Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOUNCIL - AGENDA ITEM - 03/22/2005 - RESULTS OF THE CSU ALCOHOL TASK FORCE REPORT AND T DATE: March 22, 2005 STUDY SESSION ITEM STAFF: Dennis Harrison and Staff FORT COLLINS CITY COUNCIL SUBJECT FOR DISCUSSION Results of the CSU Alcohol Task Force Report and the ways in which the City can augment, support, and continue with existing efforts to combat alcohol abuse. GENERAL DIRECTION SOUGHT AND SPECIFIC QUESTIONS TO BE ANSWERED The purpose of this discussion is to inform Council regarding: • What areas we have support for the Task Force Recommendations; • What we are doing currently; and • Our plans for the future. ATTACHMENTS 1. Resolution 2004-143 of the Fort Collins City Council Concerning Alcohol Abuse in Our Community 2. CSU Alcohol Task Force Report: A City Perspective ATTACHMENT RESOLUTION 2004-143 OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORT COLLINS CONCERNING ALCOHOL ABUSE IN OUR COMMUNITY WHEREAS, the City Council has a responsibility to lead in addressing critical issues of health, safety and well being of citizens within the City; and WHEREAS,alcohol abuse is a multi-faceted social problem with many causes,requiring the efforts of the entire community to address; and WHEREAS, Fort Collins is not alone in experiencing the impacts of alcohol abuse, as indicated by recent alcohol-related incidents in other Colorado communities and throughout the nation; and WHEREAS, leaders of Colorado State University("CSU")have re-committed to changing the prominence of alcohol in the culture of student life and has implemented a multi-agency Drug and Alcohol Task Force ("Task Force") to examine and identify changes that might be made community-wide to alter the prominence of alcohol in student culture and to enhance the quality of life for city citizens and students; and WHEREAS, alcohol abuse impacts City resources in terms of Police Services, Court Services, and other City services and departments; and WHEREAS, alcohol abuse also impacts the reputation of both Fort Collins and CSU; and WHEREAS,the Fort Collins community is committed to a high quality of life for its citizens and for the students at CSU; and WHEREAS, the Council supports the efforts of CSU and the Task Force and the City Manager's participation in the Task Force, and wishes to explore additional ways in which the City can help curb alcohol abuse in the community. NOW,THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORT COLLINS AS FOLLOWS: Section 1. That the Council recognizes and encourages CSU's commitment to changing a culture among CSU students in which the high-risk use of alcohol is tragically too common. Section 2. That the Council strongly supports the CSU Drug and Alcohol Task Force (the "Task Force") and its efforts to change the prominence of alcohol in the culture of student life by collaborating with CSU. Section 3. That, as part of this community-wide effort, City staff is hereby directed to: (a) undertake a review of City beverage licensing policies,code enforcement and zoning and land use regulations in order to identify any strategies that may be available to the City to help curb alcohol abuse in the Fort Collins community; and (b) research policy and ordinance changes,if appropriate,to address identified concerns; and (c) review the impacts of past efforts to address alcohol abuse and underage alcohol use, including an analysis of the unintended consequences of such efforts; and (d) provide a written report of the findings and recommendations of the Task Force to Council, together with a status report on the above-described measures to be undertaken by the City Manager, within 30 days of the City's receipt of the findings and recommendations from the Task Force. Passed and adopted at a regular meeting of the City Council held this 7th day of December, A.D. 2004. a or ATTEST: City Clerk ATTACHMENT2 CSU ALCOHOL TASK FORCE REPORT: A CITY PERSPECITVE Recently, the report from the Colorado State University Alcohol Task Force was released to Dr. Penley, and the community. The Fort Collins City Council requested analysis of the results and find out where we, as a community, could support or augment the recommendations. The following committee met to discuss the report and ascertain what is currently in place and ideas for the future efforts of curbing alcohol abuse in our community; Dennis Harrison, Chief of Police Services Tess Heffernan, City Manager's Office Aimee Jensen, City Clerk's Office Robert Younger, Alcohol Enforcement Officer Sgt. Francis Gonzales, District One Supervisor Teresa Ablao, Assistant City Attorney Megara Kastner, NRO manager Jeri Johnson, Community Liaison Coordinator David Kaes, DWI Enforcement Officer In an effort at brevity, I will not try to recapture all forty-three recommendations. I will identify only the areas that we identified as recommendations we, as a City, could supplement and areas in which we have gone beyond the Task Force report. Recommendation 1.1 Web information regarding alcohol at CSU We suggest that all appropriate City web sites consider being linked to the CSU web or be integrated. This would allow for mutual access to alcohol, drug, and City information. This occurs in the NRO (Neighborhood Resource Office)but could be expanded to Police Services, CMO, etc. Recommendation 1.3 Committee to monitor progress of recommendations It is suggested that the City have one or two representatives on the proposed CSU committee that monitors the progress of the recommendations from the Task Force. Neighborhood Resources staff currently represent the City on a CSU standing Committee for Alcohol. City representation for this committee could come from the Police or the City Manager's Office. Recommendation 1.4 Strengthen the partnership, CSU & City,student housing issues Numerous opportunities currently exist; several are below. • City/CSU jointly fund Community Liaison Program and the salary of Community Liaison Coordinator(CLC) • Quarterly CSU/City Liaison meetings with administrative level staff including City Council members, City Manager, Community Liaison Coordinator, CSU Vice President for Student Affairs, Provost, ASCSU representatives. • Collaboration with City of Fort Collins Police Services, Code Enforcement, and CSU Conflict Resolution and Student Conduct Services (CRSCS) whereby all noise, most DUI and most MIP tickets are forwarded to campus for formal action. We discussed the opportunity to increase the number of citations/summonses being forwarded to CSU for action by the Office of Judicial Affairs; they currently could not handle the increased volume. Recommendationl.6 Campus/City education program on laws. We are currently very actively involved in this area. There is a partnership between the Neighborhood Resources Office, Police Services, CSU staff and student Government; • Community Welcome occurs annually the first Wednesday of fall semester. Information on codes, ordinances, etc. are distributed to 2500 off campus properties, 1000 on campus apartment units, and 5000 residence hall students. Teams comprised of Fort Collins police officer, CSU student, CSU staff member/or City staff and a neighbor distribute the information off campus. • "Strength Training Workshops" for freshmen students. Three presentations on citizenship/ordinances/codes were taught by the Community Liaison Coordinator in the fall semester of 2004. Three presentations on alcohol use and parties will be conducted in the spring semester of 2005. • Party Packs are distributed to students who request one during the"school year. The 250 distributed Party Packs promote responsible party host behavior. Each Party Pack contains information on hosting a responsible party and includes city codes and ordinances information, six pack of soda for sober host, "over 2 1" wrist bands, blank neighborhood fliers to inform neighbors of the party with the name and telephone number of a sober host, listing of alcohol free activities on campus. • Party Partners A class—for students who have received noise violations off campus. Classes are taught jointly by Neighborhood Resources Office,Police Services, and CRSCS (conflict resolution and student conflict services). Classes occur bi-monthly on campus. • Party Partners B class—for students who have received tickets in District 1 (Minor in Possession, Bodily Waste, Disorderly Conduct, etc). Classes happen bi- monthly on campus. • Participation in Party Partners A and B classes for 2004 was 206 students in 21 classes. • Party Partners —City class —for non-students who have received noise violations. Classes taught jointly by Police Services and NRO staff. • Community Liaison Coordinator serves on the Greek Advisory board and works closely with Greeks on issues related to neighbors/codes and ordinances, etc. Presentations on codes/ordinances during Spring semester included: Greek Summit 2-5-05 (15 people) Presidents meeting 2-15-05 (30 people) Police Services Alcohol, Tobacco Enforcement Officer, provides information to the university regarding municipal and state laws relating to alcohol service and possession. Also, college campuses all across the United States experience the proliferation of fake IDs, I think it would be wise that we also incorporate education and consequences for possession and use of a fake ID. Since it is recognized that many of CSU's publications have already been sent for print or printed for the fall semester, we suggest the use of a"sticker" prominently placed in the front of the individual publication. This sticker will outline such legal information regarding alcohol issues in the City. Recommendation2.1 Transform current"DAY" programs... We would encourage CSU to consider increasing the staffing in the Judicial Affairs programs to allow us to forward more of the citations and summonses from the City, for their review and disciplinary action. This is certainly the program that offers the most promise for holding students accountable for their actions within the City or County, as well as on campus. Recommendation 2.6 CSU, Team, FCPS collaborate on a Grant The Enforcing the Underage Drinking Grant Program officially began on March 1, 2005. Following is a breakdown of the monies awarded by the State and how budgeted. Enforcing Underage Drinking Laws Grant Fort Collins Community Program•Summary Budget Project Components Budget Detail Grant Request ENFORCEMENT Intensive Underage Drinking/Party Enforcement Concerted Enforcement of Minor In Possession (MIP)/Underage Drinking Project S ecial ro'ect overtime $6,500.00 Fake ID/Alcohol Sale Stings Minor Decoy Operations(compliance checks) Special project overtime $3,500.00 Operation Shoulder Tap Special project overtime $3,000.00 Cops in Shops S ecial ro'ect overtime $3,000.00 EDUCATION/PREVENTION/CULTURAL CHANGE 4'Before and After" Kits @ $90ea. 2 Fatal Vision Goggles@ $570 ea.,officer PSD/School Resource Officer Training Program time $1,500.00 CSU Research&Dev.Ctr (Survey,Distribution, Collection);Advertising (Banners,print media, distribution); TEAM Fort Culture Education/Social Norming Collins Staff time $7,500.00 OMNI Audit $1,000.00 TOTAL PROGRAM COST $26,000.00 Previously in 2003, a similar grant was awarded and Fort Collins Police Services worked closely with Team Fort Collins in an effort to educate and enforce. As a result, the number of alcohol violations in the City of Fort Collins increased during the grant period. Our expectations are that increased enforcement will result in increased numbers of violations. As the grant continues, the number of violations should decrease as individuals become more educated and aware of the consequences of violations. • This collaboration should also include the DA's Office and City Attorney's Office so that these agencies can contribute to the goals of the grant program in terms of prosecution of cases regarding underage drinking. Recommendation 2.7 Increase contact with parents/families CLC Jen Johnson will also contact Jody Donovan, CSU Parents and Family Coordinator, to provide information regarding ordinances, laws, and tips for neighborly conduct. This to be placed on the parent's website and in the Parents Calendar. Recommendation 2.8 Student led org. focused on alc:poisoning prevention CLC coordinated the Ace of Spades card distribution to on-campus and neighborhood sites on December 15, 2004. 10,000 were distributed on-campus and in twenty-five neighborhoods surrounding CSU. Recommendation 2.10 Program to educate students on life in the city • Residence hall presentations are conducted by the Community Liaison Coordinator in residence halls during each spring semester. This year's presentation is a "Jeopardy" style game which addresses 5 topics—leases, relationships with roommates/neighbors,housing, parties, and codes and ordinances. Dates/locations for the presentation this semester include: 1-24-05 Ingarsoll Hall—floor meeting with 20 students 2-7-05 Corbett Hall—floor meeting with 14 students 2-8-05 Durward and Westfall Halls —hall-wide program with 13 students 2-15-05 Edwards Hall—hall-wide program—with 9 students 2-16-05 Corbett Hall—hall-wide program—with 22 students 2-17-05 Corbett Hall—hall-wide program—with 10 students 2-21-05 Ellis Hall and Newsom Hall—collaborative hall-wide program 2-23-05 Corbett Hall—floor meeting 4-19-05 Durward and Westfall Halls —2nd hall-wide program 2-28-05 Ellis Hall—hall-wide meeting • "The Rental World" Video, a collaborative effort with Neighborhood Resources Office, Cable 27, and Off-Campus Student Services is currently in production. The purpose is to educate students who will be moving off campus regarding issues on noise, alcohol, leases, neighbor relations, and consequences of bad behavior. It is scheduled to be shown during the months of late-March, April, and May across campus. An incentive program has been established for students who view it online and register. Each student will be entered in a drawing for$5,000 worth of prizes including a free single residence hall room for the entire school year, IPods, flat screen TV's. Rental World will be played on CTV, Channel 27, and SCOLA, all TV's on campus in the residence halls and Lory Student Center and online in a streaming format for individual students to view. The video will also be distributed to pertinent CSU offices including Off-Campus Student Services, Student Legal Services, Residence Life, Apartment Life, and Conflict Resolution Student Conduct Services. Upon request, it will also be given to landlords and property managers, The Board of Realtors and to City offices including Neighborhood Resources, Code Enforcement, Building and Zoning, City Manager's Office. The video will be released in conjunction with several other forms of publicity including public service announcements, "Duh Campaign"posters, "Duh Campaign" ads, etc. We are currently working on an implementation plan for Preview and transfer student orientation. Recommendation 3.2 Evaluate night use of Transfort We found continuation or expansion of Transfort service to be of great concern. District-1 officers feel this service could be the difference between having fifty people milling about versus 1,000 at the bar closing hours, in the Old Town area. It's important to support the efforts of RamRide and Timberline Church in providing safe transportation to young people leaving the bars. Recommendation 3.6 Explore Neighborhood Resource Coordinator position • Neighborhood Resources Office in collaboration with CSU Off-Campus Student Services Office proposed neighborhood support program titled Neighborhood Resource Coordinator Program as a two year pilot program. Both offices will split the $10,000 per year cost. The proposal is to hire two students to live and work in two different neighborhoods. The purpose is to foster a spirit of mutual respect and cooperation between students and non-students living in Fort Collins neighborhoods. Each student neighborhood coordinator will be paired with a volunteer neighbor with the goals of building a sense of community; acting as an informational resource person for City codes, ordinances, and university programs; creating programs to encourage positive neighbor relations; and mediating small conflicts. This position is not currently funded, due to budget constraints. The plan is that CSU and the City each contributes $5000. This program is being modeled after Michigan State's very successful program. Recommendation 3.7 CSU/CITY workshop for landlords, best practices The Neighborhood Resources Office has created a matrix of educational classes to offer landlords, tenants, neighbors,property managers. The goal is to begin classes spring and summer of 2005. While rental licensing and certain PNO (Public Nuisance Ordinance) amendments did not pass, it would be beneficial for the CSU liaison, NRO (Neighborhood Resources Office), code enforcement and the CAO (City Attorney's Office) to create educational materials to educate both landlords and tenants regarding compliance with City Code sections, the PNO process, and various state landlord/tenant statutes. Recommendation 3.8 Encourage a code of ethics for liquor retailers As a licensing authority, The City is unable to force establishments to sign the code of ethics as a stipulation of receiving or renewing a license. However, if a licensee violates a regulation or law resulting in a stipulation agreement, the City can require the licensee to sign the code of ethics. This stipulation then makes the code of ethics binding upon the licensee. Additionally, the Alcohol/Tobacco Enforcement officer(ATEO) could work to rejuvenate the previously created Downtown Bar and Restaurant Association (DBRA) and modify its membership to include all licensed establishments in the city. The association could have quarterly meetings where topics such as fake identification trends, pending legislation, responsible server training and other topics could be discussed. The ATEO would be glad to convene this group and be responsible for its formation. Additionally, the Liquor Authority can assist by making adherence to the code of ethics a mitigating factor in disciplinary proceedings and perhaps allowing for a discount in whatever is charged for any responsible server training fee. Our City Clerks Office could provide the addresses for all liquor licenses in the city, to an entity like TEAM Fort Collins. They could send out a copy of the code of ethics and a letter encouraging the support of this concept. Recommendation 3.9 Coalition to meet to monitor code of ethics successes There currently exists a "Standing Committee for Alcohol and Drugs"; it is chaired by Pam McCracken, the Director of Hartshorn Health Center, of CSU. It is the consensus of our group that this function is best located within that committee. They are best equipped to deal with the issue and are receptive to increasing their City representation on the committee. NRO representation is currently present. Recommendation 3.11 Strengthen enforcement and expand penalties Numerous options were identified; • Education for police officers to write CRS 12-47-901 instead of a violation of the CRS title 18. The violation of 12-47-901 is located in the section that deals most directly with alcohol licenses and offenses. The penalties appear to be increased for this section and it allows the Liquor Authority to deal with the larger issues concerning licensure. We will need to coordinate this with the District Attorney's Office to avoid some type of amendment back to the Title 18 statute. • Require training as part of any disciplinary action. Set upon an appropriate fee and charge per individual to cover the cost of training(trainer, materials, facility). • Continue PVH/PFA collaboration with the Liquor Authority regarding over- intoxication calls. (Medical assist situations arriving from over intoxication) • Review the opportunity to have a referral of all alcohol related summonses to the Liquor Enforcement officer for information and coordination of enforcement. • Expand our collaboration with the District Attorney's Office regarding the enforcement and charging of fake ID complaints. Recommendation 3.13, 14, 15 Recommendations to the State Legislature There are several new bills in the idea stage or under current consideration regarding different changes of existing laws, and two new laws. We suggest our lobbyist add our City's voice to the support of the spirit of the proposed legislation knowing that different amendments may negate our support after any committee hearing. Recommendations regarding alcohol at Hughes Stadium While City staff have a number of suggestions, the decision regarding the availability and serving of alcohol at Hughes Stadium rests with CSU. We fully recognize that whatever decision is made will affect this City and the neighborhoods that surround the stadium. We will have a greater role in dealing with parking lot issues or dealing with the parties and traffic to and from the game.