HomeMy WebLinkAboutBill Musser EmailTara Green __ _ _ _ - --
From: Brad Hawkins-Clark [hawkinsb®G.meridian.itl.us]
Sent: Wednesday, February 28, 2003 8:50 PM RECEIVE D
To: greerrt~ci.meridian.id.us; johnsonj®meridiancity.org
cc: bergw(d3ci.meridian.id.us FEB 2 72003
Subject: FW: Request for Comment on Ada County Sub
City Of Meridian
Tara and Jessica, City Clerk Office
The attached e-mail from Captain Musser pertains to the Urban Services Planning Area CPA application,
which I believe is on the 3-403 Council agenda. Please distribute for the packets, etc.
Thanks,
Brad Hawkins-Clark
-----Original Message---°
From: Bill Musser [mailto:musserb~ci.meridian.id.us]
Sent: Monday, February 24, 2003 2:34 PM
To: 'Brad Hawkinsdlark'
Subject: Request for Comment an Pala County Sub
Brad,
Chief Worley has reviewed the comments, and t ne~ied to make one correction (done in this copy) so the
response is now good to go.
Here are some responses to the questions posed by you regarding developments outside of the City
but on the fringe:
What, if any, is the ~ increase borne by the City to respond to these fringe areas? Do the
Inter-Agency Agreements adequately address such developments?
The costs borne by the City to respond to emergency calls in fringe areas is exactly the same
as responding to any call within the City. This would include the cost of the officer per hour,
the cost of gasoline to drive the car there coupled with the mileage increase as it relates to
servicing the car, the time involved in writing any supplemental reports, and all the
associated expensed borne by the City as they relate to benefits, Workers Comp., vehiGe
maintenance, etc... The breakdown would depend on the rank, level, time involved and
distance from the call. These are variables chat can range from $16.22/hr. to a high of
28.83lhr. in just wages and without the almost 1/3 more in associated benefits, taxes, and
retirement costs the City is responsible for.
These costs are borne by the tax-payers of Meridian -not Ada County property owners.
Chances are that given an emergency call and a Meridian response is made to the fringe
development it will consist of at least two officers responding - so costs are now doubled.
Current Inter-Agency Agreements or Memoranda of Understanding (MOU) do not relieve the
assisting agency of any costs currently being borne by the City far their personnel
responding. The MOU attempts to establish the jurisdictional authority of a Meridian Officer
called to assist in Boise. An MOU is also an official recognition of the need for inter-agency
cooperation given the proximity of City to City. However, we do not have a MOU with the
Ada County Sheriffs Office at this time. The Sheriffs Office can request Meridian assistance
in an emergency and a Meridian Officer would be covered jurisdictionally under §18-707 and
87-2337.
For fire services, what, if any, is the difference to the City between Rural Fire and Meridian
2/27/2003
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Fire responses to these urban developments outside the city limits?
For police services, is there any notable decrease in protection to Meridian City residents that
is germane to this policy?
Given current staffing - a minimum staffing coverage of three (3) officers for an area of that
currently includes over 20 square miles, if an officer was pulled for an initial emergency
response chances are that a second Meridian Unii would also be in route to assist until the
Sheriffs department could get a unit to the scene. This now leaves the City with only one
officer to cover. With mare than minimum coverage on shift we could still field any where
from two to three units in the City while one or two responded to the call in the county
subdivision.
If there is a financial or services drain to the City, is there any mechanism to have these
developments pay for the difference in cost to serve them - especially where development
increases the cost for city services and does not compensate us for those services?
I am not aware of any mechanism available to recoup costs expended by the city for policing
services other than associated overtime that may result from a Meridian response to a county
location for an emergency call. The only mechanism available for such is court ordered
restitution. Given that in most instances the responding officer is working an assigned shift
and is not in an overtime situation no access to restitution would be available. Traditionally, it
has been my experience that most agencies are not set up to charge another agency in order
to recoup costs associated with assisting the other agency. The Sheriff's Officer does charge
or assess fees where they can for booking and photos - but, I believe we may well create a
larger problem trying charge the Sheriff for services we render in those developments outside
of town. I do not know enough about development agreements to know if they might work or
not - I suspect they wouldn't.
Are there other, more indirect impacts, that the Council should consider with regarci to public
safety services in these fringe developments?
All fringe developments will impact public safety services to a degree, in particular police
services. Issues associated with fringe county developments that should be considered are:
1. The type of development -high density or low density
2. The average cost of homes vs. rental properties -victimization and crime trends
indicate lower social-economic settings tend to have more associated crime than
higher social-economic settings.
3. Location of the development in relation to existing or current crime problem areas -
will the proposed development lend itself to becoming a property crime target?
4. As with our current developments the question of traffic impacts should also be
addressed from the stand point of what is the plan for future development in relation
to the City in the immediate area, coupled with the impact of the proposed fringe
development especially in terms of build out or final numbers in relation to the current
roadway structure.
5. If the development is in the impact area it should be treated as an impact - it will
have a effect on Meridian in the terms of the present and future.
Capt. Bill Musser
Meridian Police Department
1401 E. Watertower
Meridian, ID 83642
(208) 846-7370
m usse rb(rI3m eridiancity. org
2/27/2003