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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2020-06-23 Work Session Meridian City Council Work Session June 23, 2020. A Meeting of the Meridian City Council was called to order at 4:35 p.m., Tuesday, June 23, 2020, by Mayor Robert Simison. Members Present: Robert Simison, Joe Borton, Luke Cavener, Treg Bernt, Brad Hoaglun and Liz Strader. Members Absent: Jessica Perreault. Also present: Chris Johnson, Adrienne Weatherly, Bill Nary, Todd Lavoie, Jenny Field, Brad Purser, Jeff Lavey, Jamie Leslie, Crystal Ritchie and Joe Bongiorno. Item 1: Roll-call Attendance: Liz Strader _X_ Joe Borton _X_ Brad Hoaglun _X_Treg Bernt Jessica Perreault _X Luke Cavener (arrived at 4:42) _X_ Mayor Robert E. Simison Simison: Council, I will call this meeting to order. For the record it is June 23rd at 4:35 p.m. We will begin this meeting with a roll call attendance. Item 2: Adoption of Agenda Simison: Item No. 2 is adoption of the agenda. Bernt: Mr. Mayor? Simison: Councilman Bernt. Bernt: I move that we approve the agenda as published. Hoaglun: Second the motion, Mr. Mayor. Simison: I have a motion and a second to adopt the agenda as published. Is there any discussion on the motion? All those in favor signify by saying aye. Opposed nay. The ayes have it. MOTION CARRIED: FOUR AYES. TWO ABSENT. Item 3: Consent Agenda [Action Item] A. Approve Minutes of June 16, 2020 City Council Work Session Meridian City Council Meeting Agenda July 7,2020— Page 92 of 814 Meridian City Council Work Session June 23,2020 Page 2 of 20 B. Approve Minutes of June 16, 2020 City Council Regular Meeting C. Final Plat for Hill's Century Farm North No. 1 (H-2020-0055) by Martin L. Hill, Hill & Hill Properties, Located on the South Side of E. Amity Rd. and East of S. Eagle Rd. D. Final Order for Movado No. 8 (H-2020-0040) by Evans Development, LLC, Located Approximately 1/2 Mile South of E. Overland Rd., on the West Side of S. Cloverdale Rd. E. Final Order for Oaks North No. 7 (H-2020-0049) by Toll Southwest, LLC, Generally Located Near the Half-Mile Mark on W. McMillan Rd. Between McDermott Rd. and Black Cat Rd. F. Final Order for Oaks North Subdivision No. 8 (H-2020-0053) by Toll Southwest, LLC, Located at 6060 W. McMillan Rd. G. Findings of Fact, Conclusions of Law for McKay Farm Subdivision (H-2020-0030) by Fairbourne Development, LLC, Located Near the Half Mile Mark on the West Side of S. Eagle Rd. Between E. Amity Rd. and E. Lake Hazel Rd. H. Findings of Fact, Conclusions of Law for Victory Commons (H-2019-0150) by BVA Development, LLC, Located at 130 E. Victory Rd. and 3030 S. Meridian Rd. I. Agreement to Accept Payment in Lieu of Installing Streetlights at Paramount Urgent Care J. Agreement to Accept Payment in Lieu of Installing Streetlights at Stapleton No. 1 Subdivision K. Professional Services Agreement Between the City of Meridian and the International Artists League, Inc for the Diamond Empire Band for Musical Talent for Concerts on Broadway L. Subrecipient Agreement for Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security CARES) Act Funding M. Approval of Cost Share Permit Granted to the City of Meridian by Ada County Highway District (ACHD) for Locust Grove Rd. and Chinden Blvd. Non-Transportation Design Costs Meridian City Council Meeting Agenda July 7,2020— Page 93 of 814 Meridian City Council Work Session June 23,2020 Page 3 of 20 N. AP Invoices for Payment - 06/17/20 - $8,056.24 O. AP Invoices for Payment - 06/24/20 - $637,722.95 Simison: Item No. 3, Consent Agenda. Bernt: Mr. Mayor? Simison: Councilman Bernt. Bernt: I move that we approve the Consent Agenda, for the Mayor to sign and the Clerk to attest. Hoaglun: Mr. Mayor? Simison: Councilman Hoaglun. Hoaglun: I second the motion. Simison: I have a motion and a second to approve the Consent Agenda as published. Is there any discussion on the motion? All those in favor signify by saying aye. Opposed nay. The ayes have it. MOTION CARRIED: FIVE AYES. ONE ABSENT. Item 4. Items Moved From the Consent Agenda [Action Item] Simison: There are no items moved from the Consent Agenda. Item 5: Department/Commission Reports [Action Item] A. City Council: Budget Workshop Police STEP Plan Discussion Simison: So, we will move on to Item 5-A Department Report regarding the budget workshop police STEP Plan discussion. I'm going to turn this over to our Human Resource and Police Department. Lavey: Mr. Mayor, Council, this is a follow up to our workshop -- budget workshop meeting we had on Wednesday. After that workshop it was discussed to have another follow-up meeting today. In talking to the police liaison, who also happens to be the HR liaison, Mr. Borton, we felt it was probably appropriate to educate some of the newer Council Members on the process and the STEP Plan, why it exists, how it works and, then, the in-depth progress -- or in-depth steps that we take to go through it and this was a partnership between the Police Department and HR. It always is. It's been done every two years. Last time was 2018. One of the things that we located today was the executive summary we put in place in 2018 about why it was important to address the STEP Plan Meridian City Council Meeting Agenda July 7,2020— Page 94 of 814 Meridian City Council Work Session June 23,2020 Page 4 of 20 and after reviewing that document no changes were made for FY-20, because all things are still the same, other than there might be some numbers as far as who is eligible for retirement and such, everything else that we are facing today is what we tried to fix in 2018. Bernt: Mr. Mayor? Simison: Yes, Mr. Bernt. Bernt: I don't mean to interrupt the chief. We are having a little bit of hard time hearing him. He goes in and out. Maybe if he were to pick up the microphone that the clerk has down there for him, if he would put it closer to his mouth -- I can barely hear him. We can barely hear him. Sorry, chief. I just want to hear every word you say. Lavey: I think you did it on purpose and -- I will just blame it on the mask here. We prepared a document that we gave to the Council Members that are present in here an executive summary that we did in 2018 outlining the circumstances we were facing and the need for the adjustments to the STEP Plan. Those same circumstances exist today. Nothing has changed within that summary, other than raw numbers and what I mean by raw numbers is who is eligible for retiring and when. So, everything else is still the same. So, really what our-- our thoughts was is that Mr. Borton was going to outline the process a little bit, but he kind of did that yesterday in the -- in the memo he sent to the Mayor and Council and so when it's appropriate I would just like to bring up Lieutenant Stokes and Laura Lee Berg from police and HR to highlight the steps we are taking this year -- or, actually, it was last year with the consultant and how we got to -- here today and, then, we will just field any questions that you have. And is the audio better? Bernt: Much better. Thank you, chief. Lavey: You're welcome. Did you have anything to say? Borton: Mr. Mayor? Simison: Councilman Borton. Borton: So, my understanding from -- from the follow up from last week's meeting that brought the topic today that today's discussion is intended to complete understanding of that history, some of the data behind the request and the purpose behind that request with regards to the STEP Plan in preparation for our June 30th discussion and decision from that preliminary tentative budget. I don't believe today is where the Council is required to make a decision necessarily on it, but at least to have all their questions answered so we can make that informed decision as part of the June 30th tentative approval. Lavey: Mr. Mayor, Councilman Borton, that -- that was my understanding is that today was just an educational opportunity to make sure that you had all your questions Meridian City Council Meeting Agenda July 7,2020— Page 95 of 814 Meridian City Council Work Session June 23,2020 Page 5 of 20 answered going into next week. I don't think any decisions need to be made today. But, of course, if you want to make decisions we won't hesitate, but that was our purpose is education only today. Mr. Mayor, I think what I would like to do, then, is invite up Lieutenant Stokes and Laura Lee Berg and, then, have them go into the process a little bit more. Berg: Mr. Mayor, Members of the Council, good afternoon. So, I'm just going to kind of tell you the process that we have gone through the last -- Simison: You're going to need to get that a lot closer. Berg: -- the last several years with the Police Department. We partner together -- it has been every two years -- to look at the STEP Plan. Last year it was agreed that we would start doing it every year, so there wasn't as big a gap in the salaries at one time, so we started last time in 2018 with Mike Swallow from Personnel Systems and Services. He provided information -- what we do is let him know our scope, which is a compensation analysis of the STEP Plan. He goes and gathers that information for us. We work with him -- I check in with him regularly as he's gathering his information, make sure that he's staying on track and, then, Berle and I meet together with him to answer any questions, clarify anything that he might have, and, then, once we get that final report and recommendation we turn it over to Crystal and the chief to review and, then, bring to you for a recommendation. Stokes: Mr. Mayor, Members of the Council, I appreciate you letting us come -- come here today and kind of talk a little bit more about this. Just kind of adding to what Laura Lee spoke about, the -- and I think Councilman Borton lined it out pretty well in his memo, but this STEP Plan goes back around 12 years or so -- about 2007, 2008, and, you know, it's a structured plan for officers and starts at the -- the recruit level and, then, goes up from there. As Laura Lee mentioned, we have used consultants the entire time. We have changed consultants over the years. The one we have used the last two times -- and I can never remember the name of this company, but he's out of the Salt Lake area and does a lot of analysis for public safety agencies, pretty much from the Midwest to the -- to the west coast. So, we feel very confident in his -- his ability and analysis. So, one of the -- in this analysis and the analysis we have used the last couple of times -- Bernt: Mr. Mayor? Simison: Yes, sir. Bernt: Sorry to interrupt Lieutenant Stokes, but we are having issues hearing him speak. I apologize. I want to hear every word he says. It's really important. Just want to make you aware. Stokes: I'm pretty close. Can you hear me now? Hold it really close. Okay. Sound like a DJ. So, over the years the -- the scope -- or really not the scope of the analysis, but maybe some of the agencies we have used have changed and -- and where we are at Meridian City Council Meeting Agenda July 7,2020— Page 96 of 814 Meridian City Council Work Session June 23,2020 Page 6 of 20 today and where we were at the last couple of go arounds is we look at agencies that are close to us and we talked about this last week. So, that includes all of the Ada county law enforcement agencies, Boise police, Ada county, Garden City, you know, we are included in that and, then, the Nampa Police Department. So, those are the agencies that we use for comparison that Mike goes out and grabs the data for. One of the challenges that we face in this analysis is often -- well, with the exception of this time in my memory, we are usually using older expiring data. So, we get the data, we get the analysis, but, then, we have to look a little bit ahead, because, one, we are doing this on a two year cycle and as we mentioned before we are hoping to -- to change that and do that yearly, take a look at it every year-- okay. To look at it every year, so maybe we don't get so far behind. But some of the data sets that we use are -- are expired, they are old, and we know that October 1 st they are going to -- to be expired. Now, one of the agencies compared -- this time we actually know what their STEP Plan is going to look like October 1 st -- Bernt: Mayor? Simison: Yes, sir. Bernt: Sorry-- sorry to interrupt again. We just -- he is going in and out. We are probably hearing about 70 percent of what he is saying -- 65, 70 percent of what he's saying. If we can't hear that means other people can't hear. Simison: Council Woman Strader, are you having the same issues? Strader: Yeah, Mr. Mayor, I am. I think if -- if the microphone is close, but if he starts talking like away from it at all it loses the sound, so -- sorry. Yeah. I don't know. Gosh, maybe he could sit in another Council Member's seat, because we seem to hear better from the mics there. Stokes: Okay. Let me see if I can -- is that better? Okay. I see bigger okay signs. That's good. So, I think where I was at was talking about -- we run into some challenges using -- and that's because that's what's available -- is available at the time is some of the data we have to use is old or expiring. This time, like I was mentioning, we have one set that we know is -- is going to be valid October 1st, because this agency forecasts a STEP Plan, so -- but for the most part we are kind of playing catch up. This year the -- the analysis came back and we knew we had some issues from some of the things that we have done in the past. Some were just a matter of the circumstances we faced. We knew we had some issues in the structure of the plan, with compression at the top that was -- it's -- it's a pretty significant compression at the top and, then, we knew over the last two years the bottom of the market has moved quite a bit when we are talking about that entry level officer and I think I mentioned this last week, it's a reflection of how hard it is to -- to hire police officers. So, the bottom end of those -- those STEP Plans across the agencies we look at -- looked at have grown significantly in 24 months. So, the issues that -- that became apparent when we got the analysis back are, one, we got some structure issues to fix, some compression at the top, some pretty good movement at the bottom and so the first step would be fixing that and, then, making an adjustment to -- I would say try to Meridian City Council Meeting Agenda July 7,2020— Page 97 of 814 Meridian City Council Work Session June 23,2020 Page 7 of 20 maintain or restore our competitive mark, you know, in this Ada county law enforcement market. There is just -- it -- when you boil it all down there is the cost of employing a police officer in this county and we have to be competitive if we are going to fill our ranks, retain our officers and grow our organization for the future. So, those are the two big issues that, you know, kind of -- kind of showed themselves. We have all that data. We worked with all that data and came to what we believe is a reasonable recommendation of some moves that we should make to account for what's happened the last 24 months and, then, to, you know, position ourselves so we can -- we can be in the game and we can -- we can attract and hire and retain the right people to do the great work our officers do. So, that's -- that's why this is important. The -- when you look at, you know, the percentages and the dollar amount that this costs, aside of the corrections that we need to fix, it trends pretty closely to what -- what we have done as a city, I think, for most employees over that 24 month period. When you talk about addressing the STEP Plan, though, it's significant, because if -- and I think HR could correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe we are the largest group of employees kind of in one pot I think is the sworn police officers and probably the largest group of employees for the city that are kind of in one bucket. So, it -- it's -- you know, it can be a pretty big endeavor. I think, you know, one thing that we talked about, too, last week that one or more of the Council Members have brought up is, you know, we are -- we are talking about the STEP Plan, that piece of officer compensation that's only one piece when it comes to retaining and hiring officers. It's the total compensation. That is kind of the -- the piece that's not included here. So, that's a whole other situation and I guess with that turn it back over to the chief or stand for any questions that anybody might have. Simison: Council, just for the record, Councilman Cavener did join us at 4:42 and activated his camera at 4:49. I don't know how much of it he heard or saw, but just wanted to -- Cavener: Mr. Mayor? Simison: Councilman Cavener. Cavener: Yeah. Just for the record I have been able to listen in I think for the vast majority of the conversation, probably beginning with the chief and Council Member Borton's comments before -- before Stokes began to speak. So, I feel like I have heard at least all the conversations thus far. Simison: Okay. Thank you. Any other comments or, Council, any questions? Strader: Mr. Mayor? Simison: Council Woman Strader. Strader: Thank you. I think what --what would be helpful context for me --what I'm trying to wrap my head around -- it sounds like we have had -- we have strived to treat our employees consistently, but there is a timing mismatch it sounds like between the Meridian City Council Meeting Agenda July 7,2020— Page 98 of 814 Meridian City Council Work Session June 23,2020 Page 8 of 20 cadence of the STEP Plan happening every two years and the rest of our general employees compensation, you know, for whatever reason is being looked at every year. I guess is the challenge that -- help me understand the piece I just heard that it sounded like over the past 24 months the change in general employees would align -- that has happened would align closely with this STEP Plan recommendation, help me understand that timing mismatch and what has happened in the past. This is a question for anyone who is the appropriate person, but help me understand the context of the timing for the STEP Plan. How is that different than general employees and what has happened with general employees would make up the percentage of the STEP Plan that's being requested to be adjusted. Simison: I'm going to ask our Human Resources director to address this, because there is more multi -- multifaceted layers to that question. And just to put a tiny touch on it, because I don't know if Crystal will touch on this. The STEP Plan does allow people to move within that two years. So, there is movement of the officers as they advance through the plan. Doesn't mean that they don't have -- you don't have people that move, but it depends on where they are, they may move a little, they may move a lot, or they may not move at all. Ritchie: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. That is correct. Council Woman Strader, to answer your question, so -- and I may have to reach out to Todd here a little bit. I didn't bring specific percentages of increases and, Lieutenant Stokes, let me know if this is what you were referencing as well. So, the STEP Plan is looked at every two years. General employees are looked at every year. They are two separate compensation plans that we offer here at the city. So, when we look at the general employee compensation plan we look at those wages, we look at if we are market competitive. We also look for market adjustments, as well as a recommendation for a merit pool increase. For the STEP Plan that is -- that analysis is done every other year and so typically -- Cavener: Madam Mayor? Ritchie: -- what you will see when -- Simison: Are you having a hard time hearing? Cavener: Yeah. It's going somewhat staticky and, then, really the last probably 15, 20 seconds that Crystal said we couldn't hear at all. I'm sorry. Ritchie: That's certainly okay, and Council Member Cavener, I think that was you. Could you let me know the last piece you heard, so that I can repeat myself, please? Cavener: I don't want to speak for the three of us, but it -- it almost might be beneficial for you to start again, just because there is a lot of feedback and static on the mic. Ritchie: Okay. Is this better? Meridian City Council Meeting Agenda July 7,2020— Page 99 of 814 Meridian City Council Work Session June 23,2020 Page 9 of 20 Cavener: No. Ritchie: I'm trying not to touch the mic with my mouth, simply because that will cause friction. I'm about as close as I can get. Lavey: It's not you. Ritchie: Okay. Simison: Do you want to try a different mic? Just -- I heard a little bit of feedback when you were on earlier, but I don't know if that will help. Cavener: Thanks, Crystal. I'm sorry. Ritchie: Oh, no problem. That's certainly okay. Just give me a moment to get situated. Cavener: That's awesome. Ritchie: Is that better? Cavener: Wonderful. Ritchie: Okay. So, I will start over. So, we have -- we have two different -- the STEP Plan and the general employee compensation program are two separate compensation plans that we offer here at the city. Historically the general employee compensation program is evaluated annually for competitiveness, as well as whether or not there is a market adjustment that should occur based on the flexing market at that point in time. The police STEP Plan is on a two year cycle and has been on a two year cycle for at least I believe ten years, roughly. I have been here about 11, so I recall about ten years. Simison: Crystal, just make sure you are on -- on the mic. Ritchie: There we go. The separation in that, with what Lieutenant Stokes is referring to, is that when we bring forward a recommendation for the police STEP Plan that number is generally bigger, because it is covering a 24 month span. If the city incurs a market adjustment annually for the general employee compensation program, that market adjustment has not been applied to the police STEP Plan. Those factors are considered at the bi-annual review. That's one of the reasons that we brought forward last year and the Council agreed -- Simison: I think that we are just having technical problems with our stream and the volume. Cavener: Mr. Mayor? Simison: Yes, Mr. Cavener. Meridian City Council Meeting Agenda July 7,2020— Page 100 of 814 Meridian City Council Work Session June 23,2020 Page 10 of 20 Cavener: Maybe a suggestion. I think this is important and I -- I'm worried about the constant disruptions really kind of taking away from the opportunity for dialogue. I don't know if there is an opportunity to maybe reset our audio system, perhaps recess for five to seven minutes, see if we can course correct the -- Council President Bernt -- this is an important issue for us and -- and I don't want to have to keep interrupting, but if at least -- if the three of us can't hear it, we are not doing the body a good service by having this whole presentation. So, I don't know if there is any suggestions from the folks in the room, but for the three of us that are here remotely, for whatever reason it's just not firing on all cylinders tonight. Strader: Mr. Mayor? Simison: Council Woman Strader. Strader: Maybe one thought could be for Crystal to try to dial in from a landline. I would suggest that as an idea, but I'm not an IT person. Bernt: Or maybe -- Mr. Mayor? Simison: Councilman Bernt. Bernt: Maybe another option is to have her participate via Zoom, because I can hear Liz perfectly and I can hear Luke perfectly. It seems to be the issue is in Council Chambers and so that might be another option. Simison: Can I ask how are you hearing me when I speak? Bernt: You are fine. Cavener: You're mumbled. Bernt: That's because of your mask, but your -- I can hear every word you say. Simison: We are trying to troubleshoot right now with IT real quick. Bernt: You want to just take a quick T and we can just hang out for a minute? Simison: Yeah. Let's go into recess for five minutes. Bernt: Okay. (Recess: 5:00 p.m. to 5:09 p.m.) Simison: Council, I'm going to go ahead and bring us back in as we seem to be operational. I'm going to throw this back over to Crystal to pick up where she was trying to go previously. Meridian City Council Meeting Agenda July 7,2020— Page 101 of 814 Meridian City Council Work Session June 23,2020 Page 11 of 20 Cavener: Probably, we can't hear you. You are muted now. He's not muted, he's just -- Simison: I'm going to throw this back over to Crystal. Lavey: Mr. Mayor, Council, we are ready to attempt to start all over again. I would just like to point out that, you know, our purpose today was to talk about the STEP Plan. The STEP Plan and the city employee plan are completely two different plans for two different reasons and two different categories, but we will sure attempt to answer any questions that -- that you have in regards to that, but our focus today was on the STEP Plan. Simison: That being said -- that being said, Chief, we did have a question from Council Woman Strader to Crystal that she was attempting to answer before we got stopped. Lavey: Okay. So, we will try to answer that question. But before we start, can you tell us if the audio is working? Can you hear us? Strader: Perfect. Cavener: Great, chief. Lavey: So, attempt number four or five or six, here it comes. Ritchie: Okay. Members of Council, can you hear me now? Okay. All right. So, sorry for the technology issues. I'm glad we have it all back together. So, if you can't hear me just kind of give me the signal and I will do what I can do either speak up or relocate the connection. As the chief mentioned, general employee compensation is one pay compensation that we have at the city. The STEP Plan is a completely separate compensation program that we have at the city. Our approach to that historically has been general employees -- generally employee plan reviewed annually for market competitiveness and a market and/or merital recommendation to the Council through the annual budget cycle. The STEP Plan historically has been evaluated every two years. Also done externally through the Department of Human Resources. The delineations between those two programs are the market adjustment. So, the general employee compensation program is a consideration for a market adjustment when recommended and if approved it's applied to the general employee pay program that the general employees also receive per those program guidelines. That is not across the board and applied to the police STEP Plan. The police STEP Plan recommendation comes forward to you every two years covering a 24 month plan. At that time the market is considered as a part of that recommendation or that STEP Plan to correct any areas that we need to correct, in addition to trying to bring it to a competitive position within the Ada county market and we can certainly talk about how it works if you have those questions as well between HR and the Police Department. Council Woman Strader, does that answer your question? Strader: Mr. Mayor? Meridian City Council Meeting Agenda July 7,2020— Page 102 of 814 Meridian City Council Work Session June 23,2020 Page 12 of 20 Simison: Council Woman Strader. Strader: Yeah. That really helps in my mind to give me context for what we are thinking about, because, you know, we want to treat our employees consistently. They are not in the same program and there is a fundamental timing mismatch -- which maybe we fix going forward, but there is a timing mismatch, so we are trying to deal with a 24 month period, as opposed to a 12 month period and I think that helps me understand kind of how -- why -- why we are in the spot that we are in. So, that's very helpful. I know you e-mailed me separately, but it would be a good I think update for the rest of Council that -- I think Crystal was going to try to provide some of the data that I requested once she can reach the consultants, that that was a follow up. So, I think we may not have that for this meeting, but that's okay, I just wanted to let everyone know. Ritchie: Thank you, Council Woman Strader. I will give a quick update on that and we will revert it back to the police STEP Plan. What I communicated to Council Woman Strader in regards to her question from the budget hearing last week in regards to the additional general employee competitiveness against the market for general employee compensation programs specifically and at the department level, I did reach out to Ameriben, which is a consultant who helps us with that every year. The individual who is specifically assigned to Meridian was traveling for business and, then, out on vacation and returned back into the office today. I had a very late afternoon discussion with the -- with them and they are going to be providing that data, so that I can be bringing that forward to you Monday. Borton: Mr. Mayor? Simison: Councilman Borton. Borton: So, part of the context that -- that Council Woman Strader is talking about is that intentional, by design, disconnect between -- and separation between the way the STEP Plan has been handled over the last ten to 12 years and the unique and separate purpose that its adjustments try to -- try to remedy and the e-mail that I had sent around tried to make a very brief snapshot of that historical intention. 1, as the police-- Police Department liaison and HR liaison it's probably something that I should have talked to Councilman Bernt and brought up and we could have had this discussion more fully in April or May and that would be my fault for it not coming forward, but this discussion today probably would have happened then. The reason -- and my e-mail said it is because I have -- I have seen that history and that -- that intention of what doesn't happen one year somewhat begets the conduct that happens the next year with regards to adjustments and so I was pretty comfortable once reviewing the entire budget as a whole and understanding the revenue sources that we have up through June and understanding those intended expenditures, that this STEP Plan which -- which I think was understood in prior years would be happening, that we would be able to fund it. So, whether you -- we could either question the reasoning behind the STEP Plan adjustment or whether we could afford a step one adjustment and -- and the way I saw -- having gone through the workshop and all of the underlying data that I think we have -- at least in my opinion we Meridian City Council Meeting Agenda July 7,2020— Page 103 of 814 Meridian City Council Work Session June 23,2020 Page 13 of 20 have got the resources available to fund a plan that is necessary to fund and I think it's consistent with the history and the intention of what we have expressed to our police department, what happened in fiscal year 2021. Part of what today could lead to -- and this would be my request -- is for the purpose of a productive discussion on June 30th that the STEP Plan request be included, so we can see it. When we look at the big grid of the general fund expenditures, so we can see what impact it has on the general fund budget as a whole and, then, have some conversations on ways -- if there is other adjustments that are necessary, whether it still should be included in light of that budget as a whole or not, I -- to cut to the end, I think there is room, but I think that's the June 30th discussion. To leave today with its inclusion I think would be very helpful for all of us to start off June 30th with a good opportunity to understand it's -- it's -- the STEP Plan adjustment impact on the budget as a whole and I think we will find that there is a means to fund it, as well as a good reason to fund it. Simison: Thank you, Councilman Borton. Not to have that be the last word, but I'm going to ask our CFO to weigh in specifically on that very topic in terms of how he will recommend you fund it if you want to do it. Lavoie: Mr. Mayor, Council Members, for the June 30th discussion to have us consider adding the compensation that you are recommending, you have heard from me in the past say I would always recommend taking the property tax to cover cost of doing business. Mr. Mayor presented to you a budget without it and we had that discussion on the first budget workshop. In my opinion I still believe we need to take a percentage of the comp -- of the level three percent if you wish to provide the extra -- or provide the compensation for the STEP Plan. I have promoted that in years past. I believe the three percent is the product that helps support the cost of doing business. I still stand by that position. I also stand by the position that the three percent is there to also compensate the general employees and the fire union and other health benefits and other cost of doing business aspects for the City of Meridian. I think that's what the three percent represents. That would be my guidance to you. I understand there is some other underlying issues that are influencing us to move a certain direction, but I still stand by the three percent. It's there for your cost of doing business. Mr. Borton, you asked, you know, do we have the resources. The answer is, yes, we do have the resources for the fiscal '21 budget to fund the compensation that you are discussing. Without taking the three percent. It would still be my guidance to consider the three percent, because the long term impacts of not taking the three percent is a compounding issue that you are familiar with and that's where I have my more concerns is the long term viability of funding, rather than the one time 12 month window that we are looking at. So, hopefully, that answers the question. You have my guidance. You know, we have discussed the three percent option, but, hopefully, Mr. Mayor, hopefully I answered the question for you. Simison: Yes, you did, Todd. Cavener: Mr. Mayor? Simison: Councilman Cavener. Meridian City Council Meeting Agenda July 7,2020— Page 104 of 814 Meridian City Council Work Session June 23,2020 Page 14 of 20 Cavener: Thanks, Mr. Mayor. Todd, is that your plan to walk the Council through what those other mechanisms could be on the June 30th budget hearing or are you wanting Council Members to connect with you outside of that? Help me understand especially for our three new Council Members, how we are getting them aware of all the options that are before them. Lavoie: Mr. Mayor, Councilman Cavener, I'm happy to draft any documentation to assist in this discussion. Again, I wasn't planning on bringing a mechanism -- or mechanics or mechanisms that you are speaking of to discuss the different opportunities, but I'm happy to have something ready and draft it for you by the 30th or I can even have it done before the 30th so you guys can chew on it and understand the different components and options that are available to you as a Council to fund such a recommendation or discussion if you wish. Cavener: Mr. Mayor? Simison: Councilman Cavener. Cavener: Mr. Mayor, thank you. Thanks, Todd. I appreciate that. I -- I know these are kind of unique times for us and I just -- I want to make sure that we are doing everything we can for our -- our three new members to have a full understanding, so they have all the options presented to them and feel confident whatever decisions they choose to make. So, I appreciate that. Lavoie: Mr. Mayor, Councilman Cavener, I have no problem drafting something before your June 30th meeting so you guys have something to digest before the meeting. So, will work on something between now and then for you to have a clearer understanding of your options at your fingertips. Hoaglun: Mr. Mayor? Simison: Councilman Hoaglun. Hoaglun: Question for maybe the chief and Crystal and that is how many open positions are there in the department right now? And if-- if you have -- if you know any estimation of the -- of the value of those open positions, the cost that there would be for pay and benefits. Lavoie: Mr. Mayor -- Crystal, I'm happy to take this one for you. We have the data at our -- on our computer. So, if you would give us 20 seconds we will look it up for you, Mr. Hoaglun. Hoaglun: Thank you. Lavey: Mr. Mayor and Council, I can tell you that we have ten openings currently. We have nine people that are in the background process for those positions for an October Meridian City Council Meeting Agenda July 7,2020— Page 105 of 814 Meridian City Council Work Session June 23,2020 Page 15 of 20 academy. I can also tell you that the PAM model that Council approved in 2014, which is our patrol allocation study, indicates you need five additional positions based upon the growth of the city over the past year. Cavener: Mr. Mayor? Simison: Councilman Cavener. Cavener: Follow up on that, chief. Is that -- you said you have got ten open positions with nine folks prepared for the October academy. Are all your current open positions only for sworn officers or do you have any non-sworn positions that are open right now as well? Lavey: Mr. Mayor, Council, I do have non-sworn positions open. I have a code enforcement supervisor, two code enforcement positions. A NIBRS position. A community service officer position. And I believe there is one additional -- well, there is. There is one additional position I have open, but I have an interview with her for a job offer either this week or next. Cavener: Thank you. Field: Mr. Mayor? Simison: Yes. Field: I have the answer to your question about the current number of positions open for the Police Department. Currently we have 14 positions open and out of that 14 we have nine sworn positions. Hoaglun: Mr. Mayor. Thank you, Jenny. And -- and follow up with the chief, I guess, is I'm assuming at some point if they are selected to go to academy they are -- they come on to our payroll. Is -- I'm trying to understand the timing on that. Lavey: Mr. Mayor, Council, that would be correct. As soon as we give them a conditional offer for a start date, then, they would come on our payroll. That has not occurred yet, but that would occur probably December time frame. Hoaglun: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Strader: Mr. Mayor? Simison: Council Woman Strader. Strader: Maybe something for Todd to follow up with me on, but I think it would be helpful -- I recall in our last meeting you were mentioning that there were a few different options in terms of finding a way to sort of bridge the STEP Plan. It included removing some Meridian City Council Meeting Agenda July 7,2020— Page 106 of 814 Meridian City Council Work Session June 23,2020 Page 16 of 20 positions that were unfilled that I assumed we had built those salaries into our financial plan. I mean there were a few things you alluded to. I don't know what the different choices were and the viability of those choices. I think I would like to see different -- different approaches modeled out and, then, I would like to understand if -- if we did not take the three percent and we are, essentially, bridging that -- if we took the three percent the following year what would sort of the follow on impact be for that choice. I know that's kind of a big question, but I -- I think I would need to understand the implications of that and exactly what that would mean. Hopefully that makes sense. Simison: Yeah. Council Woman Strader, what Councilman Hoaglun was just referring to was one of the things that I had talked about is potential using savings from unfilled positions. But if you use those savings, then, you are not able to hire those officers if they are needed or if you have viable candidates. That was really the -- the main focus of one of them and I think Todd will cover these, but the other options are not to include --approve any other ongoing operational expenses in this year's budget as a way to reduce those costs. You will likely see those positions again in future years, but that's a way -- one of the ways to do it. Then there is always looking at other things or as you heard your CFO say, you can do it, but it's an ongoing expense to the city and I think that you will continue to hear the conversation about the rest of the city and the concept of HR we will come back and tell you that there are market justifications for the rest of the employees as well that are not included in this budget. We chose not to include them despite the market saying that there -- that would be something. So, you can all separate them out. You can consider them all of--you know, one offs, but it's kind of-- it becomes one of those things. It's -- there is things in this budget that could be included fully if we felt they were warranted. Strader: Mr. Mayor? Simison: Ahead of revenue. Yes. Strader: I understand what you are saying. I think part of what I was trying to ask Crystal about before was understanding if -- if the Police Department is much further off market than the rest of the employee pool and what I'm getting at and it may not be even an option, but, you know, do we close that gap. I don't know if it looks like half a step -- you know, I don't -- I don't know what that looks like. Maybe it's a combination of finding savings from positions that we truly have not been successful in recruiting for and, then, taking some other approaches. But, yeah, to me it's not necessarily rewarding one department over others, but it's understanding if because they are on a two year time frame they really are positioned differently relative to their discount to market than the rest of the city is what I would -- I'm just trying to find a way to cut through this to get some sort of data driven approach if that's possible. Simison: Okay. I know that's what Crystal was trying to work on for you. Cavener: Mr. Mayor? Meridian City Council Meeting Agenda July 7,2020— Page 107 of 814 Meridian City Council Work Session June 23,2020 Page 17 of 20 Simison: Councilman Cavener. Cavener: With that info, it would be good to get some maybe historical background as to -- you know, some of these positions in the Police Department are I think very much well within market and, then, there is these other ones that we were talking about that are kind of outliers where there is such a wide gap. It would be beneficial for me to know if that is the case because Council hasn't taken the appropriate action in the past or if that is because the market has expanded so rapidly since the last time that we have looked at the STEP Plan. It's me understanding what caused that gap to get so wide would be really really helpful, so that we don't--we can prevent that from getting even --even wider in the future. Lavey: Mr. Mayor, Council, I think I would defer that question over to Lieutenant Stokes, who will tell you that it's the explosive market with a few other factors built in. So, he can probably answer that better. Stokes: Yeah. So -- so, some of it is changes in the market. Like I mentioned before, the entry level wages for police officers in this county and in our comparison group have grown greatly over the last two years. Some of the -- how far we are behind the market -- and I mentioned some of this last week in those first four steps, one of them is nine percent, one is 15, one is ten, on is nine. So, that's something that is reflective of the market changing. Like I mentioned before, we are -- out of those compared agencies we have the lowest starting wage. So, we are at the bottom of the barrel there. When you talk about other factors, the compression at the top of our scale, that is a product of -- I don't -- it -- there is a lot of reasons that we have ended up where we are and some of that was decisions made to maybe do less at the -- at the top of the scale to make things better in the middle of the scale. So, what we are talking about today is the bottom of the scale needs significant adjustments. The top of the scale needs more adjustments than the middle of the scale. There are places -- really the middle of the scale is -- it just needs -- and it's reflected in this -- the -- you know, the -- the enhancement for the STEP Plan, it -- it needs very little in the middle. It's the bottom and the top. Of course there is more -- more people in the bottom and less at the top, so your-- more of your dollars are going to be spent at the bottom. The way the pay scale -- or the STEP Plan functions is an officer comes in and they move from step to step after successful evaluations from year to year. There are points in the STEP Plan where you reach a place where you sit, where you top out. So, for our supervisors after 49 months in their position, they see no increase unless the STEP Plan is adjusted. There is a couple of points for officer progression where they have to remain in a certain step for five years before we bump them to the next step. Those officers do not see any adjustment until -- unless we adjust the plan as a whole. So, those are kind of the issues we are talking about. If we move forward with -- with what we have -- we have put in this STEP Plan adjustment, there are places in the STEP Plan, you know, that would see really small increases, as low as one percent. I mentioned that last week and there is some that need to go up as high as 20 percent. So, it's a directed tactical deployment of those resources, where they need to go based on the analysis from the consultant. I hope that helps. Meridian City Council Meeting Agenda July 7,2020— Page 108 of 814 Meridian City Council Work Session June 23,2020 Page 18 of 20 Lavey: Mr. Mayor, I would just like to add onto that, that we -- every year that we have addressed this we have used the phased approach. We have never fully funded the recommendation from the consultant. We have always tried to target here or tried to target here -- so, essentially, what's happened is we have kicked the can down the road and it's now-- and that's where we are at right now is that we cannot move the top forward unless we make a serious adjustment to the STEP. That's -- that's the bottom line. We have tried to be conservative and tried to take a -- a slow approach to fix it and now it's come back to bite us. Strader: Mr. Mayor, could I ask a question? Simison: Council Woman Strader. Strader: Just so I understand how -- how this plan would be implemented if it were to move forward. Let's take the case of a position that the consultant recommend -- let's just -- cutting through it, we have got a position that's 20 percent off and there is a 20 percent recommended adjustment. Does it really make sense that that 20 percent would immediately come into effect or would that be phased over two years? Like how would that work? Stokes: Yeah. So, if I can kind of -- kind of speak to that. Yeah, it would be -- it's not a phased approach, because that -- that -- where that 20 percent is needed is in that entry level, so that's -- that's the adjustment we need to make to get people in the door in our organization. So, that's where your higher -- the highest numbers are there at the very bottom to get people in the door and -- and the other thing with the STEP Plan that I failed to mention is industry standard is these plans are used as recruiting tools, so in recruiting officers. Most cities and counties put their STEP Plans on their websites. They are very easy to access and our -- our applicants -- I mean they -- they look at those prior to applying. There is just -- there is no sugarcoating that. Strader: Mr. Mayor? Simison: Council Woman Strader. Strader: So, what you are saying is making more sense to me. So, if the starting -- the starting step, if you will, is really a big part of what's off market. That makes sense to me. I think where -- if we have major adjustments at the top of the scale, probably I -- I -- my bias would be a little bit more toward phasing those in,just because that-- to me like even in -- in other industries you wouldn't necessarily normally give somebody a 25 percent increase in one year that already works for you. You might phase that in over two years, but I think I get the bulk of what you are saying. I mean -- I think part -- you know, part of -- part of what I'm hoping -- depending on what Council decides to do, but I think if we are showing support here I'm hoping that, you know, maybe some of our competitive cities around us will be dumb enough to defund their police departments, because I think that might make us a little bit more competitive and this is the kind of environment where if we were showing a lot of support, you know, look-- I think it speaks volumes that in the future Meridian City Council Meeting Agenda July 7,2020— Page 109 of 814 Meridian City Council Work Session June 23,2020 Page 19 of 20 when you are recruiting officers you could say, look, in this crazy environment how supportive the city was at that time and maybe that's a recruiting tool as well. That's something that I'm also thinking about. Borton: Mr. Mayor? Simison: Councilman Borton. Borton: I would love that last part. If -- any other agency can pound sand, if there is a desire to recruit our officers away. To your comment about phasing it in, I -- the top of the scale in particular where there was -- just last year -- not the year before -- data that supported adjusting the top of the scale, there was a direction from our leadership to -- if something were to be sacrificed to sacrifice that and try and take care of others within the grid. So, if the -- if the top of the scale was, in fact, phased in it was phased in by taking zero the first year and we can think of this as a subsequent year when, in fact, there was data to support adjusting it in prior years, so I -- I appreciate the approach on being protective of our crew. I think that's spot on. Strader: Mr. Mayor? Simison: Council Woman Strader. Strader: Yeah. I think I'm tracking. It sounds like a lot -- a lot of the compression -- there was a lot of foregone steps, if you will, at the top. We have reached a point that now it -- that that -- really that's kind of what happened. Okay. That helps me understand the background. Simison: Council, any further questions? Do I have a motion? Bernt: Mr. Mayor? Simison: Councilman Bernt. Bernt: Before I get-- before I make a motion I just wanted to thank the Police Department and Crystal for coming in, having this discussion this evening. I think it's been very beneficial for all of us and it's great to be caught up to speed on how things work and how our plans works. So, thank you guys for joining us this evening. With that said, I move that we move into Executive Session per Idaho Code 74-206(1)(d), (f), and Idaho Code 74-206(a)(1)(a). Hoaglun: Second the motion. Simison: I have a motion and a second to go into Executive Session. Is there any discussion on the motion? If not, clerk will call the roll Meridian City Council Meeting Agenda July 7,2020— Page 110 of 814 Meridian City Council Work Session June 23,2020 Page 20 of 20 Roll call: Bernt, yea; Borton, yea; Cavener, yea; Hoaglun, yea; Strader, yea; Perreault, absent. Simison: All ayes. We are in Executive Session. MOTION CARRIED: FIVE AYES. ONE ABSENT. EXECUTIVE SESSION: (5:39 p.m. to 6:10 p.m.) Simison: Council, do I have a motion to come out of Executive Session? Hoaglun: Mr. Mayor? Simison: Councilman Hoaglun. Hoaglun: I move that the Council comes out of Executive Session. Borton: Second. Simison: I have a motion and a second to come out of Executive Session. All those in favor signify by saying aye. Opposed nay. The ayes have it. MOTION CARRIED: FIVE AYES. ONE ABSENT. Hoaglun: Mr. Mayor? Simison: Councilman Hoaglun. Hoaglun: I move that we adjourn our work session. Borton: Second. Simison: I have a motion and a second to adjourn the work session. Is there any discussion on the motion? If not, all those in favor signify by saying aye. Opposed nay. We are adjourned. MOTION CARRIED: FIVE AYES. ONE ABSENT. MEETING ADJOURNED AT 6:10 P.M. (AUDIO RECORDING ON FILE OF THESE PROCEEDINGS) 7 7 2020 MAYOR ROBERT E. SIMISON DATE APPROVED ATTEST: CHRIS JOHNSON - CITY CLERK Meridian City Council Meeting Agenda July 7,2020— Page 111 of 814