HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOUNCIL - AGENDA ITEM - 02/06/2018 - FIRST READING OF ORDINANCE NO. 020, 2018, APPROPRIAgenda Item 9
Item # 9 Page 1
AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY February 6, 2018
City Council
STAFF
Judge Kathleen M. Lane, Municipal Judge
Carrie Daggett, City Attorney
Darin Atteberry, City Manager
Ingrid Decker, Legal
SUBJECT
First Reading of Ordinance No. 020, 2018, Appropriating Prior Year Reserves in the General Fund for Security
Screening for Fort Collins Municipal Court.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The purpose of this item is to appropriate $201,578 of prior year reserves in the General Fund for the cost of
adding security screening for those attending hearings in Fort Collins Municipal Court. The Court is located on
the first floor of the City’s Administrative Building at 215 North Mason Street. Access for those hearings would
be limited to the north door of the building, the access point currently used for the Community Room. Those
proceeding past the Community Room and entering the Court’s space would go through a magnetometer
(metal detector) and have their belongings checked by contract security personnel prior to gaining access to
the Court’s space. City employees working in the building and the public accessing other offices in the building,
including the Court Clerks’ Office for non-hearing related business, would still have unscreened access
through the east and west entrances. Employees would also continue to have fob access to the building
through the southwest entrance. The changes included in this request are necessary due to increasing safety
and security concerns for employees working in and citizens utilizing City services in that building.
STAFF RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends adoption of the Ordinance on First Reading.
BACKGROUND / DISCUSSION
The Municipal Court Security Officer (MCSO) position was created in 2014 to provide security and maintain
decorum in the courtroom, Court Clerks' Office, main lobby, first floor hallways, prosecutors' offices, and the
defendants' waiting areas during court sessions. Changes to the types of cases filed into Municipal Court and
changes to state laws require both the Chief Judge and the MCSO (Officer Garcia) to stay in the courtroom
longer during arraignment sessions which leaves the other areas of the court, including the prosecutors' offices
and defendants' waiting areas, without security. Even with the additional part-time contract security personnel
which was approved for the Court for 2018, this security concern will continue until security screening can be
added for the public prior to entering the space.
A security survey was conducted by the Court in August 2017. Of 11 similarly-sized Municipal Courts in
Colorado surveyed, including Loveland and Greeley, all indicate that their Court uses security screening
equipment (x-ray, magnetometer, or both) to screen the public before access to court areas is allowed. The
need for this screening is clear based on Officer Garcia’s tracking of weapons visually detected by staff since
July 2017. The number of weapons found is increasing (Attachment 1).
Agenda Item 9
Item # 9 Page 2
The current design of 215 North Mason does not allow the Court to use security screening due to multiple
entrances into the building. Meetings relating to security concerns have been held over several months
between the Court, Safety, Security & Risk Management (SSRM), Operation Services, the City Attorney’s
Office and the City Manager’s Office. The team has concluded that it is preferable at this time to cordon off the
space used for Court-related purposes and screen everyone appearing for Court and Liquor Licensing
hearings. This need became clear after the last budget process and the team does not feel it is safe to wait
until the 2019-2020 budget process to act. This proposal represents our considered opinion of the best way to
provide safety for the public and employees in the building without significant capital expense.
If funded, the changes would include:
1. Physical alterations to prevent public access to the North hallway from the lobby, requiring the public to
access the Court’s space for hearings through the north door of the building. An additional Clerk’s window
will be added in the North hallway for assisting defendants. In addition, the cube space inside the Court
Clerks’ Office will be reoriented to be more efficient and safer.
2. Unscreened access to the Community Room (and adjoining bathrooms) would still be allowed through the
north entrance as it is now. Use of the Community Room would be limited to times when Court hearings
are not being held. Fob access past that area would only be allowed for Court personnel, Prosecutors, and
the City Clerk’s Office personnel for Liquor Licensing Authority hearings. All other employees working in
the building would use the West, East, or South West doors.
3. Inside the north pair of doors just past the Community Room and bathrooms, a screening area would be
created, including a magnetometer and wands operated by contract security personnel. Purses and other
belongings brought into the Court area through the north entrance would be searched unless placed in
lockers (provided for short-term use while conducting Court business). After concluding their Court
business, the public would typically exit the building through the new door to the lobby.
4. Video monitoring of the morth entrance, screening area, and pre-trial conference spaces would be added.
5. Necessary signage, fob access, electrical and IT work is also included.
CITY FINANCIAL IMPACTS
The total requested is $201,578. The estimated cost breakdown is provided in Attachment 2. Most of the
expense is for one-time facility changes. The largest and continuing expense is for the security personnel who
will handle the equipment and screening process. The cost of those services for 2018 has been included in this
request. If this ordinance is adopted, the expense for future years will be included in Municipal Court’s budget
requests.
PUBLIC OUTREACH
As indicated above, a team comprised of Municipal Court, SSRM, Operation Services, the City Attorney’s
Office, and the City Manager’s Office has been meeting for months regarding how best to address current
safety and security concerns for the employees and the public accessing the Court and the building it is
located in. If this ordinance is adopted, the team will work with CPIO to inform the public of the upcoming
changes through several different platforms, including the Coloradoan and the City’s and Court’s websites.
ATTACHMENTS
1. Weapons Detected at Municipal Court, 2017 (PDF)
2. Memo from Brian Hergott, Facility Project Manager, with cost estimates (PDF)
3. Diagram of Center of 1st Floor of 215 North Mason (PDF)
Weapons Detected at Municipal Court
2017
2017
# of Knives detected by staff
or voluntarily turned into staff
# of other weapons detected by staff
or voluntarily turned into staff
Total
weapons
detected
# of Court
requests for FCPS
responses
# of MCSO provided
cover for FCPS
# of MCSO
responses to
215 areas
January*
February* 2
March* 112
April* 4
May* 1‐brass knuckles 1 2 2
June* 31‐saw, 1 lug nut wrench 5 1 2
July 81‐knife pendant, 1 box cutter, 1 machete 11 4 1 (arrest in courtroom)
August 13 1‐baseball bat, 1 watch/knife 15 4 (inc. 1 DV) 1 5
September 61‐Knitting needles 7 2 (inc. 1 DV) 1 1
October 11 1 car chain, 1 skateboard 13 2 7
November 51 chain, 1 skateboard 7
December 12 pepper spray canisters 3 1 1
Total 48 15 63
Updated: 01/24/2018GG
* NOTE: prior to July of 2017-the number of weapons detected by Municipal Court Security Officer (MCSO)/staff or voluntarily turned in for lock-up
was not tracked unless it was listed on a report created after an incident with a potentially volatile or disruptive customer. After the noticeable
increase of weapons spotted by MCSO, Municipal Court started tracking in July of 2017 all security related incidents including weapons, requests
for FCPS response, and number of requests for assistance of MCSO by other departments/areas in and surrounding 215 N. Mason.
ATTACHMENT 1
ATTACHMENT 2
ATTACHMENT 3
-1-
ORDINANCE NO. 020, 2018
OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORT COLLINS
APPROPRIATING PRIOR YEAR RESERVES IN THE GENERAL FUND
FOR SECURITY SCREENING FOR FORT COLLINS MUNICIPAL COURT
WHEREAS, the Fort Collins Municipal Court has identified a need for security screening
of people attending hearings at the Court’s facilities in the 215 North Mason Street office
building; and
WHEREAS, of eleven similarly-sized courts surveyed in Colorado, all used some sort of
security screening equipment to screen the public before they are allowed access to the court;
and
WHEREAS, it is impractical to install security screening at all entrances to 215 North
Mason, which would be required under state law to prohibit the public from bringing firearms
into the building as it is currently configured; and
WHEREAS, City staff has reviewed many possible options and concluded that the best
solution is to physically separate the entire courtroom area from the rest of the building and limit
public access to one entry door equipped with a magnetometer; and
WHEREAS, the total cost for the proposed physical changes to the building, the
screening equipment, and screening personnel for 2018, is $201,578; and
WHEREAS, Article V, Section 9 of the City Charter permits the City Council to
appropriate by ordinance at any time during the fiscal year such funds for expenditure as may be
available from reserves accumulated in prior years, notwithstanding that such reserves were not
previously appropriated; and
WHEREAS, the Financial Officer has determined that the appropriations as described
herein are available and previously unappropriated in the General Fund; and
WHEREAS, this appropriation will serve a public purpose by providing funds to help
protect the health, safety and welfare of members of the public attending Municipal Court and
the City employees who work there.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF
FORT COLLINS as follows:
Section 1. That the City Council hereby makes and adopts the determinations and
findings contained in the recitals set forth above.
Section 2. That there is hereby appropriated from reserves in the General Fund the
sum of TWO HUNDRED ONE THOUSAND FIVE HUNDRED SEVENTY-EIGHT
-2-
DOLLARS ($201,578) for expenditure in the General Fund for the security screening addition
for Fort Collins Municipal Court.
Introduced, considered favorably on first reading, and ordered published this 6th day of
February, A.D. 2018, and to be presented for final passage on the 20th day of February, A.D.
2018.
__________________________________
Mayor
ATTEST:
_______________________________
City Clerk
Passed and adopted on final reading on the 20th day of February, A.D. 2018.
__________________________________
Mayor
ATTEST:
_______________________________
City Clerk