Police & Fire Commission
May 15, 2007, 4:34 p.m.

Roll Call: Commissioners Meyer, Nuck, Rice, Schleihs and Taylor

Also Present: Police Chief Morris, Fire Chief Barnes, Mayor Halverson, Deputy Chief Tracey Kujawa, Alderperson Norm Myers, Alderperson George Hanson, Alderperson Randy Stroik

Index of these minutes:

2. Adjourn into executive session (approximately 4:30 p.m.) pursuant to Wis. Stats. ss. 19.85 (1) (b), (c), (e) and (f) for the following: a. Probationary firefighter/paramedic interview b Updates on Police and Fire labor negotiations, mediation, arbitration and personnel issues
3. Reconvene into open session (approximately 4:45 p.m.) for possible action on item numbers 2(a) and 2(b).
4. People to be heard and announcements
5. Approval of Minutes - April 10, 2007
6. Confirmation of Bills
7. Discussion, with possible action, Portage County Safety and Emergency Management Committee's request for a joint meeting with the Police and Fire Commission
8. Election of President; appointment of officers
9. Fire Chief's Report
10. Police Chief's Report
11. Adjournment

2. Adjourn into Executive Session (approximately 4:30 p.m.) Pursuant to Wis. Stats. ss. 19.85 (1) (b), (c), (e) and (f) for the following:

a. Motor Pump Operator Interview - Fire Department
b. Updates on Police and Fire labor negotiations, mediation, arbitration and personnel issues

Commissioner Meyer moved, seconded by Commissioner Taylor, to adjourn into executive session.

Roll call: Ayes: Commissioners Meyer, Nuck, Rice, Schleihs and Taylor
Nays: None. Motion carried

3. Reconvene into Open Session (approximately 4:45 p.m.) For possible action on items numbers 2(a) and 2(b).

Commissioner Meyer moved, seconded by Commissioner Taylor, to reconvene into Open Session.

Roll call: Ayes: Commissioners Meyer, Nuck, Rice, Schleihs and Taylor
Nays: None. Motion carried

Commissioner Meyer moved, seconded by Commissioner Taylor, to approve Mark Schoeberle to the position of Motor Pump Operator.

Roll call: Ayes: Commissioners Meyer, Nuck, Rice, Schleihs and Taylor
Nays: None. Motion carried

4. People to be heard and announcements

None.

5. Approval of Minutes - April 10, 2007

Commissioner Meyer moved, seconded by Commissioner Taylor, to approve the minutes of April 10, 2007.

Ayes, all; nays, none. Motion carried.

6. Confirmation of Bills

Commissioner Rice moved, seconded by Commissioner Meyer, to accept the confirmation of the April 2007 bills.

Ayes, all; nays, none. Motion carried.

7. Discussion, with possible action, Portage County Safety and Emergency Management Committee's request for a joint meeting with the Police and Fire Commission

Commissioner Meyer moved, seconded by Commissioner Taylor, that President Schleihs send a letter to the Portage County Safety and Emergency Management Committee inviting them to attend the July 10, 2007 commission meeting to discuss the operation of county vehicles by City of Stevens Point employees.

Ayes, all; nays, none. Motion carried.

8. Election of President; appointment of officers

Commissioner Meyer moved, seconded by Commissioner Taylor, to nominate David Schleihs as President. President Schleihs nominated Maurice Rice as Secretary, and assigned Bill Meyer as Fire Liaison and Mary Taylor as Police Liaison.

Ayes, all; nays, none. Motion carried.

9. Fire Chief's Report

Chief Barnes reported:

• The Chief briefed the Commission on the status of station 2.
• The chief has applied for two AFG applications:
  • Replacement of the Ariel truck, $800,000.00
  • Replacement of contained breathing apparatus, $198,000.00
• The Chief distributed a time table for the hiring process for Deputy Chief.
• Mayor Halverson is working on a number of cooperative projects with neighboring governments. One is a discussion with Plover to jointly purchase a replacement aerial truck.
• Engine #1 is out of service receiving corrosion repairs to the leaking water tank and front axle mountings.
• The city is attempting to identify how to better utilize GIS type information to improve productivity. A demonstration is scheduled for June 4th.
• There is a citywide open house this Saturday at the Department of Public Works.
• The department is installing base radio into station #1.
• The department is installing a repeater in the center of the city to support the new public safety frequency.
• Dignitaries will be visiting the fire department at different times during May and June.
• The Chief will be at the State Fire Chief's Conference from June 20th through the 24th.
• The KASH grand opening is scheduled for June 9th at 1:00 p.m. at Mead Park.

Commissioner Meyer moved, seconded by Commissioner Rice, to accept the Fire Chief's Report for April 2007.

Ayes, all; nays, none. Motion carried

10. Police Chief's Report

Chief Morris reported:

• Officers Mueller, Reed and Kontos are now on solo patrol. Officer Ahrens is in the first month of her field training.
• May 15th is the next negotiating session with the AFSCME clerical union.
• The architectural firm of Grunwalt and Associates has been hired to design a layout and prepare specs for bid requests for relocating the Dispatch Center to the western part of the department.
• DCS Net Link of Rice Lake is developing a proposal to replace the current infrastructure for data transfer from the vehicles in the field to the station.
• The Finance Committee approved and forwarded to the City Council Comptroller Treasurer's request to borrow funds for several projects. Included are two police department projects; $58,000 for "in squad" video camera system and $20,000 for development of shared city/county firearms training facility located in the Town of Dewey.
• Other matters of interest:

• All officers have completed an eight hour in-service training session for 2007 that included 90 minutes on Problem Solving Policing (POP).
• As part of the annual liquor renewal process the Department is recommending to the City Council that the Northside Bar receive a six month license instead of a one year license.
• In cooperation the PCSO and the Portage County AODA Coalition, the SPPD completed a check of 95% of all facilities licensed in Portage County to sell alcohol. The results show continued improvement in compliance by most retailers.
• The Justice Center project appears to have the full support of the Mayor conditioned upon choice of a mutually agreeable site. County Executive Maslowski is starting to move forward with the next phase of this project which includes the hiring of Venture Architects of Milwaukee to complete the next study phase.
• Mayor Halverson is very interested in developing a comprehensive technology strategy to ensure all IT needs for the city are met in a coordinated fashion.
• Crime stats this month indicate a rise in burglaries, auto thefts, motor vehicle accidents and OWI arrests.
• The final interview portion of the process to hire a 7th dispatcher will be complete later this week. The Chief anticipates hiring someone to begin approximately June 4th.
• As part of the 2008 budget development process the chief is anticipating to request an eighth dispatcher to bring the staffing in line where it has to be in order to meet the workload of the department.

Commissioner Meyer moved, seconded by Commissioner Nuck, to approve the Police Chief's report for April 2007.

Ayes, all; nays, none. Motion carried

11. Adjournment

The meeting adjourned at 6:40 p.m.

The meeting minutes reproduced on this website are derived from the computer files used to produce the official minutes for the City of Stevens Point, but are unofficial. The minutes on this web site cannot be certified under s. 889.08, Wis. Stats., and cannot be considered prima facie evidence under s. 889.04, Wis. Stats. Certain tables, maps, and other documents that are a part of the official minutes are not included in the files reproduced on this website. Please consult the printed minutes, available in the City Clerk's Office, for the official text. The decisions made by City of Stevens Point boards, committees, and commissions (other than the Police & Fire Commission) are advisory only and are not binding on the city until affirmed at a meeting of the Common Council. Some of the minutes on this web site might not be approved by the Common Council as of today.