they want all their members to come home
alive.
Dick Behm, 3626 S Ridgeview Drive: said to the Mayor, Mr. Mercier, Mr. Denenny, and Mr. Taylor that
they misrepresented this contract tonight; and he read sections of the cover letter from ICMA and of their
proposal concerning the delivery of police services, and the options for the future; and said that
evidentially they the consultants] were told they had problems; and that the City "wishes to determine the
effectiveness of a relationship between the County Sheriffs' Department . . and Spokane Valley versus
understanding the ramifications of creating its own police force." Mr. Behm said that Council sat up
there a few minutes ago and said this was to get a baseline of information, and it was not a study for
creating a new police force, and yet the contract, what it says in here is that's what they're hiring them to
do, to see if we should get a new police force or go on and contract with the Sheriff; and that it states that
the primary objective of this project is "to present to the city with an unbiased review of the positive and
negative ramifications of renewing its contract with the Sheriff's Department versus the establishment of
an independent police department." Mr. Behm said, "Gentlemen, you have been lying to this audience
tonight." Mayor Munson replied that he had asked people to be respectful and that was not respect, but
Mr. Behm further replied that he was sorry but that he is angry and said, "You made me that way."
Mayor Munson said the Chair will not tolerate that language in this room.
Deanna Hormann, 1319 S Shamrock: said she has been chair of her neighborhood watch and involved in
SCOPE; and that they need the leadership of Ozzie as they implement his vision for the safety of our
community; that Ozzie understands how to work with these volunteers; and that it is not very often one
can find an elected official who is intelligent, a visionary, a manager, and who puts people who can
handle a job in places of power; and one who doesn't have to micromanage or control his people; and that
we need his leadership.
City Manager Mercier brought back his previously viewed PowerPoint slide #16 which states the purpose
and scope of the assessment, which is just as Mr. Behm read, and which clearly points out that purpose;
and Mr. Mercier said the whole text is there and available for the public and that meaning was clearly
brought out in the open at tonight's meeting.
Mike DeVleming, 3418 S Melissa Drive: said he encourages Council to move forward and expects
Council to be good stewards of his tax dollars; whether it is in reviewing a library contract, a fire
protection contract, or any other contract; and that it is Council's job to find out how to get the best bang
for the best buck; that he believes the current arrangement is a good one and everyone from the Sheriffs'
Office and Police Department, from the officers to the SCOPE volunteers have done a fantastic job; and
that everyone is aware that sheriffs come and go and this City is not solely responsible for electing a
sheriff, and in the blink of an eye, things can change; and that it is the responsibility of Council to know
all their options and get the information from the experts.
Concentrated Council discussion followed including mention from Councilmember Schimmels that he
doesn't think we are at the cross -roads at this point yet; that he sees too much of a pattern to upset the
applecart, and won't support that expense. Councilmember Taylor said that he doesn't take it lightly
when his and his fellow Councilmembers' integrity is called into question; that it is clear from the slide
what is being proposed here is what they directed the City Manager to do, that there is some significant
misinformation out there and it is obvious that most believe this is a foregone conclusion and that
assumption is unfortunate; that they must operate this city and spend tax dollars based on the best
information and cannot do that without having alternatives in place and must be ready to negotiate the
best position for citizens from a position of strength; that it has been five years since the negotiation of
this contract and a lot of changes took place; that he is happy with law enforcement services provided;
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that it can be improved, and that Council needs to support this and set the politics aside, and operate as the
professional city it is, the seventh largest in the state. Deputy Mayor Denenny mentioned the January
meeting minutes whereby it mentions he said he wanted to look for our own department; but wanted to
clarify that we are contracting for our services, and his intent was to explain that the only alternative to
that is our own department; that the options are to improve contracts or examine the costs of operating our
own department; that they must examine the options to determine what is best; and if someone were to
ask him how that department is doing, he would have to say he has no idea; that the Transition Committee
suggested a 90 -day cancellation clause to the negotiation changes or starting our own department, so this
is not a new problem; that he would expect there will be areas for improvement, but we need the data to
make a proper decision, and does not want the community to think this is a foregone conclusion, as that
was not the intent. Councilmember Dempsey said that as the wife of a former career military man they
have lived in different areas and learned that humans have different thoughts and reactions; that the
January retreat was only her second or third meeting; but her recollection was that they decided to
establish guidelines and objectives for the Police Department; and she questioned how this grew into a
$130,000 assessment done by people who don't know the western ways and don't live in this area; and
she said she can't support this.
Councilmember Gothmann said that Mr. Taylor's impression of what occurred at the January retreat is at
variance with his impression; and that his impression is solidified in the minutes; and he read a portion of
those minutes from the top of page six wherein it discussed Councilmember Wilhite's suggestion of
putting this topic on the agenda for June to examine how in -depth Council may want to have this as a
2009 goal; and further quoting from those meeting minutes; that "There was eventual consensus to put
this as an upcoming study session agenda item, and that Police Chief VanLeuven and Mr. Mercier could
give Council a list of what Council has control over, and of suggested areas or goals for law enforcement
to achieve, and that this is separate from the contractual based issues which will come back later."
Councilmember Gothmann stated that we need to define what services we want from the Sheriff's Office,
the levels of service, the cost, but that it would be wrong to go into the sheriff's office and ask how they
hire and assign and about their operational control; he said that Mr. Mercier's studies were in -house
studies; and the sheriff's office can do that; that because there was a concern about goals, on January 12
he (Mr. Gothmann) made a list of suggested goals, and included a paragraph that says: "The above
analysis suggests that we need to determine the community's needs for each of the law enforcement
functions; define objectives for each of these functions, determine performance measurements, then
measure each and compare against a defined level. Continuing quoting from those minutes, Mr.
Gothmann read that he went on to say "I believe that Shoreline's budget provides an excellent place to
start." Mr. Gothmann said he was surprised when ICMA didn't do any of that; didn't talk about goals for
cities; but only about operational goals for the sheriff's office. Councilmember Gothmann said that at the
June retreat he made up some goals; and he distributed copies of "Spokane Valley Police Indicators"
which shows costs per capital for police services, and crimes per 1000 in 2007. In discussing sections of
the contract with the Sheriff's Office, Councilmember Gothmann said that concerning Section 14, it is
likely that the City of Spokane Valley is in violation of that contract; that he feels this is an anti -way of
doing business; he's against the proposal; and he said that he publicly suggests that the Sheriff refuse to
do the assessment, as it hurts his office, in that it interferes with his operation; it also sets a precedent that
Mr. Gothmann thinks is a bad precedent. Councilmember Gothmann stated that the sheriff hires and fires;
the sheriff is in charge of operations, the sheriff determines cost, and we need to fulfill our own
obligations, and set our own goals before we start intruding in the sheriff's, and Councilmember
Gothmann said that he would "ask that the Sheriff just flat out refuse to, refuse to do it" and said that if
we want numbers from him, he'll be happy to, but as far as submitting to this assessment, Councilmember
Gothmann said he thinks it's wrong.
Councilmember Wilhite said that like the Street MasterPlan and the City Center, it takes time to do a
study to see what a project entails in order to have the best plan to spend the taxpayer's money; that she
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believes we need to look at the police department and the services we get, and look at what it is we want
to provide for the citizens regarding public safety; that the vision Ozzie has as an elected official is the
vision for Spokane County; that he was elected to do and does do a good job; but the vision for Spokane
Valley is something Council should be looking for; and that it may or may not coincide with what is
happening with the County; that this is a very large part of our budget, and Council needs to examine the
study, and she suggests reviewing the scope of the proposal and revising what has been presented to us
regarding what Council wants to look at; and that Council needs further discussion on what we want to
have in conjunction with policing; that it has been said that elected officials are supposed to lead; and she
feels she has failed because when we look to see who's following, she sees a big void; so she said she
feels the need to go back to the drawing table, then come forward again with other suggestions; and for
this particular proposal, she will vote no.
Mayor Munson said that this is not a popularity contest, but is a serious matter of providing services to
the city and of financial services; that it is not a comment on officer performance as our officers are doing
a wonderful job; but we need to have alternatives as alternatives are the strength of negotiations; and
added that Council has an obligation to make sure the largest budget and most important priority is being
undertaken in the most efficient manner possible, and if we don't do that, we fail in our duty; he stated
this has nothing to do with Ozzie; that we have to examine sustainable funding as prices are going up
faster than incomes. Mayor Munson said one has to ask who is best suited to accomplish an objective
study of our services; the department has its own agendas; and our staff doesn't have the experts to do
that; and that we want someone with a proven record of providing this type of study; that the police
department could be compared with a combat unit which needs training, motivation, and assessment; that
he spent 28 years in the air force and his unit was assessed annually for operational readiness; and he
doesn't see the police department as being any different; and mentioned that we have not done that yet
and said we would be remiss in council duties to not provide that assessment.
City Manager Mercier said that it is neither unusual or unsavory for a public corporation to undertake
these kind of assessments; and there is a difference between peaking into the files of a private company
and looking at records of a public entity; and aside from confidential information, everything public
agencies do are open for public examination; and mentioned that he understands Spokane County wants
to take a holistic look at corrections and that they invested funds to conduct such a study.
Vote by Acclamation to accept the proposal for the Assessment of Law Enforcement Services presented by
ICMA (International City /County Management Association), and authorize the City Manager to finalize
and execute a contact for such services: In Favor: Mayor Munson, Deputy Mayor Denenny, and
Councilmember Taylor. Opposed: Councilmembers Schimmels, Wilhite, Dempsey and Gothmann.
Abstentions: None. Motion failed.
Mayor Munson called for a recess at 8:00 p.m., and it was noted that Councilmember Schimmels left the
meeting for the night at that time. The meeting was reconvened at 8:15 p.m.
REGULAR STUDY SESSION ITEMS:
3. Validation of Council Budget Goals for 2008, 2009, 2010 — Dave Mercier
City Manager Mercier said that at the June 14 retreat, Council spent time scrutinizing the 2008 goals and
crafting projected 2009 goals, and even took a dip in 2010; and that he has replicated the intent of those
proposed goals for Council review and validation, and suggested examining the goals one year at a time.
Mr. Mercier said that the 2008 goals did not get substantial revisions at the retreat, but that goal #7 was
reworded to reflect the need to perform an inventory analysis. Councilmember Taylor asked about goal
#6 and Mr. Mercier replied that we would need to wait for the Board of County Commissioners to assign
the UGAs to us. Mr. Mercier asked if these 2008 goals reflect the current and best thinking, and Council
indicated there were no further questions or objections. Concerning 2009 proposed goals, Mr. Mercier
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mentioned goal #5, which states "Evaluate the availability, costs and effects of private sector vendors
performing winter road maintenance for the City" and said that this would represent an alternate analysis
for our winter road services. Councilmember Gothmann suggested adding the word "goals" to #3 so that
it would state, "Identify performance goals and performance measures for the Police Department and
monitor progress in their attainment" and he asked what was the difference between goal #3 and #5; and
Mr. Mercier pointed out that goal #3 is for police department, and goal #5 is for street services. Mayor
Munson asked about developing various performance audits, and to try to determine how to go about that,
and Councilmember Taylor responded that is reflected in goal #5. Mr. Mercier also mentioned that if we
want a realistic look at the environment, he suggests if we have goals articulated for the police
department to meet council's vision for policing, that such goals need to be articulated by council; that the
contract was written five or six years ago, and we can't take any of it to the bank as Spokane County had
never contracted any sizeable contract with any organization prior to that contract; and trying to literalize
that contract five years later just doesn't work. Councilmember Gothmann said we need to specify what
are our goals and level of services for each department and for the police department, as we need to
specify what services to get from each contractor and we can identify all those; but Councilmember
Taylor responded that we can't get those without having the information at hand to determine what level
of service we need and the cost of that and what we can afford beyond what we are currently getting now;
as the current contract doesn't allow us to get into that and we don't have the data to go into those
negotiations; but could have but the prior vote was in the negative; and we are thus defeating the purpose
by wanting to have a handle on where our law enforcement services are being provided as our hands are
tied behind our back and have been for the last five years. Councilmember Gothmann said the contract
says the police chief will work with the city manager and he just asked the police chief if he would do
that and he said yes, so the point is we have it. There was no objection to the proposed 2009 goals as
presented, and Mr. Mercier said that the goal for 2010 is mostly a holding statement for now and the 2009
and 2010 goals will be examined further later this year.
4. Telephone Utility Tax Options — Ken Thompson
Finance Director Thompson mentioned that we have known for a number of years that at some point we
would come upon financial difficulties in the street fund; and if he were to sum up the problem he would
say that revenues are coming in at about $2 million with expenses at about $4 million; that we need to
look at what we need to do to add another four million, as we are now approaching a time where we will
run out of funds in that street fund; that originally we thought it would be in 2009; and said that the
current plan might give us another year or so, but we need to keep in mind there is approximately 8%
annual inflation giving a deficit of $2.1 million + each year; and that the sources with the most potential
for assistance are telephone utility tax, solid waste street wear, and the transportation benefit district; and
said that a 6% phone utility tax would generate $3 million and said both Spokane and Cheney have a 6%
tax on telephone service; and Mr. Thompson added that eventually we will likely need the utility tax,
street wear agreement and maybe even the TBD, and that staff is looking for direction in implementing a
phone utility tax. There was some discussion of loans from the general fund versus a transfer of funds;
and Mr. Mercier said that Council has some latitude, in that the general fund can subsidize any enterprise
fund but not the reverse; and that they are trying to remain consistent with the theme that all funds are
stand alone funds and we don't want to rob Peter to pay Paul as all that does is create greater insolvency
across the board. It was determined to bring forth a 6% telephone utility tax ordinance for a first reading
at the July 22 Council meeting,
5. Solid Waste Options — Ken Thompson /Cary Driskell
Mr. Driskell mentioned that staff has arranged a meeting with Waste Management next Wednesday to
discuss the points of negotiation listed on the July 1 Request for Council Action report. Councilmember
Gothmann suggested adding senior rates as well. It was mentioned that further updates will come before
Council as the information is received.
Study Session Meeting Minutes: 07 -01 -08 Page 8 of 10
Approved by Council: 07 -22 -08
6. Fire Department Interlocal Agreement — Mike Connelly
City Attorney Connelly said he has supplied Council with a copy of the Spokane County Agreement for
fire services, the existing agreement, the proposed agreement, and a sample agreement from Federal Way,
Washington; that subsequent to the adoption of the current agreement, the parties recognized that a
number of services performed by both the fire district and the City are not clearly delineated in the
agreement, and changes have been made to reflect what actually is done by each entity. After brief
Council discussion it was noted that this agreement is scheduled for a motion consideration at the July 8
meeting.
7. Lighting Standards — Kathy McClung
As the "Request for Council Action" form reflects, Community Development Director McClung
explained that there are three ways to handle code amendments: (1) citizen or business owner request via
application and fee; (2) staff recommendation as they work to include amendments as a "batch" and (3)
by council direction, such as the airport overlay zone. Ms. McClung said that Council previously received
a citizen request to add restrictions for lighting in single - family neighborhoods, and that we can proceed
as the options indicate, and that she recommends putting this request in for the next batch, which would
not go before the Planning Commission prior to 2009. In response to Council question concerning time
commitments for this request, Ms. McClung said this would likely take a month of research as it is more
of an issue of what is ahead of it; that staff normally would not work this as a single issue but put it in
with others; and much like the airport overlay issue, this would go to the Planning Commission in
September, then to council later in the fall; and said this can go with the current batch or the next, with the
next batch getting to the Planning Commission probably the first part of 2009. Ms. McClung also said
staff could research how extensive this problem is in the City, as this is the only complaint staff has
received, adding that that doesn't mean it is not an issue. Councilmember Taylor said that this appears to
be a significant hole in the Code as there is nothing prohibiting people from putting a commercial pole in
their back yard, and Ms. McClung concurred with that assessment. Councilmember Taylor said he
prefers addressing this problem this year; to which Mayor Munson added that perhaps others have this
issue but don't want to complain against their neighbors. There was Council consensus to place this issue
with the present batch. In response to Deputy Mayor Denenny's question about vesting, City Attorney
Connelly said a reasonable vesting period ranges from six months to a couple years; that once an
ordinance becomes effective regarding residential lighting, the normal time would be to provide six
months to a year for those with nonconforming lights to adhere to the new regulations.
It was moved by Councilmember Taylor, seconded and unanimously agreed to extend the meeting to 9:15
p.m.
8. Barker Road Bridge Artwork — Steve Worley
Public Works Director Kersten, standing in for Engineer Worley, explained that last November Council
selected and approved conceptual artwork in an amount not to exceed $74,000; but at the June 3, 2008
meeting, Council awarded the bridge construction contract to Morgan and Oswood, and was informed
that the artwork would exceed that $74,000; and at that time, Council determined to proceed with the
entire bid award as stated but to impose a 90 -day window for Council to re -visit the art issue and discuss
whether to remove C1, C2, and /or C3 within the next ninety days. After Council discussion on what
artwork aspects to keep, if any, there was Council consensus to keep C1 in an amount not to exceed
$28,000, and such motion should be placed on the next Council's consent agenda.
9. Spokane Regional Solid Waste Audit — Neil Kersten
Public Works Director Kersten explained that an oversight committee comprised of elected officials was
formed for the Spokane Regional Solid Waste System Performance and Financial Audit; and that
committee is a sub -set of the Liaison Board with four members representing each of the various
jurisdictions; and that a selection committee will be formed comprised of staff members appointed by
Study Session Meeting Minutes: 07 -01 -08 Page 9 of 10
Approved by Council: 07 -22 -08
each of the four jurisdictions, and that the selection committee will ultimately recommend the most
qualified firm to the Director of the Spokane Regional Solid Waste System; and that he recommends that
Council appoint the Public Works Director to the selection committee. Council asked Mr. Mercier for his
recommendation, and Mr. Mercier recommended appointing Neil Kersten. It was determined that such
appointment will be placed on the next Council's consent agenda.
10. Sprague /Conklin Signal Change Order — Neil Kersten
Public Works Director Kersten said this project has been in process with the County for a long time; and
at present there is an approximate $33,000 shortage, which could be paid from contingency funds from
the Street Capital Projects Fund. It was determined to place this matter on the next Council's consent
agenda.
11. City Hall Site Planning Contract — Neil Kersten
Mr. Kersten said the Core Team for the City Center has recommended that we explore the site south of
Plaza Road in 1 ieu of the site west of Dartmouth; and that on June 24, 2008, Council received a draft
proposal for the site west of Dartmouth; that the consultant revised his proposal and the recommendation
is now for the south side directly along Appleway, with an estimated cost of about $75,000; and that the
contractors could draft a time and material contract not to exceed $75,000; that the proposal would be just
the south side and they would analyze where to put the city center plaza; and that this matter is also set for
further council consideration next week for approval consideration of the City Hall Site Planning
Contract.
12. Advance Agenda — Mayor Munson
Mr. Mercier mentioned that the Planning Commission has now completed their work on the
Sprague / Appleway Revitalization Plan and the data will be delivered to council next week; that the public
hearing is set for August, but he recommends having the public hearing prior to council deliberation. It
was determined to move the public hearing to the July 29 meeting. Mayor Munson also mentioned the
separate July 29 meeting with the City of Spokane, which meeting would occur from noon to 3:00 p.m.
in our Council Chambers and would include lunch.
13. Council Check -in — Mayor Munson
Councilmember Taylor mentioned the upcoming July 4 holiday, and said that founder John Adams
agreed that if this nation would stand, we would have to have a nation of educated people to provide
appropriate guidance to elected officials, and he said that it is important as we debate issues and take
input, that we need to insure that proper information is disseminated in order to help educate the public
and Council.
14. City Manager Check -in — Dave Mercier: there were no further comments.
There being no further business, Mayor Munson adjourned the meeting at 9:20 p.m.
ATTEST.
Christine Bainbridge, City Clerk
Study Session Meeting Minutes: 07 -01 -08
Approved by Council: 07 -22 -08
Page 10 of 10
Proactive Evaluation
of Law Enforcement Services
for the Citizens of Spokane
Valley
Assessment: Why do it?
Competing Philosophies
• If it Isn't broken; don't fix It.
• Prevent breakage and improve performance.
2
2
Continuous Assessment and
Improvement
• Business Perspective: Research and development
• Academic Perspective: Observe, analyze, experiment and apply
• Health Perspective: Preventative care, early detection and life style
• Public Safety Perspective: Surveillance, crime prevention, detection
and training
The City of Spokane Valley Crime Prevention program is a proactive
effort to educate the public and provide material and training that will
reduce opportunities for crime In our city."
3
"In this business, by the time you
realize you're in trouble, it's too
late to save yourself." — Bill Gaffes
There is no city in America that has
reduced crime as much as we have
In the last three years,...This is not
the product of accident. This is the
product of design.- Rudy Giuliani
"We prepare for the future today
because we will be living in it
tomorrow." —Dave Mercier
S
Practicing What We Preach
• CenterPlace (CSIP): May, 2007
• Development Process Reorganization (CSIP): May, 2007
• Capital Improvements Program Organizational Model (CSIP):
October, 2007
• Street Master Planning Update; Summer, 2008
• Sprague /Appleway Revitalization Plan: Fall, 2008
• State Public Records Performance Audit: June 2008
7
Why Law Enforcement?
• Alternative analyses and managed competition have
already been applied to Library services, aquatics
programming, parks maintenance, capital
improvements programs, engineering services and
an array of street maintenance activities.
• The eventual preparation of an "alternatives
analysis" has been anticipated by the City Council
as a prudent and necessary task since the new city
was established.
a
8
Why Now?
• Five years have elapsed since incorporation and both the
County and the City acknowledge the need to revise the current
contract for services.
• Elected officials are calling for the institution of performance
measures and a system for reporting results to the community.
• Public safety has been the top priority of the City Council since
incorporation and therefore police services consume the vast
majority of tax dollars collected.
• A determination of sustainable funding and services levels must
be made so that a long term strategic plan for law enforcement
services can be developed.
9
9
• ICMA was founded In 1914.
Why ICMA?
International City /County Management Association (ICMA)
• Part of ICMA's mission is to assist local governments In achieving
excellence through objective information and assistance.
• ICMA provides an information clearinghouse, technical assistance,
and training and professional development to more than 9,100 chief
appointed administrators, assistant administrators, and other
individuals throughout the world.
• The organization's resources and services reach thousands of
localities and government personnel with an interest in effective
leadership and management at the local government level.
i0
10
ICMA Consulting Services
• Acts as an objective and trusted broker of expertise to offer innovative Ideas,
lessons learned, and leading practices to communities facing similar
challenges.
• Areas of expertise include public safety services, which encompasses:
• Organizational development, leadership and ethics, training
• Assessments of calls for service workload, staffing requirements analysis
• Designing standards and hiring guidelines for police, community oriented
policing, and city /county /regional mergers
• The ICMA Public Safety Services team of experienced consultants support a
number of public safety services projects for Jurisdictions nationwide
11
1 1
Sampling of ICMA Public Safety Clients
• Hayden, ID
• Lewiston, ID
• Eugene, OR
• Palm Desert, CA
• Washington City, UT
• Lake Havasu, Arizona
• Belton, TX
• Broken Arrow, OK
• Glenview, IL
Annapolis, MD
Saginaw, MI
Wyoming, MI
Hollywood, Florida
Westwood, NJ
East Providence, RI
2
ICMA: A global provider of technical assistance with
extensive, on- the - ground experience in:
• Afghanistan'
• Albania
• Argentina
• Armenia
• Bolivia
• Bosnia & Herzegovina
• Botswana
• Brazil
Bulgaria
Chile
Colombia
Costa Rica
• Croatia
• Czech Republic
• Ecuador
• Kenya
• El Salvador
• Ethiopia•
• Georgia
Guatemala'_
Guyana
Haiti
Honduras
Hungary
• India'
• Indonesia'
• Iraq'
• Jamaica
• Jordan
• Kazakhstan
13
13
ICMA: A global provider of technical assistance with
extensive, on- the - ground experience in:
• Kvrgyzstan
• Macedonia
• Mali
• Mexico
• Mexico (Espanol)*
• Mongolia
• Montenegro
• Morocco
• Mozambique
• Nicaragua
• Nigeria
• Panama
• Paragt4Y
• Philippines
• Poland
• Romania
• Russia
• Serbia'
• Slovakia
• South Africa
• Sri Lanka
• Suriname
• Swaziland
• Thailand
• Tunisia
• Uganda
• Ukraine
• Venezuela
• Vietnam
• Yugoslavia
• Zambia
• Zimbabwe
14
14
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Proposal
Assessment of Law Enforcement Services
for
The City of Spokane Valley, Washington
May 27, 2008
15
Assessment: Purpose and Scope
• The primary objective of this assessment is to
present to the City an unbiased review of the
positive and negative ramifications of
renewing its contract with the sheriff's
Department versus establishing an
independent police department.
• In both cases, the City wishes to have in place
processes and pro ced ures to measure service
performance.
15
113
Assessment: Purpose and Scope
• Establish current levels of performance and
workload; introduce routine performance
measurements and identify opportunities for
improved performance.
• Determine the appropriate staffing levels
within the city's fiscal constraints and the
city's policies regarding levels of public
safety service.
17
DESIRED OUTCOME
The information generated by this
assessment will inform city elected
officials with reliable data and enable
them to establish a long range strategic
plan for the delivery of police services to
the community.
18
18
A Nine -Stage Project
• Stage One (Completed) — Preliminary
On -Site Assessment.
The on -site assessment in May allowed
ICMA to better understand the city's
operations, tour the city, visit police station
and to meet with the Sheriff and Police
Chief before preparing a scope of services.
19
19
Stages 2 — 9
• Stage Two: Workload and Deployment Analysis
• Stage Three: Police Line Operations Assessment_
• Stage Four: Police Staff Operations Assessment
• Stage Five: Financial Analysis
• Stage Six: Legal /Risk Management Analysis
• Stage Seven: Community Policing/ Internal Affairs/ Victims Services
• Stage Eight: Recruitment/Selection
• Stage Nine: Ethics/Training
20
20
Project Data Analysis
• Document current police patrol performance and
workload levels.
• Establish a range of performance goals and
objectives for the Police Department.
• Identify opportunities to improve on performance
with existing resources.
• Estimate the manpower requirements and
associated costs that would be needed to achieve
city and police management specified performance
objectives.
21
21
Project Data Analysis
• Provide guidance on routine standard
reports that should be used to track
performance.
• Evaluate the city's crime rate and conduct a
crime analysis to identify "hot spots" and
evaluate current policing strategies to deal
with them.
• Review organizational structure and staffing
and propose appropriate changes.
22
2 L
Seeking Opportunities for Improvement
• Examine whether or not patrol resources are
efficiently deployed over 24 -7 time period and graph
deployment levels against workloads by time of day,
day of week, and by patrol areas.
• Develop a series of trend charts, maps and data
tables that describe police response time in detail
and will provide the variables needed for developing
a plan based on Operations Research methods.
• Determine the extent of best practices employed to
efficiently dispatch patrol units.
23
2
Seeking Opportunities for Improvement
• Document the extent that the police patrol
management is applying principles of performance
based management and continuous improvement to
efficiently utilize police resources.
• Explore with the patrol division, detective division
and special operations strategies for improving
crime prevention and crime solution activities.
• Determine how much response time and proactive
patrol might be improved with better alignment of
resources and workloads.
24
24
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25
25
Project Timeline
Similar projects of this magnitude that
ICMA has managed were completed from
between 90 to 120 days. As a result, ICMA
proposes the following schedule:
ICMA will provide a preliminary report
by October 'I, 2008, and a final report
by October 20, 2008
26
Reporting
The Project Leader will report project status to the Identified City contacts
at specific identified intervals and communication will be maintained and
coordinated through the Team Leader with these contacts and other
Identified relevant personnel on a regular basis.
2;
27
Proposed Fees
• ICMA agrees to conduct the project as
described above for the sum of $110,000,
plus travel costs associated with the project
with a not -to- exceed limit of $16,500.
• ICMA agrees to work cooperatively with the
client in order to reduce such costs to the
greatest extent possible while still meeting
the expectations of the City.
28
28
Police
Department
$15,575,000
48%
All Other
Services
$17,130,058
52%
City of Spokane Valley 2008
General Fund Expenditures
$32,705,058
29
29
Other Revenue
$5,078,500
33%
Property Tax
Revenue
$10,496,500
67%
- The Police Department Budget is 148% the Amount of the Total
Property Tax Revenue
City of Spokane Valley
2008 Police Department
Revenue Sources
$15,575,000
30
City of Spokane Valley
Law Enforcement
Assessment
Compared to Police Department Budget
$20,000,000
$15,000,000
$10,000,000
$5,000,000
$-
2008
- Cost of Law Enforcement Assessment is Tess than 1% of Budget
31
31
City of Spokane Valley
Law Enforcement Assessment Compared
to 2003 - 2008 Police Department Budget
$80,000,000 -Z
$60,000,000 -V
$40,000,000
$20,000,000 Assessment
126,500
$-
2008
Police Budget
$75,359,177
32
32
Other Strategic Investments
Utilizing External Consultants
• Street Master Plans $618,500
• Sprague /Appleway Revitalization Plan $584,722
• City Center $204,500
• Law Enforcement Assessment $126,500
33
33
Summary of Expected
Recommendations
• Advice on matching services to best practices
• Identification of data - driven policing options
• Named opportunities to improve policing in the community
(striving for continuous improvement)
• Suggested contract revisions
• Costs estimates answering due diligence questions associated
with the option of creating an independent city police
department
• Recommended performance measures and strategic options
34
34
Closing Thought
Answers to important public policy questions
cannot be given or evaluated if we don't first
ask the questions and do the research.
35
35
Questions?
36
# Employees
1
3
3
1
K -9 (Drug)
DARE
SRO
revenue
Comm Sery
12.5 Traffic
revenue
City of Spokane Valley Police Department
OPTIONAL OPERATIONS COST COMPARISON
Sheriffs Contract City Department
Cost # Cost
Classification
1 Deputy /PO
3 Deputy /PO
3 Deputy /PO
.5 Lieutenant
.5 Deputy
.5 Lieutenant
1 Sergeant
0 Corporal
11 Deputy /PO
20.5 Proposed Optional Level
97,690
293,070
293,070
(57,291)
64,400
48,845
64,400
117,699
0
1,074,588
(100,000)
Options the Council May Wish to Consider
1 62,376
3 187,128
3 293,070
(57,291)
1 63,096 (Civilian)
1 81,061
1 75,899
10 623,760
(100,000)
87,296 (M &O)
1,896,471 20 1,316,395
Assuming you plan to initially contract with the county for law enforcement:
Have a 90 day cancellation clause so you can negotiate changes or start our own department.
Hire your own Chief of Police to monitor the contract and when the time comes, he /she will
already be in place. You may also wish to negotiate with the county to have operational
supervision of contract personnel.
Excercise the option to contract only for the Basic Contract and hire the "Optional Operations"
staff above as city employees and save the $580,076 difference.
The "Scenarios" we are submitting presume contracting for Dispatch and Records Management
functions. You and your management team may well consider having our staff provide those
services for the sake of local control. The costs would probably be less but there is an advantage
to having our records in the same data base as the County and City of Spokane.
We understand that new cities are eligible for grants of various types to offset many of our
initial expenses. These should be vigorously pursued.
The county may be willing to sell some equipment to us at a reasonable price that would no
longer be needed by them. Maybe they would be willing to give it to us since we probably
paid for it.
Page 8
11/25/2002
Difference
(580,076)
Taken From: Feasibility Study, Operations and Budget Scenarios: Law Enforcement
Transition Sub - Committee
Spokane Valley Police Indicators
Cost Per Capita for Police Services
400.00
350.00
300.00
250.00
O
200.00
G
150.00
100.00
50.00
0.00
uI,IIIIIIuIIIIluIlI
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o� c r J a m �Q Q �eae �e�� O �e a �e-
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100.0
90.0
80.0
70.0
60.0
50.0
40.0
30.0
20.0
10.0
0.0
c c c
▪ 0 -
CJ
Crimes Per 1000 in 2007
1
• l IIIIIi1 :
IN ............. MI ...
. ..
............ ..
• L (�
> 0
eo = E
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U-1
Note: Caution should be used in comparing crime rate of cities. There are local factors that
greatly affect the rate.
25.0
20.0
15.0
10.0
5.0
0.0
Crime Rate Reduction from 2006 to 2007
Ili 1 1 ir iIl1�.
AN e . \ .� � ,ec „s• �� cc a ,°� Q.a aA a b Q O ,, �e ,J e ova et, e a s Je c
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Q °N ((e to awe Q` � a
6.36
1
Average Priority 1 Response Times
Spokane Valley
Jul-Dec Jan -Dec Jan -Oct 2005 Data Apr -Dec Jan -Dec Jan -May
2002 2003 2004 NA 2006 2007 2008
Note: As the above dates indicate, some monthly data was not available at the time this graph
was constructed.
Bill Gothmann 6 -30 -08
5.09
4.52 4.39 4.34 4.47
Section No. 14: CITY'S RESPONSIBILITY
Excerpts from:
INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT SERVICES IN THE CITY OF THE
SPOKANE VALLEY
4.1 ... The Duties of the Police Chief shall include:
1. Working with the CITY Manager or his /her designee to establish goals and objectives
for CITY police services which reflect specific needs within the CITY.
CITY shall develop, with the assistance of the Police Chief and provide to SHERIFF, the
general policies it desires to provide the citizens of CITY in relation to the provision of
law enforcement services.
Section No. 7: DEPUTY ASSIGNMENT, RETENTION, DISCIPLINE, AND HIRING
7.1 Hiring. SHERIFF shall hire, assign, retain and discipline all employees according to the
collective bargaining agreement, civil service rules, and state and federal laws.
7.2 Standards of performance Governed by SHERIFF. Control of personnel, standards of
performance, discipline and all other aspects of performance shall be controlled by SHERIFF.
Section No. 15: CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION
15.1 Daily Operations. The CITY manager or his /her designee shall be responsible for
communicating with the Police Chief the general direction of policing and general daily
operations of the policing within CITY. This designation shall not intrude upon the province of
SHERIFF staff in the actual delivery of police services, but shall be the method of
communication through the respective CITY and SHERIFF command structure.
Section No. 5: COST OF SERVICES
5.4 Development of Position Costs. SHERIFF /COUNTY shall develop position costs for each
position and support service based on service costs developed as outlined in Attachment "B ".
Section No. 11: RELATIONSHIP OF THE PARTIES
The PARTIES intend that an independent contractor relationship will be created by this
Agreement. ... .
Bill Gothmann 6 -28 -08
Chris Bainbridge
From: Richard Munson
Sent: Tuesday, July 01, 2008 7:40 AM
To: Chris Bainbridge; City Council
Subject: FW: police study
For the record.
RICH
Richard M. Munson
Mayor
Spokane Valley
(509)699 -0034
From: James & Mary [mailto:marjam17216 @msn.com]
Sent: Tuesday, July 01, 2008 12:53 AM
To: Richard Munson
Subject: FW: police study
We will be unable to attend tonight's meeting, since we are leading a class at 7 p.m. but please
consider the testimony we provided last week as well as our letter that we would like to have read
into the record. Thank you,
James & Mary Pollard
July 1, 2008
7/1/2008
From: James & Mary [mailto:marjam17216 @msn.com]
Sent: Monday, June 30, 2008 11:54 AM
To: 'staylor @spokanevalley.org'; 'dwilhite @spokanevalley.org'; 'Bill Gothmann';
'ddenneny @spokanevalley.org';; gary Schimmels; 'Rdempsey @spokanevalley.org'
Subject: police study
Honorable Mayor Munson and Councilmembers,
Page 1 of 2
Page 2 of 2
Please support the current efforts of our police department and respect the checks and
balances that we enjoy by having the expertise of our elected County Sheriff Ozzie
Knezovich overseeing our Valley police.
We are very pleased with the help we have received in 2006, when there was a problem in
North Greenacres that needed attention. As you can see from the 2006 letters of complaint
filed with the Sheriffs office and turned in as public testimony at last week's Tuesday
Council meeting, this was a widespread problem. There were many more that were afraid
to speak out at the time. The ability to appeal to another level, creates a check and
balance, and quickly resolved a situation. Mr. Mercier's job should not entail any purview of
our police beyond fiscal matters since he is not an elected official. Sheriff Knezovich, as
our elected official is ideal in giving the oversight and purview of Spokane Valley Police.
We are very blessed to have Chief of Police Rick VanLeuven, whose experience and
performance we have great confidence in. It is insulting and fiscally irresponsibility to
spend money to scrutinize our police department, when we could be spending this
same money to reward the police department for the fine job they have been
providing our community. People are very opposed to frivolous expeditures. We
oppose giving the contract to a manager's association since they are not experts in
police affairs. There are many things wrong with this proposal.
Your responsibilities as elected officials should be looking at tthings that are broken and
need to be fixed such as the transportation problems we are facing and those shortfalls. If
you saved this $130,000 for one year, interest gained would be of more value.
While we cannot ascertain someone's motives, power and control vested in more people
provides more protection of our freedoms and public safety. This should not be a political
venture. Common sense and history point out this is prudence. Please listen to the people
and relinquish "manipulating" figures to achieve an end that the majority does not desire.
Thank you,
Mary Pollard
North Greenacres Neighborhood Chairwoman
Sue Bracken & Don Bracken
Nancy "Pete" Miller
Jan Austin
Diane Johnson
Kurt Parker
Laurel & Bob Ladd
Alden & Gail Sherrodd
North Greenacres Neighborhood Committee Members
7/1/2008
Spokane Valley City Council Meeting July 1, 2008 Page 1 of 2
Dave Mercier
From: Dick Behm [dick @divasales.com]
Sent: Wednesday, July 02, 2008 10:30 AM
To: Dick Behm
Subject: Spokane Valley City Council Meeting July 1.doc
Importance: High
Spokane Valley City Council Meeting July 1, 2008
Ref. Proposal to hire ICMA Consultants to study the City Police Dept.
And Sheriff's Office. Failed Vote 4 to 3
This is an apology for losing my temper at the Council meeting last night and
accusing Mayor Munson, Councilman Denneny, Councilman Taylor and City
Manager David Mercier of lying to the Citizens at the meeting. That was not quite
true, although I believed they were misrepresenting the facts and I allowed myself to
become very angry, which I should not have done. Mr. Mercier was answering
questions presented by the Council and did not respond with any answers that were
not accurate and I should not have included him in my statement.
The discussion centered around the purpose for hiring the consultant to study the
City Police Dept. and the Sheriff's Office. Although the purpose of the study was to
study "the positive and negative ramifications of renewing its contract with the
Sheriff's Department versus establishing an independent Police Department" as
presented by Mr. Mercier at the beginning of the meeting, the discussion took a
different tact. It did seem to me that the discussion was trying to convince the
citizens at the meeting that the study was really just to study the operation of the
Sheriff's Dept. to see what improvements could be made when the contract does
come up for renewal. If that were true I am sure everyone would support that
proposal.
The "Project Understanding" as submitted by ICMA Consultants on page 4
paragraph 2 states "The PRIMARY objective of this project is to present to the
City with an unbiased review of the positive and negative ramification of renewing
its contract with the Sheriff's Dept. VERSUS establishing an independent police
department. The City ALSO HAS AN INTEREST to introduce performance
measurement and to establish current levels of performance and workload in police
and identify opportunities for improved performance."
The proposal failed, with Councilwoman Wilhite, Councilwoman Dempsey,
Councilman Gothmann and Councilman Schimmels voting it down.
7/2/2008