Press Alt + R to read the document text or Alt + P to download or print.
This document contains no pages.
Minutes 1994-03-23
. .
MINUTES
JOINT MEETING
GROVER BEACH CITY COUNCIL! ARROYO GRANDE CITY COUNCIL
Mayor Munroe called the Special Joint Meeting of the City of Grover Beach City
Council and the City of Arroyo Grande City Council to order at 7:30 pm on
Wednesday, March 23, 1994, at the Grover Beach Community Center, 1230 Trouville
Avenue, Grover Beach, California, 93433.
.-.-._- FLAG SALUTE Led by Richard Roberts
ROLL CALL
! Grover Beach City Council: Council Members Arnoldsen, Forister, Gates,
Keith, Mayor Munroe were present
Arroyo Grande City Council: Council Members Brandy, Burke and Mayor
Gallagher were present. Council Member
Souza was absent
Ex Officios: Grover Beach City Administrator Culbreth-
Graft, Arroyo Grande City Manager
Christainsen, Grover Beach Police Chief
Brown, Arroyo Grande Police Chief TerBorch,
Grover Beach Finance Director Johnson, City
Clerk Risoldi
PUBLIC COMMUNICATIONS
There were none at this time.
WORKSHOP
1. JOINT FEASIBILITY STUDY OF POLICE CONSOLIDATION. The Joint City
Councils are being presented with the Joint feasibility study for consolidation of
the police services. The public has been invited to provide input on the study
and the concept.
Grover Beach City Administrator Culbreth-Graft began the staff presentation with an
overview of why the study was prepared, the purpose of the study, how the study was
conducted, and what benefits the cities would receive through consolidation.
Grover Beach Police Chief Brown talked about the rise in number of calls for police
services over the last five years. He also explained that a team of staff members had
gone to Larkspur and Corte Madera where the Twin Cities Police Agency had been
operating since 1981 and Indicated the team was given ideas on what needed to be
\ studied and what to look for.
l,...-' Arroyo Grande Police Chief TerBorch presented overhead transparencies showing the
proposed organizational chart for the Joint Powers Authority agency, staffing ratios,
police statistics from comparative cities, existing and proposed staff levels, and the
proposed organizational chart for the consolidated department.
"--
Arroyo Grande City Manager Christainsen gave an overview of the Feasibility Study
and highlighted the action necessary by both Councils should they wish to proceed
with consolidation.
Arroyo Grande Council Member Burke asked about a capital asset evaluation and
what assets would be transferred to the Authority.
:...
~'
. .
Minutes March 23, 1994
Grover Beach Finance Director Johnson responded he had discussed the issue with
the auditor who works for both cities. He said it was their recommendation that the
decision be made that both police departments give their equipment over to the new
agency with the individual cities retaining ownership of the equipment; however, any
new equipment would be purchased and owned by the JPA. He stated the issue had
not been settled.
Council Member Burke indicated the Arroyo Grande City Council had recently
approved several expenditures for capital purchases for the police department and --
wanted to know if it would be lopsided in what the two cities would be contributing.
Finance Director Johnson replied that was not known yet. He also stated that a
detailed cost of all inventory could be prepared but would be a costly project. Staff
felt at this time, it was not appropriate to recommend a full cost inventory.
--
Grover Beach Mayor Munroe asked City Manager Christainsen for clarification on the
modified JPA.
City Manager Christainsen replied that an interim Joint Powers Authority would be
formed to permit formal labor negotiations. He explained that once a labor agreement
was reached they would proceed with full JPA formation.
Mayor Munroe asked about the ratio of costs for each agency based on population
and asked how that addressed the lopsided ratio of commercial businesses in the two
cities.
City Administrator Culbreth-Graft replied the formula used in the study was based only
on population. She indicated that when the two cities negotiate the JPA, the length
of time that formula was used and the components of the formula would have to be
set. She stated the Finance Director was recommending three to five years before it
was changed, but any formula could be negotiated between the cities.
Mayor Munroe opened the workshop to comments and questions from the audience.
Richard Roberts, 1425 Trouville Avenue, Grover Beach, commended the Councils for
their courage in authorizing the study and complemented staff for the preparation of
a comprehensive and nonbiased report. He recommended that all current vacant
positions and any that become vacant prior to the consolidation being completed be
frozen so the new chief could fill the vacancies. He also recommended that the chief's
position be widely advertised and selected through open competition.
David Ekbom, 1328 Grand Avenue, Grover Beach, congratulated the Councils for their
courage in proceeding. He suggested that the study include actual costs that would
be incurred for each department to provide the extra services that would be provided
by the consolidated agency if the consolidation did not go through. He asked why
both police stations were going to be used. He stated he would like to see the two
departments combined with existing personnel.
~
Arroyo Grande Police Chief TerBorch explained that neither police facility was large
enough to house the combined department and explained what was being proposed.
Stan Goldbloom, 546 S. 14th Street, Grover Beach, asked for clarification on the
$13,000 cost for Grover Beach.
City Administrator Culbreth-Graft explained that figure was derived using 1993/94
costs and did not consider 1994/95 budget requests or adjustments for inflation.
Mr. Goldbloom asked if there would be any actual start-up costs.
2
I
.
Minutes March 23, 1994
City Administrator Culbreth-Graft explained there might be about $15,000 in start-up
costs and indicated these were included in the budget.
Mr. Goldbloom asked how many officers would be assigned to each city.
Police Chief TerBorch explained officers would not be assigned to any particular city
but based on overall workload.
,-- Mr. Goldbloom indicated he was against consolidation and felt the City should
continue with the status quo.
City Administrator Culbreth-Graft explained that if the City maintained the status quo
it would see a decline in service because of the increase in the crime rate.
Chief Brown indicated that if consolidation did not proceed he would have to go before
the City Council with a request for two additional police officers for 1994/95 and that
would not keep the department status quo.
Mr. Goldbloom asked if Chief Brown was satisfied with the level of service by his
officers now.
Chief Brown replied he was satisfied with the level of competence of his officers, but
not with the level of service the department was providing.
Gene Bello, 919 N. 6th Street, Grover Beach, indicated the report was marvelous but
expressed concerns regarding the number of supervisors, the need for a new police
facility in the Mure, the increase in benefits to the employees of the new agency, and
the dispatch supervisor position. He stated he liked Grover Beach having its own
police department and wanted to keep it. He indicated that if the Council decided to
go along with consolidation, the chief should not come from either department.
I
Chief Brown addressed Mr. Bello's concerns. He explained that the increase in field
supervisors would put a sergeant out on the street every hour of every day to
supervise the officers but also to make arrests and perform normal police duties. He
also explained that the Dispatch Supervisor would be one of the two dispatchers on
duty.
Pat Koelzer, 900 Charles Street, Grover Beach, stated she thought the report was
excellent. She asked how the cities could get out of the JPA if things didn't work once
they got into it.
City Administrator Culbreth-Graft replied that would have to be decided when the Joint
Powers Authority was formed and provisions for dissolution incorporated into the
document. She indicated it would be like a divorce in that the two cities would have
to split the property.
Carmen Los Angeles, 1396 Brighton Avenue, Grover Beach, asked how Grover Beach
compared to Arroyo Grande in population and business growth. She also asked if the
JPA would create more work with the City Administrator, Finance Department and City
Attorney and which city would have the most liability.
L_~. City Manager Christainsen replied that both cities were involved in JPA's currently, and
the JPA would be a totally separate entity which would have its own attorney. He
stated the costs of the JPA would be based on population with Arroyo Grande's split
being 55% and Grover Beach's 45%. He also explained that the JPA would have its
own insurance and incur its own liability.
3
'"
I
Minutes March 23, 1994
Mrs. Los Angeles asked what advantages and disadvantages the police officers would
have promotion wise from the consolidated agency.
Mayor Munroe responded he thought there would be more opportunities for
advancement in the larger department.
Mrs. Los Angeles asked if Grover Beach would attract or lose businesses due to the
consolidation.
Mayor Munroe indicated he could not see how Grover Beach would lose business
when service was going to be increased through consolidation.
Steven Green, 339 N. 7th Street, Grover Beach, asked what would happen to the
capital assets should the marriage fail. He stated Arroyo Grande had the opportunity
to grow, but Grover Beach was landlocked. He said he could see Arroyo Grande - I
needing things Grover Beach did not because of their growth and asked how that
would be handled. He asked why there was nothing in the report on contracting with
the Sheriff's Department.
Dee Santos, 850 Atlantic City Avenue, asked if Larkspur and Corte Madera were the
only two cities in the whole state that had combined police departments.
City Manager Christainsen replied they were the only two that had combined for police
services.
Myron May, 154 Walnut, Arroyo Grande, asked if the Joint Powers Authority Board
would be the ones to choose the chief.
Mayor Munroe replied that the Board would hire the Chief of Police for the joint
agency.
Mr. May asked if promotions would be based on longevity or merit. He said he hoped
it would be merit first and then longevity. He also asked if the new police officer
positions would be filled from the reserve force. He said he thought consolidation was
a good idea.
Chief TerBorch replied it had been the policy of both departments to hire from the
reserve force if they were qualified for full-time duty.
Paul Davis, Spokesperson for the Grover Beach Police Officers Association, read a
statement from the Association and stated he had a list of questions from the
Association:
1. Explain what keeping employee benefits and wages whole means?
City Administrator Culbreth-Graft replied they did not want the employees from the two
departments financing the JPA. She explained how staff had costed out each benefit,
assigned a dollar figure and tried to determine how to unify the salary and benefit
schedules of the two departments. The idea was that employees would not lose
money under the consolidation.
2. Will the year-end gross wages be greater than or the same as current gross
wages?
Finance Director Johnson replied the employees' compensation package was not all
shown on the W-2 forms. He stated from what he could determine everyone would
be whole or better off in total compensation.
4
i
Minutes March 23, 1994
City Administrator Culbreth-Graft explained there had not been a formal meet and
confer process because there was not an agency to negotiate with until the JPA was
formed. She indicated that the figures shown in the report were only estimates.
3. If the Association could not agree on an MOU, would the consolidation be put
on hold or die?
Mayor Munroe replied that the JPA would not be formalized until an MOU was agreed
upon.
City Manager Christainsen explained that the JPA Board would have the authority to
I unilaterally impose the last and best offer if they reached Impasse.
4. Concerning Social Security, are the employees being forced out of the Social
1,/ Security System and if so what benefits would the employees lose after being
forced out? What if an employee did not have 40 quarters vested in the
System?
City Administrator Culbreth-Graft explained that currently both agencies provided a
dual retirement system, Social Security and PERS. She indicated that they were
proposing that the new agency not be covered by Social Security, and the employees'
portion being deducted for Social Security now would go to the employees. She
explained that employees who did not have 40 quarters would not be eligible to
receive Social Security benefits upon retirement.
5. What deployment schedule would be implemented for the new department and
would the employees have any input into it?
Chief TerBorch explained the 8, 9, 10 and 12 hour per day plans and indicated all
parties involved would be able to provide input through a transition team.
6. How often would minimum staffing occur and when minimum staffing occurs
would it mean there would be less officers on the street than current staffing
levels?
Chief TerBorch replied minimum staffing in the report was during the early morning
hours from 3:00 am to 7:00 am, not during peak work load hours.
7. Under the 8 or 10 hour per day plans, would one of the sergeants be moved
from, watch to watch to maintain the 24-hour sergeant supervision?
Chief TerBorch indicated that was something that would have to be worked out.
8. If detectives are going to be at the Grover Beach station would that mean the
detention cells would still be in use, state computers would be hooked up, and
I someone would staff the desk area to take reports or cover the station when
,
l detectives were out? Would patrol bring prisoners to Grover Beach to be
.....' interviewed by detectives? How does it become available for rent?
Chief TerBorch explained those were operational decisions that would be worked out
by the transition team.
~-
9. How would the detectives be chosen? Are any current detectives locked in?
What would the tour duration be, and are any detectives exempt?
Chief TerBorch stated he would envision that for a transition period of about six
months no changes would be made until the two departments had a chance to get
5
~
,",
~
Minutes March 23, 1994
used to each other and working together. He explained those would also be decisions
for the transition team to make.
10. Besides the Chief of Police, are there any other employees that would receive
increased pay for increased responsibility due to working for the JPA?
City Administrator Culbreth-Graft explained how the chief's salary was determined and
what other positions would see pay increases.
11. Will cost recovery be the same for both cities? -
City Administrator Culbreth-Graft replied the Management Team was proposing that
it be the same for both cities. She said right now Arroyo Grande had a more
comprehensive cost recovery schedule than Grover Beach.
12. In the event of a reduction of force, how would it be determined who would be
laid off first?
Chief TerBorch explained there was no reduction in sworn personnel. He indicated
at one time there was a reduction of one non-sworn position proposed, but that
position was now proposed to be reassigned. He explained that if there was a future
reduction in force it would be based on the provisions the Association negotiated in
the MOU.
13. During what hours has it been determined that only one dispatcher would be
needed and why couldn't one dispatcher act as records clerk and assist in
dispatch when it got busy?
Chief TerBorch explained that a detailed workload analysis would need to be done
before those questions could be addressed. He said there was a 16-hour time span
that constituted maximum workload. He said the dispatch function would be handling
three fire departments and the police department. He indicated those were decisions
that couldn't be made until the departments got together and put it together.
14. What would happen to the part-time dispatchers and the reserve officers now
employed by both cities? Would they all become employees of the JPA? If not
would they still be allowed to work, if needed, or would they be disassociated
from the JPA?
Chief TerBorch stated there would be a reduction in force in part-time employees with
primary emphasis on level one reserves, but also level 2 reserves might be affected.
15. Since there was a no strike/no walkout clause why wasn't there binding
arbitration in the MOU?
City Administrator Culbreth-Graft explained that Grover Beach did not have binding
arbitration, and she did not recommend it. She reminded that th eproposal was only
a starting point for negotiation.
16. What if the concept doesn't work? Would we return to two separate
departments again and how?
City Administrator Culbreth-Graft explained that the question had already been
addressed earlier and language would have to be included in the JPA when it was
written.
Officer Davis thanked the Councils for their time in addressing the Association's
concerns.
6
~,
j
.
Minutes March 23, 1994
Robert Reed 825 Charles Street, Grover Beach, stated Arroyo Grande was growing
more rapidly than Grover Beach and recommended the JPA formula be reviewed
sooner than five to seven years.
Chris Christainsen explained that based on Arroyo Grande's General Plan they could
only grow to 17,000 population from the current 15,000.
I City Administrator Culbreth-Graft explained that the formula was proposed for review
I
I in three to five years, but the formula split would be adjusted annually based on the
'--
Department of Finance population estimates.
I Mr. Reed asked if consolidation was being proposed because of service levels or
( finances.
"- Mayor Munroe indicated that from his prospective he wanted to break even or save
money and increase service levels.
Mr. Reed commended staff on the report.
That concluded the comments from the general public.
Arroyo Grande Mayor Gallagher complimented the Management Team for the study
document and the quality of the study.
Arroyo Grande Council Member Brandy thanked the audience for their input and for
participating. He indicated he would be happy to talk to anyone about the report.
Arroyo Grande Council Member Burke stated the objective was to see if the cities
could provide more services for less money or the same amount of money. He said
if it didn't look like they could do that, consolidation probably shouldn't go ahead.
Grover Beach Council Member Keith stated he was interested in what the people
thought. He indicated it was a difficult question for staff, the Councils, and the people
to decide.
Grover Beach Council Member Gates stated he thought the study was one of the best
documents he had ever seen, and it was an excellent report. He said he had a few
more questions now and couldn't make a decision at this time.
Grover Beach Council Member Arnoldsen asked if staff had gotten any information of
the consolidated agencies that failed to see why they failed.
Chief TerBorch explained that the Twin Cities Police Department was the only
consolidated department that had been formed in California.
Grover Beach Mayor Munroe stated the report was the most concise piece of staff
\ work that he had seen coming out of any municipal management team. He said the
I citizens had shown true concern for their communities and explained it was probably
'",-"
the hardest decision he would have to make as a Council Member.
PUBLIC COMMUNICATIONS
--
There were none.
1
~
~
. .
Minutes March 23, 1994
ADJOURNMENT
Mayor Munroe adjourned the meeting to the second Joint Meeting of the
Grover Beach City Council and Arroyo Grande City Council to be held on Thursday,
March 31, 1994, at 7:00 PM at the South County Regional Center, 800 W. Branch
Street, Arroyo Grande.
~~~
MAYOR ED R. MUNROE
CITY OF GROVER BEACH
AlTEST:
~ IJ".
. / . ~/
- . ,""I/) )Q... \.1 VJ M J;iJ. )
PATRICIA A. RISOL ~: CITY CLERK
!
,
,
8
i