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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCity Council Committees - Public Safety (Committee) - 05/14/2013 KENT CITY OF KENT PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES May 14, 2013 COMMITTEE MEMBERS: Les Thomas, Dana Ralph, and William Boyce, Chair. The meeting was called to order by Chairperson William Boyce at 5:32 p.m. Changes to the Agenda: Item number 7 was moved to item number 2 to allow the Target Zero Manager to attend another meeting. Chairperson Boyce approved the move. Chairperson Bill Boyce recognized Dr. Vargas from the Kent School District. 1. Approval of Minutes Councilmember Thomas MOVED and Councilmember Ralph SECONDED a Motion to approve the March 12, 2013 minutes. Motion PASSED 3-0. 2. WTSC Target Zero manager funding grant Sara Wood, one of the Target Zero managers, provided information regarding the statewide initiative. The WSTC has Target Zero managers coordinating law enforcement DUI emphasis and "click it or ticket' patrols. Sara coordinates 13 law enforcement agencies in South King County. This grant covers the period July 1, 2013 — June 30, 2014 and reimburses the city for 60% of the salary and benefits for the Target Zero manager. After deliberating, Councilmember Ralph MOVED and Councilmember Thomas SECONDED a Motion to recommend the Mayor accept a grant in the amount of $61,000 from the Washington Traffic Safety Commission funding 60% of the salary and benefits for the Target Zero Manager position with the city, and authorized executing any related documents with terms and conditions acceptable to the city attorney and police chief. Motion PASSED 3-0. 3. School speed zone traffic safety camera ordinance amending KCC 9.36 Chairperson Boyce indicated that this program is something this committee has been working on and is only about safety in our district and for kids. Deputy City Attorney Pat Fitzpatrick and Sergeant Robert Constant presented information. Pat Fitzpatrick outlined the program and indicated this is not a red light/stop light program, but this is for school speed zones. Kent is only implementing cameras in school speed zones. Pat Fitzpatrick provided details regarding the ordinance and related contract, the study performed by the public works department in addition to assessment of costs and revenue prepared by the finance department ensuring that this program will not cost the city any money. A new version of ordinance was made available at the meeting. Pat Fitzpatrick provided details in the ordinance that are required by State law. No photos are taken of driver, only of rear of the vehicle and license plate and photos can only be used for enforcing the school speed zones. The cameras will be activated a half hour before and after school. During the time the cameras are activated, a vehicle passing through the system, exceeding the speed limit, is photographed. The company we contract with gathers the data and sends to the Kent police department. A Public Safety Committee Minutes May 14, 2013 1 Kent police officer reviews and approves or declines citations which are directly filed into municipal court. Direct filing was a critical issue when selecting the contractor. We did not want court personnel spending time entering data for filing infractions into the court. The contractor we selected has a contract with the State Office of Administrator of the Courts to directly file citations once an officer approves the citation. Once filed, it is treated just like any other infraction; it can be contested, mitigated, or it can be paid. If not paid, it goes to Failure to Appear (FTA) status and affects the ability to register the vehicle at a later date. These infractions do not affect insurance rates. Under the law, there is a presumption that the registered owner was driving the vehicle. A person can sign an affidavit, under penalty of perjury, that they were not driving the vehicle and identify the person that was driving the vehicle or indicate that the vehicle was stolen. Councilmember Ralph asked if, at the time of signing the affidavit, the owner is required to identify the person driving the vehicle. Pat Fitzpatrick indicated that they are required to identify the driver and it is standard practice that allows the City to refile against the person driving. Councilmember Thomas asked if the affidavit is required to be completed in court. Pat Fitzpatrick indicated that State law requires that the city allows filing by mail and anticipates that Kent will implement this requirement. Sergeant Constant indicated that under certain circumstances, i.e., repeat offenders signing affidavits, an officer may need to perform additional review of the images taken. Committee Chairperson Boyce reiterated that this program is not meant to be a revenue generator, rather a safety program. Pat Fitzpatrick detailed the two issues of critical importance to the public safety committee. (1) Use of funds. The committee wanted the funds to be redirected back into the program to make sure the cost of the program are covered and (2) if there are any funds remaining in excess of the costs that they be used to fund personnel programs, services and equipment related to the enforcement and processing of traffic and criminal laws within the City. Chairperson Boyce indicated that all three committee members are in agreement with the provisions in the ordinance addressing these two issues. Pat Fitzpatrick discussed the enforcement provisions regarding the penalty section of the ordinance. There will be a two-phase penalty. The first phase addresses anyone going over the 20 mph limit - committing that offense comes with a $124 fine. If a person is travelling 30 mph or more, the penalty doubles. These penalties are consistent with current state law in school speed zones. Pat Fitzpatrick indicated that if an officer is patrolling a speed zone with a radar gun and someone exceeds the speed limit, the traffic fine doubles, no matter how many miles over the speed limit they are travelling. Most fines in typical speeding cases are based on five mph increments. Sergeant Constant discussed the severity of injuries caused at various speeds. Impacts that involve a pedestrian at 20 mph (nationwide there is a 5% chance of a fatality); speeds of 30 mph (there is a 45% chance of a fatality). Every additional increase in speed greatly increases the chance of a fatality. Keeping drivers under 20 mph decreases the chance of injuries and fatalities, and increases the safety of pedestrians in school speed zones and in cases of children this plays a significant factor in the survivability of a child. Pat Fitzpatrick indicated that language in the previous version of the ordinance implied that there would be no fine until a person was travelling 25 mph. That provision was removed from the current ordinance, but the police department has discretion as to whether or not to issue an infraction for speeds 20-25 mph. Chairperson Boyce asked for clarification as to whether or not a person going 24 or 25 mpg would be issued a citation. Pat Fitzpatrick indicated that the driver going 25 mph would be issued an infraction. Sergeant Constant provided information supporting discretionary issuance of citations regarding the stopping distance and kinetic energy involved in the increased speeds, and the potential injuries. Public Safety Committee Minutes May 14, 2013 2 Pat Fitzpatrick indicated that Seattle issues citations at 21 mph, Auburn, Renton, Des Moines, and Federal Way issue citations to vehicles going 26 mph or more. Councilmember Ralph indicated that our approach is based on safety - slowing down vehicles. We need to make sure that this ordinance does what we want it to do - provide safety. Councilmember Thomas asked about the hours of operation of the cameras. Pat Fitzpatrick indicated that photographs will be taken when the lights are flashing. Issaquah operates their cameras the entire time the school is in session. Pat indicated that this program is for the safety of the kids and that the City can reevaluate and revise the hours of operation. Councilmember Ralph requested clarification on who confirms that the cameras are operating on late start dates, etc. Pat Fitzpatrick indicated that this issue is something that is currently being worked on, but it is his impression that the cameras are operated by the City's public works department in cooperation with the Kent School District. The City needs to be kept up-to-date on the school schedules. After deliberating, Councilmember Thomas MOVED and Councilmember Ralph SECONDED a Motion to recommend adoption of the ordinance presented at the May 14, 2013 public safety committee meeting amending Chapter 9.36 of the Kent City Code by adding the new section 9.36.140 entitled "School speed zone traffic safety cameras." Motion PASSED 3-0. 4. School speed zone traffic safety camera contract with American Traffic Solutions Deputy City Attorney Pat Fitzpatrick indicated that a service provider is required for the school zone traffic safety camera program. The City requested qualifications from three companies, two from the state of Washington, and one out of state. The three companies presented their programs to a panel of representatives from police, public works, law, and the court. One company was not qualified. Based on the presentations, American Traffic Solutions (ATS) stood out. Pat requested the committee approve the contract subject to the terms and conditions approved by the city attorney since a few issues are still being negotiated. ATS will perform a follow-up study to the City's study to ensure that this program is going to be a cost-neutral process. ATS will work with the public works department to design and assess the location of the cameras and will install the cameras at their cost. The intent is to have the system up and running the first day of the 2013 school year. There will be a 30 day warning period in which photographs are taken and warning notifications are sent to the vehicle registered owners. ATS sets up the computer system that directly provides information to the Judicial Information System (the State court system). ATS helps us create the format of the infraction. ATS .provides for the maintenance and repair of the system. The fee per approach/camera is $4750. Each zone has two cameras, one in each direction. Protections were negotiated in the contract to ensure that, at the end of the term of the contract, if the City owes money, that amount is forgiven. If the cameras work how we want them to, the City has accomplished its goal. According to the contract, if we do not take in more money than the cost of the cameras, it is rolled over to the next month. If at the end of the term of the contract, the City owes money, ATS will forgive the amount owed. If either of the school zones do not performing as anticipated, the City can, at its cost, move the camera(s) to another school zone. An additional protection negotiated in the contract relates to challenges in the courts and/or legislature. If there is a successful challenge in the courts, the city can terminate the contract. Additionally, if the legislature decides that the cameras are illegal, the City has the ability to Public Safety Committee Minutes May 14, 2013 3 terminate the contract. The contract term is five years with extensions available at the City's option. Chairperson Boyce wanted confirmation regarding other cities contracting with ATS. Sergeant Constant Indicated that ATS is the biggest provider in the state of Washington and in the nation. ATS just entered into a contract with Seattle and currently contracts with Renton, Des Moines and Issaquah in addition to other cities. Council member Ralph asked for clarification regarding the cost of the program. Pat Fitzpatrick indicated that if the city does not collect enough to cover the $4750 per camera, then that amount is forgiven and does not include overtime costs, court personnel, or prosecution costs. The additional costs can be analyzed with the documentation provided by the Finance Director Robert Nachlinger. The committee confirmed that the ordinance and contract will be presented under "other business" and will potentially go to the next council workshop. Council member Ralph indicated that, regarding the ordinance, safety issues are the primary driver, but is also concerned about the costs. She would like to make sure that we are tracking the actual costs and they stay the actual costs, not rolled into operational costs. If there is any excess in funds, the money should go back into public safety so that those funds will impact the safety of the rest of the City. Pat reviewed the traffic safety study results and recommended implementing the program in two schools-Neeley-O'Brien elementary and Sunrise elementary. Sergeant Constant provided details regarding the traffic study for each of the six school speed zones studied. He indicated that one officer can make a stop of one vehicle every 8-12 minutes where the safety cameras can capture more violators and bring awareness to those drivers at a much higher rate. Pat confirmed that ATS will be performing an additional study to ensure the accuracy of the City's study. Council member Thomas requested confirmation that the cameras capture all four lanes in the school zones. Pat Fitzpatrick and Sergeant Constant confirmed that the cameras will capture all four lanes. Pat Fitzpatrick provided the financial information provided by Robert Nachlinger, Finance Director. Studies show that the number of violations dramatically drop during the first six months the cameras start operating. The finance department analyzed staff time and the cost of camera system and made a very conservative assumption that 98% of the violators would correct their behavior. With only 2% of the violators left, the City will cover the costs of the program and there will be money coming back into the program that can be utilized for traffic enforcement in other areas of the city. It is anticipated that there will be initial increased costs due to the number of violators. More work will be done by staff in the beginning. Sergeant Constant indicated that generally, there is a 60-80% reduction in violations 6 months - one year from implementation. Council member Ralph asked for clarification on the personnel hours and if they were based on employee time required at the time of implementation or 6 months after implementation. Pat Fitzpatrick indicated that the Law department's numbers are based on 6 months after implementation. Sergeant Constant indicated that, initially, there may be more complaints from the public that require supervisory time. Based the police department numbers on neighboring jurisdictions, and it is a conservative estimate. Council member Ralph asked about collection rates from neighboring jurisdictions. Sergeant Constant indicted that some of the other jurisdictions did not tie the speed zone offenses to the Public Safety Committee Minutes May 14, 2013 4 ability to tag the registration which caused a larger number of collections. The City will tie these infractions to the ability to register the vehicle which should reduce the number of uncollectables. Chairperson Boyce invited Kent School District Superintendent, Dr. Vargas, to speak on behalf of the school district regarding the school speed zone traffic safety program. Dr. Vargas detailed the need for a safety program that will benefit the community and the safety of the kids. Safety is the number one priority for the school district. Dr. Vargas commended the City's vision and leadership in making our community safer. Chairperson Boyce indicated that the City's goal is to be proactive. Dr. Vargas indicated that the school district has received complaints and significant concerns from parents and believes the community will welcome this program for our kids. Council member Ralph thanked Dr. Vargas for the partnering between the school district and the community and indicated that it serves our community well. After deliberating, Councilmember Ralph MOVED and Councilmember Thomas SECONDED a Motion to recommend authorizing the Mayor to enter into a five year contract with American Traffic Solutions for school speed zone traffic safety cameras subject to final terms and conditions acceptable to the city attorney and police chief. Motion PASSED 3-0. S. Ordinance amending KCC 9.36 "Traffic Code" Pat Fitzpatrick presented information on the traffic safety school that the city of Kent has established and utilized via policy for many years and indicated that it is now in our interest to officially establish the program. Our City, through Mike Buckingham and the police chief, has created the model for this program in this area. When a person charged with an infraction and if their record is such that they qualify, they are permitted to attend our traffic safety school. The program is a reeducation process geared towards new drivers and drivers that have not been educated since they received their license. Participants spend a day with a traffic officer and at the successful completion of the program, their infraction is dismissed. This is a one-time-only opportunity. This ordinance establishes the program in addition to detailing the rules and parameters for implementation. Councilmember Ralph indicated that this is a very successful program with an educational opportunity. After deliberating, Councilmember Thomas MOVED and Councilmember Ralph SECONDED a Motion to recommend adoption of the ordinance amending Chapter 9.36 of the Kent City Code, entitled "Traffic Code," adding a new Section 9.36.130 entitled "Traffic Safety School," formally establishing a traffic safety school to promote traffic safety within the city of Kent. Motion PASSED 3-0. 6. DSHS Youth alcohol prevention grant Stacy Judd and Kent police youth board member Kaja, presented information regarding the alcohol prevention grant through the Department of Behavior Health and Recovery. The grant is for the "Draw the Line Campaign" that focuses on underage drinking. The grant is for $2,000 and the projects must be completed by the end of May. The program focuses on underage drinking and social media campaigns. They are working with Kentwood High School to conduct a campaign in their school that focuses on the number of students that are not drinking. Focus on the positive of not drinking. This is part of Kentwood's Game of Life project. After deliberating, Councilmember Ralph MOVED and Councilmember Thomas SECONDED a Motion to recommend the Mayor accept the grant award from the Washington State Public Safety Committee Minutes May 14, 2013 5 Department of Social and Health Services that focuses on youth alcohol use prevention, adjust the budget and authorize execution of any document relating to the grant funds with terms and conditions acceptable to the city attorney and police chief. Motion PASSED 3-0. 7. Drug Free Coalition — Information Only Stacy Judd and Kent police youth board member Kaja presented information regarding the Drug Free Coalition. This is a collaborative project between the Drug Free Coalition and the Kent Police Youth Board and part of the Draw the Line Project between youth and alcohol. Perceptions can drive how much people choose to use or not use alcohol and marijuana. Kaja explained the results from the surveys the two groups conducted. If kids view graffiti, they may think it is ok to do. If they view alcohol and cigarette advertising, they may perceive that it is ok to drink and smoke. The police department is working with the community to fix these perceptions and get areas cleaned up. The community needs to adopt the fact that it is not ok for youth to drink alcohol and do drugs. The groups went and found positive things in the City that help change perceptions to the positive including after school youth programs and the youth board. The groups work with schools, neighborhood groups, and volunteer groups in addition to mentors in the schools. The Youth Board and DFC work with businesses preventing underage drinking. Council member Ralph is very proud of our youth board and all of the great work they are doing. Council member Thomas talked about the confusing messages in the media from sports figures. B. Fiscal Year 2012 Bureau Justice Assistance Grant Assistant Chief Straus presented information regarding the Bureau Justice Assistance Grant. This $51,000 grant will cover equipping officers with rifles, upgrading the police range, replacing worn bicycles in the bicycle unit, corrections programs eradicating graffiti and picking up garbage. This annual grant will run through September 2015. After deliberating, Councilmember Thomas MOVED and Councilmember Ralph SECONDED a Motion to recommend Council accept the Fiscal Year 2012 Bureau of Justice, Justice Assistance Grant in an amount of $51,883, authorize amending the budget and authorize expenditure of the funds in accordance with the grant terms acceptable to the police chief and city attorney. Motion PASSED 3-0. 9. Securus Inmate Phone Services — Information Only Commander McCuistion presented an update on the inmate phone system. She indicated that the City's legal department did an excellent job putting together a contract with Securus Technologies. The contract has been signed and the corrections department will be moving forward with the program. The project manager from Securus will set up a meeting with our information technology department. The project completion date is 90 days. Adiournment Councilmember Boyce adjourned the meeting at 6:50 p.m. Kim A. Komoto Public Safety Committee Minutes May 14, 2013 6 KENT CITY OF KENT PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES May 14, 2013 COMMITTEE MEMBERS: Les Thomas, Dana Ralph, and William Boyce, Chair. The meeting was called to order by Chairperson William Boyce at 5:32 p.m. Changes to the Agenda: Item number 7 was moved to item number 2 to allow the Target Zero Manager to attend another meeting. Chairperson Boyce approved the move. Chairperson Bill Boyce recognized Dr. Vargas from the Kent School District. 1. Approval of Minutes Councilmember Thomas MOVED and Councilmember Ralph SECONDED a Motion to approve the March 12, 2013 minutes. Motion PASSED 3-0. 2. WTSC Target Zero manager funding grant Sara Wood, one of the Target Zero managers, provided information regarding the statewide initiative. The WSTC has Target Zero managers coordinating law enforcement DUI emphasis and "click it or ticket' patrols. Sara coordinates 13 law enforcement agencies in South King County. This grant covers the period July 1, 2013 — June 30, 2014 and reimburses the city for 60% of the salary and benefits for the Target Zero manager. After deliberating, Councilmember Ralph MOVED and Councilmember Thomas SECONDED a Motion to recommend the Mayor accept a grant in the amount of $61,000 from the Washington Traffic Safety Commission funding 60% of the salary and benefits for the Target Zero Manager position with the city, and authorized executing any related documents with terms and conditions acceptable to the city attorney and police chief. Motion PASSED 3-0. 3. School speed zone traffic safety camera ordinance amending KCC 9.36 Chairperson Boyce indicated that this program is something this committee has been working on and is only about safety in our district and for kids. Deputy City Attorney Pat Fitzpatrick and Sergeant Robert Constant presented information. Pat Fitzpatrick outlined the program and indicated this is not a red light/stop light program, but this is for school speed zones. Kent is only implementing cameras in school speed zones. Pat Fitzpatrick provided details regarding the ordinance and related contract, the study performed by the public works department in addition to assessment of costs and revenue prepared by the finance department ensuring that this program will not cost the city any money. A new version of ordinance was made available at the meeting. Pat Fitzpatrick provided details in the ordinance that are required by State law. No photos are taken of driver, only of rear of the vehicle and license plate and photos can only be used for enforcing the school speed zones. The cameras will be activated a half hour before and after school. During the time the cameras are activated, a vehicle passing through the system, exceeding the speed limit, is photographed. The company we contract with gathers the data and sends to the Kent police department. A Public Safety Committee Minutes May 14, 2013 1 Kent police officer reviews and approves or declines citations which are directly filed into municipal court. Direct filing was a critical issue when selecting the contractor. We did not want court personnel spending time entering data for filing infractions into the court. The contractor we selected has a contract with the State Office of Administrator of the Courts to directly file citations once an officer approves the citation. Once filed, it is treated just like any other infraction; it can be contested, mitigated, or it can be paid. If not paid, it goes to Failure to Appear (FTA) status and affects the ability to register the vehicle at a later date. These infractions do not affect insurance rates. Under the law, there is a presumption that the registered owner was driving the vehicle. A person can sign an affidavit, under penalty of perjury, that they were not driving the vehicle and identify the person that was driving the vehicle or indicate that the vehicle was stolen. Councilmember Ralph asked if, at the time of signing the affidavit, the owner is required to identify the person driving the vehicle. Pat Fitzpatrick indicated that they are required to identify the driver and it is standard practice that allows the City to refile against the person driving. Councilmember Thomas asked if the affidavit is required to be completed in court. Pat Fitzpatrick indicated that State law requires that the city allows filing by mail and anticipates that Kent will implement this requirement. Sergeant Constant indicated that under certain circumstances, i.e., repeat offenders signing affidavits, an officer may need to perform additional review of the images taken. Committee Chairperson Boyce reiterated that this program is not meant to be a revenue generator, rather a safety program. Pat Fitzpatrick detailed the two issues of critical importance to the public safety committee. (1) Use of funds. The committee wanted the funds to be redirected back into the program to make sure the cost of the program are covered and (2) if there are any funds remaining in excess of the costs that they be used to fund personnel programs, services and equipment related to the enforcement and processing of traffic and criminal laws within the City. Chairperson Boyce indicated that all three committee members are in agreement with the provisions in the ordinance addressing these two issues. Pat Fitzpatrick discussed the enforcement provisions regarding the penalty section of the ordinance. There will be a two-phase penalty. The first phase addresses anyone going over the 20 mph limit - committing that offense comes with a $124 fine. If a person is travelling 30 mph or more, the penalty doubles. These penalties are consistent with current state law in school speed zones. Pat Fitzpatrick indicated that if an officer is patrolling a speed zone with a radar gun and someone exceeds the speed limit, the traffic fine doubles, no matter how many miles over the speed limit they are travelling. Most fines in typical speeding cases are based on five mph increments. Sergeant Constant discussed the severity of injuries caused at various speeds. Impacts that involve a pedestrian at 20 mph (nationwide there is a 5% chance of a fatality); speeds of 30 mph (there is a 45% chance of a fatality). Every additional increase in speed greatly increases the chance of a fatality. Keeping drivers under 20 mph decreases the chance of injuries and fatalities, and increases the safety of pedestrians in school speed zones and in cases of children this plays a significant factor in the survivability of a child. Pat Fitzpatrick indicated that language in the previous version of the ordinance implied that there would be no fine until a person was travelling 25 mph. That provision was removed from the current ordinance, but the police department has discretion as to whether or not to issue an infraction for speeds 20-25 mph. Chairperson Boyce asked for clarification as to whether or not a person going 24 or 25 mpg would be issued a citation. Pat Fitzpatrick indicated that the driver going 25 mph would be issued an infraction. Sergeant Constant provided information supporting discretionary issuance of citations regarding the stopping distance and kinetic energy involved in the increased speeds, and the potential injuries. Public Safety Committee Minutes May 14, 2013 2 Pat Fitzpatrick indicated that Seattle issues citations at 21 mph, Auburn, Renton, Des Moines, and Federal Way issue citations to vehicles going 26 mph or more. Councilmember Ralph indicated that our approach is based on safety - slowing down vehicles. We need to make sure that this ordinance does what we want it to do - provide safety. Councilmember Thomas asked about the hours of operation of the cameras. Pat Fitzpatrick indicated that photographs will be taken when the lights are flashing. Issaquah operates their cameras the entire time the school is in session. Pat indicated that this program is for the safety of the kids and that the City can reevaluate and revise the hours of operation. Councilmember Ralph requested clarification on who confirms that the cameras are operating on late start dates, etc. Pat Fitzpatrick indicated that this issue is something that is currently being worked on, but it is his impression that the cameras are operated by the City's public works department in cooperation with the Kent School District. The City needs to be kept up-to-date on the school schedules. After deliberating, Councilmember Thomas MOVED and Councilmember Ralph SECONDED a Motion to recommend adoption of the ordinance presented at the May 14, 2013 public safety committee meeting amending Chapter 9.36 of the Kent City Code by adding the new section 9.36.140 entitled "School speed zone traffic safety cameras." Motion PASSED 3-0. 4. School speed zone traffic safety camera contract with American Traffic Solutions Deputy City Attorney Pat Fitzpatrick indicated that a service provider is required for the school zone traffic safety camera program. The City requested qualifications from three companies, two from the state of Washington, and one out of state. The three companies presented their programs to a panel of representatives from police, public works, law, and the court. One company was not qualified. Based on the presentations, American Traffic Solutions (ATS) stood out. Pat requested the committee approve the contract subject to the terms and conditions approved by the city attorney since a few issues are still being negotiated. ATS will perform a follow-up study to the City's study to ensure that this program is going to be a cost-neutral process. ATS will work with the public works department to design and assess the location of the cameras and will install the cameras at their cost. The intent is to have the system up and running the first day of the 2013 school year. There will be a 30 day warning period in which photographs are taken and warning notifications are sent to the vehicle registered owners. ATS sets up the computer system that directly provides information to the Judicial Information System (the State court system). ATS helps us create the format of the infraction. ATS .provides for the maintenance and repair of the system. The fee per approach/camera is $4750. Each zone has two cameras, one in each direction. Protections were negotiated in the contract to ensure that, at the end of the term of the contract, if the City owes money, that amount is forgiven. If the cameras work how we want them to, the City has accomplished its goal. According to the contract, if we do not take in more money than the cost of the cameras, it is rolled over to the next month. If at the end of the term of the contract, the City owes money, ATS will forgive the amount owed. If either of the school zones do not performing as anticipated, the City can, at its cost, move the camera(s) to another school zone. An additional protection negotiated in the contract relates to challenges in the courts and/or legislature. If there is a successful challenge in the courts, the city can terminate the contract. Additionally, if the legislature decides that the cameras are illegal, the City has the ability to Public Safety Committee Minutes May 14, 2013 3 terminate the contract. The contract term is five years with extensions available at the City's option. Chairperson Boyce wanted confirmation regarding other cities contracting with ATS. Sergeant Constant Indicated that ATS is the biggest provider in the state of Washington and in the nation. ATS just entered into a contract with Seattle and currently contracts with Renton, Des Moines and Issaquah in addition to other cities. Council member Ralph asked for clarification regarding the cost of the program. Pat Fitzpatrick indicated that if the city does not collect enough to cover the $4750 per camera, then that amount is forgiven and does not include overtime costs, court personnel, or prosecution costs. The additional costs can be analyzed with the documentation provided by the Finance Director Robert Nachlinger. The committee confirmed that the ordinance and contract will be presented under "other business" and will potentially go to the next council workshop. Council member Ralph indicated that, regarding the ordinance, safety issues are the primary driver, but is also concerned about the costs. She would like to make sure that we are tracking the actual costs and they stay the actual costs, not rolled into operational costs. If there is any excess in funds, the money should go back into public safety so that those funds will impact the safety of the rest of the City. Pat reviewed the traffic safety study results and recommended implementing the program in two schools-Neeley-O'Brien elementary and Sunrise elementary. Sergeant Constant provided details regarding the traffic study for each of the six school speed zones studied. He indicated that one officer can make a stop of one vehicle every 8-12 minutes where the safety cameras can capture more violators and bring awareness to those drivers at a much higher rate. Pat confirmed that ATS will be performing an additional study to ensure the accuracy of the City's study. Council member Thomas requested confirmation that the cameras capture all four lanes in the school zones. Pat Fitzpatrick and Sergeant Constant confirmed that the cameras will capture all four lanes. Pat Fitzpatrick provided the financial information provided by Robert Nachlinger, Finance Director. Studies show that the number of violations dramatically drop during the first six months the cameras start operating. The finance department analyzed staff time and the cost of camera system and made a very conservative assumption that 98% of the violators would correct their behavior. With only 2% of the violators left, the City will cover the costs of the program and there will be money coming back into the program that can be utilized for traffic enforcement in other areas of the city. It is anticipated that there will be initial increased costs due to the number of violators. More work will be done by staff in the beginning. Sergeant Constant indicated that generally, there is a 60-80% reduction in violations 6 months - one year from implementation. Council member Ralph asked for clarification on the personnel hours and if they were based on employee time required at the time of implementation or 6 months after implementation. Pat Fitzpatrick indicated that the Law department's numbers are based on 6 months after implementation. Sergeant Constant indicated that, initially, there may be more complaints from the public that require supervisory time. Based the police department numbers on neighboring jurisdictions, and it is a conservative estimate. Council member Ralph asked about collection rates from neighboring jurisdictions. Sergeant Constant indicted that some of the other jurisdictions did not tie the speed zone offenses to the Public Safety Committee Minutes May 14, 2013 4 ability to tag the registration which caused a larger number of collections. The City will tie these infractions to the ability to register the vehicle which should reduce the number of uncollectables. Chairperson Boyce invited Kent School District Superintendent, Dr. Vargas, to speak on behalf of the school district regarding the school speed zone traffic safety program. Dr. Vargas detailed the need for a safety program that will benefit the community and the safety of the kids. Safety is the number one priority for the school district. Dr. Vargas commended the City's vision and leadership in making our community safer. Chairperson Boyce indicated that the City's goal is to be proactive. Dr. Vargas indicated that the school district has received complaints and significant concerns from parents and believes the community will welcome this program for our kids. Council member Ralph thanked Dr. Vargas for the partnering between the school district and the community and indicated that it serves our community well. After deliberating, Councilmember Ralph MOVED and Councilmember Thomas SECONDED a Motion to recommend authorizing the Mayor to enter into a five year contract with American Traffic Solutions for school speed zone traffic safety cameras subject to final terms and conditions acceptable to the city attorney and police chief. Motion PASSED 3-0. S. Ordinance amending KCC 9.36 "Traffic Code" Pat Fitzpatrick presented information on the traffic safety school that the city of Kent has established and utilized via policy for many years and indicated that it is now in our interest to officially establish the program. Our City, through Mike Buckingham and the police chief, has created the model for this program in this area. When a person charged with an infraction and if their record is such that they qualify, they are permitted to attend our traffic safety school. The program is a reeducation process geared towards new drivers and drivers that have not been educated since they received their license. Participants spend a day with a traffic officer and at the successful completion of the program, their infraction is dismissed. This is a one-time-only opportunity. This ordinance establishes the program in addition to detailing the rules and parameters for implementation. Councilmember Ralph indicated that this is a very successful program with an educational opportunity. After deliberating, Councilmember Thomas MOVED and Councilmember Ralph SECONDED a Motion to recommend adoption of the ordinance amending Chapter 9.36 of the Kent City Code, entitled "Traffic Code," adding a new Section 9.36.130 entitled "Traffic Safety School," formally establishing a traffic safety school to promote traffic safety within the city of Kent. Motion PASSED 3-0. 6. DSHS Youth alcohol prevention grant Stacy Judd and Kent police youth board member Kaja, presented information regarding the alcohol prevention grant through the Department of Behavior Health and Recovery. The grant is for the "Draw the Line Campaign" that focuses on underage drinking. The grant is for $2,000 and the projects must be completed by the end of May. The program focuses on underage drinking and social media campaigns. They are working with Kentwood High School to conduct a campaign in their school that focuses on the number of students that are not drinking. Focus on the positive of not drinking. This is part of Kentwood's Game of Life project. After deliberating, Councilmember Ralph MOVED and Councilmember Thomas SECONDED a Motion to recommend the Mayor accept the grant award from the Washington State Public Safety Committee Minutes May 14, 2013 5 Department of Social and Health Services that focuses on youth alcohol use prevention, adjust the budget and authorize execution of any document relating to the grant funds with terms and conditions acceptable to the city attorney and police chief. Motion PASSED 3-0. 7. Drug Free Coalition — Information Only Stacy Judd and Kent police youth board member Kaja presented information regarding the Drug Free Coalition. This is a collaborative project between the Drug Free Coalition and the Kent Police Youth Board and part of the Draw the Line Project between youth and alcohol. Perceptions can drive how much people choose to use or not use alcohol and marijuana. Kaja explained the results from the surveys the two groups conducted. If kids view graffiti, they may think it is ok to do. If they view alcohol and cigarette advertising, they may perceive that it is ok to drink and smoke. The police department is working with the community to fix these perceptions and get areas cleaned up. The community needs to adopt the fact that it is not ok for youth to drink alcohol and do drugs. The groups went and found positive things in the City that help change perceptions to the positive including after school youth programs and the youth board. The groups work with schools, neighborhood groups, and volunteer groups in addition to mentors in the schools. The Youth Board and DFC work with businesses preventing underage drinking. Council member Ralph is very proud of our youth board and all of the great work they are doing. Council member Thomas talked about the confusing messages in the media from sports figures. B. Fiscal Year 2012 Bureau Justice Assistance Grant Assistant Chief Straus presented information regarding the Bureau Justice Assistance Grant. This $51,000 grant will cover equipping officers with rifles, upgrading the police range, replacing worn bicycles in the bicycle unit, corrections programs eradicating graffiti and picking up garbage. This annual grant will run through September 2015. After deliberating, Councilmember Thomas MOVED and Councilmember Ralph SECONDED a Motion to recommend Council accept the Fiscal Year 2012 Bureau of Justice, Justice Assistance Grant in an amount of $51,883, authorize amending the budget and authorize expenditure of the funds in accordance with the grant terms acceptable to the police chief and city attorney. Motion PASSED 3-0. 9. Securus Inmate Phone Services — Information Only Commander McCuistion presented an update on the inmate phone system. She indicated that the City's legal department did an excellent job putting together a contract with Securus Technologies. The contract has been signed and the corrections department will be moving forward with the program. The project manager from Securus will set up a meeting with our information technology department. The project completion date is 90 days. Adiournment Councilmember Boyce adjourned the meeting at 6:50 p.m. Kim A. Komoto Public Safety Committee Minutes May 14, 2013 6