Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOUNCIL - AGENDA ITEM - 07/16/2019 - FIRST READING OF ORDINANCE NO. 092, 2019, APPROPRIAgenda Item 6 Item # 6 Page 1 AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY July 16, 2019 City Council STAFF Erik Martin, Police Financial Analyst II Kevin Cronin, Police Assistant Chief Adam McCambridge, Police Lieutenant Mark Leinweber, Senior Project Manager Bronwyn Scurlock, Legal SUBJECT First Reading of Ordinance No. 092, 2019, Appropriating Prior Year Reserves in the General Fund for the Police Interview Room Camera Replacement. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The purpose of this item is to appropriate funds from the Fort Collins Police Services Asset Forfeiture federal and state accounts (in the amount of $101,000) to partially fund the purchase of a replacement interview room recording system at the Fort Collins Police Services building, 2221 South Timberline Road. These funds will be used in conjunction with other identified funds from core budget and contract savings. STAFF RECOMMENDATION Staff recommends adoption of the Ordinance on First Reading. BACKGROUND / DISCUSSION The current Arbitrator interview and recording system for the criminal and internal affairs interview rooms suffered two significant failures. The system is many years old. In 2018, Police Services requested funding for a replacement system through the 2019/2020 Budgeting for Outcomes (BFO) process. The intent was to replace this critical system before it failed and/or parts were unavailable. The BFO offer was pursued due to 2018 budget constraints and an inability to gain fast approval to utilize seizure funds. FCPS personnel believed the current configuration could continue on break/fix plans if the 2019/2020 funding was allocated to other high priority needs. Unfortunately, the offer was not accepted, and was not pursued more vigorously due to the break/fix belief. Since the offer was written, Police Services located and purchased the last known server parts during a national search. These units can be used if the system goes down completely again, as it did in 2018. Unfortunately, as is the case with any aging and frequently used technology, failure can be unpredictable and cascading. As a result of these unforeseen and unpredictable failures, the current system is no longer viewed as reliable. The recording of investigative and other law enforcement related interviews is a fundamental need and expectation of professional law enforcement practice. The system that is responsible for capturing the interview must be 100% reliable to ensure accurate, complete and reliable evidence collection. Agenda Item 6 Item # 6 Page 2 CITY FINANCIAL IMPACTS The estimated cost to replace the system is $135,000. This will be partly funded from repurposing up to $20,000 from funds allocated for the costs associated with fixing the current system and $18,200 from savings from a canceled Motorola contract in Police Information Services 2019 budget. The remaining amount is being requested from an appropriation of $86,000 from the Federal Asset Forfeiture reserve and $15,000 of State Asset Forfeiture reserve. The federal funds are administered by the Department of Justice to supplement and enhance agency resources for a restricted range of law enforcement and public safety uses. The State Asset Forfeiture program mirrors much of the federal program with a limited range of permissible law enforcement and public safety uses. The Federal and State Seizure funds are from a distribution from the Northern Colorado Drug Task Force in 2012 and prior. The funds were acquired through the federal and state civil asset forfeiture programs. In 2012 and before, the Executive Officers Board decided to make a distribution to the City of Fort Collins from the funds that the NCDTF held. The appropriation of this budget will draw these two reserve balances to zero, which aligns with the intent of these funds. It is anticipated that the annual maintenance for a new system will either remain the same, if not decrease, and will not increase any ongoing costs. -1- ORDINANCE NO. 092, 2019 OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORT COLLINS APPROPRIATING PRIOR YEAR RESERVES IN THE GENERAL FUND FOR THE POLICE INTERVIEW ROOM CAMERA REPLACEMENT WHEREAS, Fort Collins Police Services (“FCPS”) Arbitrator interview and recording system for the criminal and internal affairs interview rooms suffered two significant failures resulting in an unpredictable and unreliable system; and WHEREAS, the recording of investigative and other law enforcement related interviews is a fundamental need and expectation of professional law enforcement practices; and WHEREAS, the system that is responsible for capturing the interview must be one- hundred percent predicable and reliable to ensure accurate and complete evidence collection for law enforcement purposes; and WHEREAS, the estimated cost to replace the system is $135,000; and WHEREAS, this cost will be partly funded from repurposing up to $20,000 from funds previously allocated for, but not spent on, fixing the past failure on the current system and $18,200 from savings from a cancelled Motorola contract in the FCPS Information Services 2019 budget; and WHEREAS, the remaining cost would be covered by this requested appropriation of $86,000 from the Federal Asset Forfeiture reserve and $15,000 from the State Asset Forfeiture reserve; and WHEREAS, this appropriation will benefit the public health, safety and welfare of the citizens of Fort Collins by ensuring a reliable and accurate system that works to guarantee accurate and complete evidence collection for law enforcement purposes; 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 City Manager has recommended the appropriation described herein and determined that this appropriation is available and previously unappropriated from the General Fund and will not cause the total amount appropriated in the General Fund to exceed the current estimate of actual and anticipated revenues to be received in that fund during any fiscal year. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORT COLLINS as follows: -2- 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 prior year reserves in the General Fund, Federal Asset Forfeiture account the sum of EIGHTY-SIX THOUSAND DOLLARS ($86,000) for expenditure in the General Fund for the Police Interview Room Camera Replacement. Section 3. That there is hereby appropriated from prior year reserves in the General Fund, State Asset Forfeiture account the sum of FIFTEEN THOUSAND DOLLARS ($15,000) for expenditure in the General Fund for the Police Interview Room Camera Replacement. Introduced, considered favorably on first reading, and ordered published this 16th day of July, A.D. 2019, and to be presented for final passage on the 20th day of August, A.D. 2019. __________________________________ Mayor ATTEST: _______________________________ City Clerk Passed and adopted on final reading on the 20th day of August, A.D. 2019. __________________________________ Mayor ATTEST: _______________________________ City Clerk