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Public Safety Committee Minutes 2008 08-21-08 APPROVED 9/18/08 UNITED CITY OF YORKVILLE 800 Game Farm Road Yorkville, IL 60560 PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE MEETING City Hall, Conference Room Thursday, August 21, 2008 — 6:00 P.M. PRESENT: Chairperson Spears, Committeemen Werderich and Plocher ABSENT: Committeeman Sutcliff ALSO PRESENT: Chief Martin, Lieutenant Schwartzkopf, Lieutenant Hart, Molly Batterson, Mayor Burd Chairperson Spears called the meeting to order at 5:55 p.m. in the Conference Room of City Hall. PRESENTATION: None MINUTES: With no discussion or corrections, this July 24, 2008 were approved. NEW BUSINESS: 1. PS 2008-30—Police Reports for July, 2008 Chief Martin noted that the department has been holding tight on overtime since July, 2008. This item is informational only. 2. PS 2008-31 —Update on Administrative Adjudication Hearing Process This item will be postponed until the September meeting; however, Molly is in attendance to give an update from the Police Department perspective. Molly stated the following: • There are a few ordinances from the Code Book that need to be cleaned up such as fine schedules, etc. • Lt. Schwartzkopf has gotten some tentative dates for hearings through the end of the year. Molly was asked to notify the committee of the dates. When asked if Saturday dates were available, she replied that they are not available this calendar year. • The ticket books are in. • Attorney Orr will conduct 1 more training session and get Building and Zoning on board with the process. Molly will email the committee with the date. • Finance Director Mika is working on setting up credit card payment options for this program. 3. PS 2008-32 Ordinance Amending City Code Regarding Penalty References Molly stated that the remainder of the penalties have been removed per Attorney Orr. This item was moved to the Consent Agenda. 4. PS 2008-33 Ordinance Amending Updated Fine Schedule / Repealing Outdated Fine Schedule Molly stated that the ordinance was updated to include violations of the Illinois Vehicle Code in order for the City to retain fees from IVC tickets. All parking violations are $25.00. This item was moved to the Consent Agenda. 5. PS 2008-34 Request for Package Liquor License — Route 34 and Cannonball Trail Chief Martin stated that he and the Liquor Commissioner have already reviewed this request and ask that the Committee review it and place it on the Consent Agenda. Committeeman Werderich is concerned about the number of liquor dealers in the area. Chief Martin stated that perhaps the City should consider a distance parameter for such establishments. Committeeman Plocher stated that he supports open commerce but can think of 4 other locations selling liquor in the immediate area. Mayor Burd stated that liquor licenses are granted on a case-by-case basis and if this committee feels that request is too close to others in the area, they are welcome to turn down the request. Committeeman Werderich stated that he also agreed that this is too close other others in the area; however, he does not want to turn it down. He feels it should move forward to the City Council, but not on the Consent Agenda. Chief Martin added that the City only has 4 gas stations. He personally would like to see a 5th gas station come into the City, but if the requestor is denied the liquor license, he may decide against opening. He also added that there are little if any problems with the gas stations that sell liquor. The Police Department is much more concerned about bars. 6. PS 2008-35 Request to Hire Part-time Civilian Evidence Custodian Chief Martin is requesting to hire a part-time civilian Evidence Custodian to help free up some of the Sergeant's time and to take items to and from the crime lab. The person he is interested in hiring is a retired CPAT member. He is very meticulous and will help to organize the Evidence Room. He will work 3-4 days a week and will not be entitled to benefits, however, the position will ultimately result in a savings to the City by not having a Police Officer handle these responsibilities. Lt. Schwartzkopf stated that he and Chief Martin worked for this individual in the past and he is very good at what he does and is very `by the book'. Chief Martin added that the Police Department budget includes 6 part-time Police Officer positions. At the present time, they only have 3 on staff He would like to change one of those positions to the part-time Evidence Custodian. Chairperson Spears stated that a person with his experience would be beneficial to the department. With no further discussion, this item was moved to the Consent Agenda. 7. PS 2008-36 Disposal of Surplus Property Chief Martin stated that the department is looking to auction a 1996 Chevy Caprice with 148,000+ miles on it. The vehicle was loaned to Community Development for a short time, however, it would no longer start and they no longer need it. A used battery was put into the vehicle. It does have an LT-1 engine. Chief Martin feels that the City would probably receive more money for the vehicle through the auction process rather than sealed bids. This item was moved to the Consent Agenda. 8. PS 2008-37 Request to Purchase Vehicle—Replacement Squad for M-19 Chief Martin is seeking approval to purchase a squad car that had been totaled during a traffic stop. The City received $8500.00 from the insurance company, plus will receive the cost of stripping and moving the equipment. The cost deficit between the new vehicle and the insurance payment is $10,561.31. He is requesting approval to use the General Fund Contingency Fund to cover this cost. When asked how the department has operated without the vehicle, Chief Martin replied that officers were moved to other vehicles which creates a hardship in that the vehicles get more miles on them than they should and could potentially move up the replacement date for those vehicles. Chief Martin added that each month the department puts about 32,000 miles on their fleet, which is about 3,000 miles per patrol car. Chairperson Spears asked if funding was available. Chief Martin replied that Administrator McLaughlin stated there was a few weeks ago. The committee agreed that this vehicle should be replaced. Chief Martin was asked to contact Finance Director Mika on Monday to determine if the funding was available. This item was moved to the Consent Agenda. 9. PS 2008-38 Request to Amend Code Regarding No Parking Areas on Certain Streets Chief Martin stated that City Engineer Joe Wywrot has requested no parking on sections of Bristol Bay Drive, Bertram Drive, Rosenwinkel Street, and Beecher Road. The committee agrees that while it was not necessary to have a public meeting for these streets, the public should have an opportunity to address their concerns with the committee. It was suggested that notices be sent to the affected residents through their water bill. Molly was asked to speak with Glory to determine if specific streets could be targeted for an inclusion of a notice with their bills. This item will be returned to a future meeting. 10. PS 2008-39 No Fishing Off Route 47 Bridge—Discussion Assistant City Administrator Olson received 1 resident complaint regarding fishing off the Route 47 Bridge. Chief Martin stated that this is the first complaint he recalls since he has been with the City. Additionally, he stated that the fishermen get out of the way for passersby. He feels if there is truly a problem, it should be dealt with but he does not feel that this is a problem. Committeeman Spears stated that people have been fishing there for years, to which Mayor Burd added that it's part of the small town charm. Committeeman Werderich stated that he would not support a fishing ban at this location. If there are more complaints, this item will be returned to the committee, however, at this time, no action will be taken. OLD BUSINESS: None ADDITIONAL BUSINESS: Committeeman Plocher — Advised the group to be careful on ladders as he recently fell from a ladder. Committeeman Werderich — He has looked for the `Kids at Play' signs in Sunflower Estates and has not seen them. Chief Martin stated that the Police Department would verify the installation of the signs. Chief Martin — Speaking of signs, he would like to request that future sign matters be moved to the Public Works Committee as the Police Department can simply request signs, then has to forward the request to the Public Works Department. Chief Martin stated that Public Works has to follow IDOT guidelines for type, size, location, etc of signs, therefore, the Police Department has very little to do with them unless it is a public safety issue. It was noted that a sign was stolen in Foxhill; Chief Martin will let Public Works know. Chairperson Spears recommended sending sign requests to Public Works Committee, however, the Public Safety Committee should be copied. ADJOURNMENT OF THE PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE MEETING: With no further business to discuss, the meeting adjourned at 6:48 p.m. Minutes respectfully submitted by Margaret M. Hartigan.