MINUTES OF A WORK SESSION HELD BY THE MAYOR AND COUNCIL OF THE TOWN OF CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA, TUESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 1991, 5:30 P.M.

Mayor Howes called the proceedings to order.

Council Members in attendance were Julie Andresen, Joyce Brown, Joe Herzenberg, Nancy Preston, Arthur Werner and Roosevelt Wilkerson, Jr. Council Members Alan Rimer and James C. Wallace were absent. Also in attendance were Town Manager Cal Horton, Assistant Town Managers Sonna Loewenthal and Florentine Miller, Personnel Director Pat Crotts, Police Chief Arnold Gold, Police Captains Gregg Jarvies and Ralph Pendergraph, Police Administrative Analyst Jane Cousins, Fire Chief Dan Jones, Deputy Fire Chief Bobby Williams, Administrative Officer Rodney Murray, Fire Marshall Joe Robertson, and Town Attorney Ralph Karpinos.

Mayor Howes said that approximately one hour would be required for presentation and discussion of the report. He noted that the Council would need to vacate the room by 6:45 p.m., since the Planning and Transporation Boards were holding a joint meeting in the Chamber beginning at 7:00 p.m. Mayor Howes said that the Council needed to conduct an Executive Session on personnel matters following the work session.

Town Manager Horton said one of the conclusions of the Task Force's report was that the Town would be wise to consider modifying its current public safety system as soon as possible. Mr. Horton said the modification would entail having fewer public safety officers and more staff specializing in police and fire protection services. He stated that a possible outcome in the future was the creation of separate Police and Fire Departments. Mr. Horton noted that no additional resources were needed to implement the modified system.

He stated that changing over to separate departments would have a net cost of approximately $135,000 to $150,000 to cover the costs of hiring six additional fire personnel minus the savings from reduced costs for worker's compensation, uniforms and ammunition. Mr. Horton noted that the Council had been given copies of several organizational charts pertaining to the current and modified public safety systems and separate possible structures for the Police and Fire Departments.

Personnel Director Pat Crotts said the task force had conducted an extensive literature review and employee survey as part of its work plan. She added that the task force had also examined the objectives of the Fire and Police Department, including the provision of more fire inspections, pre-fire planning, and greater community policing. Ms. Crotts said a variety of conditions had changed since the public safety system was implemented in 1976. She stated that it was becoming increasingly difficult to coordinate services between the two departments. Ms. Crotts said the staff was available to answer any questions by the Council.

Council Member Werner complemented the task force for composing as good and clear report. Council Member Werner said he was convinced about the need for separate Police and Fire systems. He required whether the creation of separate departments would necessitate adding Police and Fire positions in the future. Mr. Horton said it would be necessary to add Police personnel if service utilization levels were too high. He said it was likely that additional Police personnel would likely be needed during the next few years. Mr. Horton said that Fire protection was an intermixing of functions, necessitating better measures of fire protection services in the future. Council Member Werner inquired how long implementation of the program could take. Mr. Horton said it would be possible to have a hybrid system for three or four more years. He stated that a modified system would work well, providing better protection while balance community needs.

Council Member Wilkerson commended the task force for an excellent report. He stated that the report solidified the need for having separate Police and Fire departments. Council Member Wilkerson inquired whether sergeants in a separate Police Department would be street or desk sergeants. Chief Gold said they would be street sergeants.

Mr. Horton said it was advisable to make all changes at once, rather than an intermediate stage. He said that total separation of the departments was the best long-term approach. Mayor Howes said this was a very important point. Mayor Howes noted that there had been a time when discussion of the public safety issue was focused as a community political issue. He said it was clear that the community now felt it was time to examine alternative arrangements. Mayor Howes said the public safety system may have reached the end of its useful life for the Town. Mayor Howes said the recommendations of the task force report were clear, well-presented and persuasive in its suggestion to move quickly to a new organization.

Council Member Herzenberg noted that he and Council candidates Bill Thorpe and Tom McCurdy had recently participated in a forum addressing community matters, including the public safety system.

Council Member Brown said she thought the task force's report was very good. She inquired how the proposed modification related to current Police operations. Council Member Brown requested amplificaiton of how the proposed system would benefit the community given current public safety concerns. Police Chief Gold said that law enforcement was seeing a movement back toward putting more officers in neighborhoods and on foot patrol. Chief Gold said that increases in violent crime and drug use had contributed to the movement toward community-oriented policing. He stressed the need for officers to become stabilized in neighborhoods to address particular issues. He stated that separate departments would allow officers to be in individual neighborhoods for greater and more concentrated periods of time.

Council Member Werner said he understood the neighborhood beat concept in the downtown area. He inquired how this system would be put into effect in other parts of the Town. Chief Gold responded that each area of Town had its own unique problems and needs, requiring support services such as crime prevention and community watches. He said that patrols were tailored to address problems such as violent crime, property crime and drug problems.

Council Member Wilkerson inquired whether the number of counselors or social workers would be need to be increased in the future. Town Manager Horton responded that the task force had been instructed not to lay out a program to enlarge the department. He stated that the task force's charge, in concert with the Council's request, had been to evaluate the existing public safety system. Mr. Horton said there would likely be a need to expand the number of crisis counselors in the future. Chief Gold said the Police Department would look into developing programs over a longer period of time. He added that investigators, counselors and others could be assigned to shifts as needed. Council Member Wilkerson said that addressing the issue of crime would take more than strict Police enforcement.

Council Member Andresen said that she had an intern, Brad Shearer, assisting her in evaluating the public safety system. Council Member Andresen expressed her appreciation to Mr. Shearer for his assistance. Council Member Andresen inquired whether the only disadvantage of the proposed change was cost. Noting that cost was the main disadvantage, Mr. Horton invited Chief Gold and Chief Jones to respond to the question. Council Member Andresen inquired why it would cost an additional $180,000 for to receive the same service level. Chief Jones responded that the cost of a modified system would be unchanged, while the estimated cost of hiring six firefighters in a separate Town Fire department would be approximately $180,000. He noted that this would be an ongoing annual cost.

Council Member Andresen inquired how the modified system would operate in terms of overtime and handling of special events. Chief Gold said the modification would have little appreciable impact, since the Town had mutual aid agreements with other local law enforcement agencies to handle community and special events.

Council Member Andresen inquired whether a former public safety officer turned firefighter would be eligible to receive overtime by working at special events. Chief Gold responded that it was possible for firefighters to retain police certification through a reserve program, making it possible for them to continue to provide law enforcement services.

Council Member Andresen inquired about scheduling problems related to the public safety system. Mr. Horton said that scheduling problems were very difficult at times, with changes occuring without much forewarning. He said that scheduling got done because dedicated employees knew it had to be done. Chief Jones said that a considerable amount of time was spent determining the balance of staffing needs. He added that staffing needs changed on almost daily basis, with necessary scheduling changes occurring to deal with demands. Ms. Crotts noted that another possible disadvantage of separate departments was that some individuals like serving as a public safety officer. She noted that it would be possible for some of these individuals to choose which service they chose to specialize in, while possibly maintaining reserve status in the other specialization.

Council Member Andresen inquired why the timetable for the modified system was spread out. Ms. Crotts responded that it was necessary to continue to have at least thirty-eight public safety officer positions to cover all existing patrol shifts. Council Member Andresen inquired whether there were any impediments to implementing separate departments immediately. Mr. Horton said the main difficulty was the need to recruit six new Fire department personnel. Council Member Werner inquired about the most expeditious time frame for shifting to separate departments. Mr. Horton responded that separate departments could be in place as soon as July, 1992. Chief Jones said that training time for separate departments would be significantly reduced. Mr. Horton said he generally recommended a changeover in the system after the beginning of the next fiscal year. Ms. Crotts said that this was primarily due to funding considerations.

Council Member Andresen noted that some fire fighting personnel had second jobs. She inquired whether the new system would impact this situation. Ms. Crotts said that hours for firefighters would remain the same, averaging fifty-six hours per week. Council Member Andresen inquired about specifics of days off for firefighters. Chief Jones said that firefighters worked four ten hour days and four fourteen hour nights. He noted that many firefighters held flexible other jobs such as house repairs and landscaping businesses. Mr. Horton said it was not his intent to design a system which would accommodate secondary employment.

Mayor Howes noted that the provision of time for secondary employment had originally been used as an argument against a public safety officer system.

Mayor Howes inquired whether the Town would be likely to continue its tradition of attracting high quality recruits to the Police and Fire services. Chief Jones said he thought it would be possible to do so. He noted that the type of recruit being sought had changed significantly in the past ten to fifteen years, with technical skills, rather than labor orientation, being the primary criterion. Mayor Howes inquired whether there was a certification process for firefighting personnel. Chief Jones said yes. Ms. Crotts said emphasis was placed on recruiting people who worked well with others. Mayor Howes inquired whether separate departments would impair the Town's ability to recruit. Mr. Horton said separate departments would make it somewhat easier to continue the tradition of high-quality recruits, reaching out to a larger group of applicants.

Council Member Andresen said she knew there was a need for more Police officers. She asked whether the Police would have more time for follow-up investigations if the new system were implemented.

She inquired whether there would be changes in level of service. Chief Gold said yes, noting that it would be possible to put more officers on the street by improving the utilization rate.

Mayor Howes said there appeared to be a rather high level of consensus on the report by the Council. He requested a summary of possible timetable for modifications in the public safety system.

Mr. Horton said he would bring a resolution before the Council to implement a modified public safety system by January 1. He said that a proposed change to separate Fire and Police Departments would be offered as a part of the Council's budget deliberation processes. Mayor Howes inquired whether this approach was agreeable to the Council. Hearing no objections, Mayor Howes said this appeared to be a reasonable way to proceed. Mayor Howes said he was confident that Council Members Rimer and Wallace would concur with the recommended changes in the public safety system.

Mayor Howes said that the proposed change in the public safety system marked a watershed event in the life of the community. He thanked the task force and staff for their work on the report.

Mayor Howes said that the Council would conclude its work session and move into Executive Session to evaluate the performance of the Town Manager and Town Attorney.

The work session concluded at 6:23 p.m.