HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOUNCIL - AGENDA ITEM - 08/28/2007 - FUNDING FOR HEALTH AND SAFETY STAFFING AND SERVICE DATE: August 28, 2007 WORK SESSION ITEM
STAFF: Darin Atteberry FORT COLLINS CITY COUNCIL
SUBJECT FOR DISCUSSION
Funding for Health and Safety Staffing and Service Needs: Police, Fire, and Health and Safety.
GENERAL DIRECTION SOUGHT AND SPECIFIC QUESTIONS TO BE ANSWERED
1. Does Council concur with the purpose and proposed uses of the additional funding related
to Police and Fire Services and Health and Safety prog needs?
2. Does Council support preparing a ballot measure for its consideration on September 4,2007
which would then be placed on the November 7, 2007 ballot?
BACKGROUND
Police Services
On August 14,2007 City Council and staff were presented with the draft results of a Police Staffing
Study. The Study, which had been requested by City Council and the City Manager, was done by
the Police Executive Research Forum(PERF). A citizens' committee,that included representatives
from local businesses and neighborhoods, assisted the consultant in reviewing the findings and
conclusions. Key findings from the Study include:
• Fort Collins residents want more traffic enforcement in their neighborhoods and in the
downtown area.
• Fort Collins residents want timely response to both emergencies and annoying quality of life
issues.
• Residents want thorough investigations of both serious crimes and minor crimes that have
an impact on their lives.
• Residents want high quality,traditional police services and close interaction with officers to
solve consistent neighborhood disorder problems.
• Staffing in Police Services needs to grow. The study utilized a variety of data and measures
to determine optimal staffing. The preliminary recommendations are for 43 new staff
members, which would include both sworn and civilian positions.
August 28, 2007 Page 2
City Council and the City Manager support Police Services staffing at a level that makes it possible
to be more proactive in addressing basic nuisances and to conduct community policing. Council and
community expectations regarding police response to VSD (Visible Signs of Disorder) problems,
such as noise, parties, neighborhood traffic and graffiti, are currently not being met. The
recommended staffing level will also make it possible to meet service delivery goals while reducing
overtime costs by a potential of more than 50%. The consultant emphasized the importance of
demonstrating that increased staffing levels will result in improved service to the public.
Councilmembers also expressed support for pursuing ways to implement the staffing
recommendations and asked the City Manager to present funding options at the August 28 work
session.
Fire Services
Since 1981, Poudre Fire Authority(PFA)has used a strategic planning process as its primary tool
to identify community emergency service needs. The most recent update was in 2004 and described
several immediate concerns including increasing station coverage and adding a South Battalion.
While some of the service needs have been addressed in past budgets, several of the service needs
remain unfunded and consequently unimplemented.
Currently, the most significant service needs are priorities for which added resources are needed
include:
a. South Battalion..................................... $ 664,616
b. Fire Company Staffing from three to four...... $1,625,987
C. Training and Information Technology.......... $ 217,360
d. Station#4 Enhancement ......................... $2,670,789
Health and Safety
The City has a number of successful programs that form a strong foundation for creating and
promoting a healthy and sustainable environment in our community that relates to citizens' overall
health. They include Climate Wise,Recycling,Air Quality Monitoring,Water Quality Monitoring,
Clean Cities (promoting the use of alternative fuels), Energy and Water Conservation and Green
Building programs.
While the City provides some excellent programs, currently much work remains in this arena and,
once again, resources are limited. Resources are needed to address several key initiatives and
programs such as:
a. Waste Recycling and Disposal—a waste consolidation transfer site for businesses and
households to drop off hazardous materials and other recyclable products.
b. Air Quality—additional monitoring equipment and analysis for particulate and ozone levels
and implementation of actions to improve air quality.
August 28, 2007 Page 3
C. Water Quality—additional monitoring and analysis for water quality parameters and
implementation of actions to improve water quality and protect public health and safety.
d. Climate Wise—A voluntary program to help businesses and citizens improve the
environmental health of the work place and their homes.
e. Train Noise—train traffic and the noise from train horns is linked to human health issues as
well as an annoyance. Mitigation actions are expensive, require careful planning and
outreach, and are presently unfunded.
PROPOSAL
Price of Government
For the past 50 years Americans have spent the equivalent of 35 cents of every dollar of annual
personal income to buy services from their local, state and federal governments. Of this 35 cents,
twenty cents has historically been allocated to Federal government services, 8 cents to State
government services, and 7 cents to local government services.
This "price of government' is what Americans have continued to put toward government services
in the face of competition for their income used for food, housing, health care, clothing,
transportation,services and savings. The overall price of government can be viewed as a barometer
for the amount of overall taxes that over a long period of time,American taxpayers are comfortable
with and accept.
Since 2002,Fort Collins citizens have spent approximately 6 cents of each dollar of annual personal
income on City services. The Fort Collins Price of Government is declining as the price of
government for local services is declining in relation to increases in personal income. The effect of
this decline is that fewer resources are available for funding City services.
August 28, 2007 Page 4
10 Year Period: Actual & Estimated Price of Government- Fort Collins
(cents of every dollar earned going to pay for City services,including utilities and golf)
7
6
5
4
Y
Q
u
U
3
2
1
2002 A 2003 A 2004 A 2005 A 2006 E 2007 E 2008 E 2009 E 2010 E 2011 E
Estimate assumes an annual growth rate of 4%in aggregate personal income
August 28, 2007 Page 5
Options
With some significant service and staffing needs identified in these areas,Fort Collins is faced with
fundamental choices:
a. Status Quo—existing revenue sources (as projected for 2008 and 2009) are insufficient to
cover the full service needs identified for Police,Fire and Health and Safety. Without added
resources,we will continue to weigh these needs against existing and the limited growth that
is projected in future revenues.
b. Reduce/Eliminate Select Current Services—another alternative is to reduce and eliminate
some of the existing General Fund services that are currently provided in order to cover these
identified needs.
C. New Revenues—a third alternative to consider is to ask voters to increase the City's tax rate
and earmark the revenues generated from a tax increase for these identified needs.
Potential Sales Tax Ballot Measure
Considering what citizens value and expect and the service gaps in some of our basic and critical
services,Council and staff are considering a sales tax increase that would be presented to voters this
coming November.
The elements of the proposed tax measure are the following:
• A quarter-cent(1/4-cent) sales tax increase on all taxable purchases except food; the tax is
25-cents on a$100 purchase.
• A quarter-cent sales tax will provide approximately$5.5 million revenue per year
• The annual sales tax revenue would be dedicated and applied to the following service and
facility needs:
o Police staffing and service............$3.3 million(60% of the sales tax revenue)
o PFA staffing and service.............. $1.1 million (20% of the sales tax revenue)
o Health and Safety ..................... $1.1 milion (20% of the sales tax revenue)
• The request would be to add this quarter-cent sales tax to the existing base tax rate and
continue in perpetuity.
The sales tax would be earmarked for Police,Fire and other Health and Safety services and facilities.
Some of the specific uses to which the tax would be applied are detailed below. As needs evolve
for each of these services, the resources may be applied differently. For example, related to Health
and Safety, the first years of the tax may be used to mitigate the train noise and, once that is
addressed, the tax resources may be applied to another need or issue.
August 28, 2007 Page 6
The following details how the revenues from the quarter-cent sales tax would be applied in each of
these three service areas.
Police Services
a. More Traffic officers for a twenty-five percent, mandatory enforcement time in each,
individual beat/district.
b. More traffic enforcement throughout the community.
C. More beat officers assigned to community policing/quality of life duties.
d. More investigation of criminal activity.
e. Increased graffiti abatement.
f. More gang/career offender enforcement.
g. The ability to split the City into two distinct dispatching service areas for greater efficiency
and more rapid response.
h. The ability to formulate a regional academy. This will diminish the amount of time getting
the officers through the training and on the street to approximately two years.
Fire Services (Poudre Fire Authority)
PFA's top priority is to implement the South Battalion to address emergency scene command and
control and personnel management. At the present time the battalion chiefs can only see personnel
they are responsible for supervising as little as once a month. PFA's response criteria is to establish
emergency scene command and control within eight minutes 90% of the time. This criteria is met
only 50% of the time south of Drake Road.
This program involves the addition of three battalion chiefs to manage a newly created South
Battalion, which would include firefighting companies south of Drake Road. This battalion chief
would have the primary responsibility for emergency scene management within this area,but would
respond anywhere in the community as the need dictates. The ongoing cost for this program is
$484,616 and the capital cost is $180,000.
The second priority is to increase fire staffing at outlying,multi-function stations (7, 10, 12, and 4)
from three personnel to four. Since three shifts are necessary to provide a 24/7 response capability,
this equals 12 firefighters plus three coverage positions. The coverage positions are necessary to
provide additional firefighters to cover personnel absent from duty due to vacation, sick, injury,
maternity, military, or other leave.
These positions will provide one additional person for station areas that have longer response times
for incoming support companies,and have additional apparatus such as water tenders,brush trucks,
and hazardous materials units. These stations could then respond with multiple apparatus to one
incident, or send a single-person unit, such as a water tender, to a fire while still maintaining the
response capability of a three-person engine company for another incident.
The total cost for four engine companies is $1,526,000. (Please note this is $99,987 less than the
BFO proposal because we believe we can manage with one less coverage position.) This
recommendation can be implemented one station at a time,which would cost$381,500 per station.
August 28, 2007 Page 7
While this recommendation is for four stations, our ability to do it one station at a time, and/or add
a training or Information Technology position,provides financial flexibility to fit within the revenue
available from the sales tax.
Health and Safety
The City of Fort Collins will provide services, and will help citizens and businesses take action to
protect and improve our clean air, clean water and healthy environment. Examples include:
a. Hazardous materials drop-off facility in Fort Collins
Develop and operate a hazardous waste drop-off facility in Fort Collins. The facility would
provide a convenient place for businesses and households to drop off hazardous materials.
Currently, the only place accepting hazardous materials is at the County landfill. The
distance of the landfill from many areas of Fort Collins has resulted in hazardous materials
being abandoned and disposed of improperly in many parts of our city. Additionally,many
households will keep and improperly store hazardous materials because they do not want to
make a trip to the landfill.
b. Voluntary nrograms for businesses and residents to reduce pollution and improve
environmental health
Citizens are eager to reduce energy consumption, increase recycling,reduce the production
and storage of hazardous materials, and generally increase the environmental health and
safety of their homes and businesses. Voluntary programs designed to help them achieve
these objective can be highly effective.
C. Implementing air and water quality monitoring and safety programs
For air quality this would include more extensive monitoring and analysis for particulate and
ozone levels, a warning system to advise citizens with respiratory problems of dangerous
particulate or ozone levels, and implementation of action to improve air quality.
For water quality this would include more extensive monitoring and analysis of water quality
and implementation of actions to improve water quality and protect public health and safety.
d. Train noise reduction
Train traffic and the noise from train horns is not only an annoyance but research has shown
that noise (particularly loud intermittent noises) has a demonstrable human health impact.
Effective mitigation actions (such as installation of directional horns or installing "Quiet
Zone" equipment and infrastructure at intersections) are available but are expensive.
ATTACHMENTS
1. Draft of Resolution.
• RESOLUTION 2007-
DRAFT
OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORT COLLINS
SUBMITTING TO THE REGISTERED ELECTORS OF THE CITY A PROPOSED
TWENTY-FIVE PERCENT (0.25%) SALES AND USE TAX INCREASE ON ALL
TAXABLE SERVICES AND TANGIBLE PERSONAL PROPERTY EXCEPT FOOD FOR
THE PURPOSE OF OBTAINING ADDITIONAL REVENUES FOR HEALTH AND
SAFETY PURPOSES
WHEREAS, a consultant to the City has recently completed a study of the staffing levels in
Police Services (the "Study") and has made certain recommendations to the City Council, City
Manager and Police Chief on that subject, which recommendations the Council has received and
considered; and
WHEREAS, based upon the Key Findings in the Study, the Council believes that there is a
pressing need for additional funding to substantially increase staffing levels within Police Services:
and
WHEREAS, the strategic plan of the Poudre Fire Authority (PFA) identifies several
immediate concerns that must be addressed by the City if PFA is to maintain its current level of
service; and
• WHEREAS,other immediate funding needs must also be addressed by the Council in order
for the City to continue to adequately protect the health and safety of its residents; and
WHEREAS, funding for such services is derived primarily from the City's sales and use
taxes; and
WHEREAS the rate of such taxes is among the lowest of Colorado Front Range
municipalities; and
WHEREAS,after making substantial budget reductions in City operations over recent years,
the Council believes that, in order to adequately meet the City's health and safety needs, it is
necessary and in the City's best interest to ask the voters of the City to increase the level of City sales
and use taxes by a .25%increase for that limited purpose; and
WHEREAS,under Article X, Section 3 of the City Charter,the City Council may submit any
question or proposed ordinance or resolution to the vote of the people at a regular or special election;
and
WHEREAS, on August 21, 2007, the City Council approved Ordinance No. 083, 2007,
calling a special municipal election to be held in conjunction with the November 6, 2007 Latimer
County coordinated election, which preserved the opportunity for Council to place initiated or
referred issues on the November ballot.
•
NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORT
COLLINS that the following question, in substantially the form shown below,shall be submitted to
the registered electors of the City of Fort Collins at a special municipal election to be held in
conjunction with the November 6, 2007 Larimer County coordinated election:
SHALL CITY OF FORT COLLINS TAXES BE INCREASED BY AN ESTIMATED $
MILLION FOR THE FIRST FULL FISCAL YEAR AND BY SUCH AMOUNTS AS
MAY BE GENERATED ANNUALLY THEREAFTER BY AN INCREASE IN THE
RATE OF THE CITY'S SALES AND USE TAXES IN THE AMOUNT OF 0.25% (25
CENTS ON A $100 PURCHASE) TO BE IMPOSED ON ALL TAXABLE ITEMS
EXCEPT FOOD, WHICH INCREASE WOULD COMMENCE JANUARY 1, 2008.
WITH THE PROCEEDS OF THE NEW TAX, TOGETHER WITH ALL INVESTMENT
EARNINGS THEREON, TO BE USED AS FOLLOWS:
- 60% FOR POLICE SERVICES AND RELATED IMPROVEMENTS
AND SUPPORT SERVICES;
- 20% FOR FIRE PROTECTION SERVICES AND RELATED
IMPROVEMENTS AND SUPPORT SERVICES;
- 20% FOR OTHER HEALTH AND SAFETY PURPOSES;
WITH THE FULL AMOUNT OF REVENUES DERIVED FROM THE
TAX AND THE INVESTMENT INCOME THEREON TO BE
RETAINED AND EXPENDED BY THE CITY NOTWITHSTANDING
ANY STATE REVENUE OR EXPENDITURE LIMITATIONS
INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, ARTICLE X, SECTION 20 OF
THE COLORADO CONSTITUTION?
Passed and adopted at a regular meeting of the Council of the City of Fort Collins this 4thday
of September, A.D. 2007.
Mayor
ATTEST:
City Clerk