we good to all right well we will call this meeting of the Public Safety Committee to order if the cler can please call the role counc har present counc Heath present coun present uh the item on the agenda today is going over the 2025 fiscal year budget with various department heads and the mayor um we'll start up and work our way through uh so uh building one cut this so if there's anything you want to point out to start feel free to start for the for the most part I'm sorry you did you want to go ahead mayor hey if that's okay with you Mr chairman sure uh just as a heads up our an overview of the budget as a whole uh the budget reflects a uh very very minimal increases from last fiscal year to this fiscal year uh the main things that you'll see there are either contractual or a 3% cost of living adjustment uh for all non excuse me non-union employees and the reason for that is in the four years that I've been mayor every single one of the city's 12 collective bargaining units so the 12 unions that we have have received both uh cost of livings adjustment but also adjustments to their step scales and their grade scales so not only were they receiving increased compensation in their uh cost of living adjustment but also as a result of their uh longevity steps for based on how many years are there in the city since we don't have that in the non-union compensation ordinance as a way to try to help bring our non-union employees up to where our Union employees have gotten to uh we get an additional percent this year other than the usual 2% that we've done other than that things are mostly the same looking at the budgets that are here for you today uh the uh some of the names of departments have changed mainly in the civil defense we changed that into the budget itself as Emergency Management just to make it more clear what that sub Department actually does um but on the cover letter it still says civil defense so it could be an easier transition from last year to this year and know what it was uh the Enterprise accounts that are there uh are uh pretty much the same as last year the solid waste expense budget that you see here uh is based off of the proposed increase that's currently pending before the city council uh if that doesn't pass we will be able to get eat by this year but we're concerned about years after that since that is based off of the current contract that we have with El Harvey and a landfill closure account that's funded through a free cash appropriation that's put in every year uh but if there's any questions that come out uh come up throughout the meeting I'm happy to answer those and thank you for letting me uh call into the meeting since I couldn't be there in person all right thank you Mr Mayor M uh so I'll start with the um so as the mayor had touched on uh we now have public Building Maintenance so change from City Hall maintenance essentially the the department is is level funded across the board um no real major changes uh we did go down slightly in energy and utilities um it is something that we'll um we'll have to look at the end of next fiscal year probably for free cash um consistently we've been about $6 to $7,000 over that that amount um other than that the the rest of the department is as I stated you know pretty level funed uh we currently we have some surpluses in that area now um that's going to help with some additional um bills that will be coming in on the building side um not a lot has changed uh again essentially pretty much level funded we've actually made some minor reductions in areas um such as you know repairs and maintenance our lights and poles stays the same one area of increase is the alternate inspector salary um that that's increasing uh close to doubling and the primary reason for that is um our inspector of wires also does some other responsibilities throughout the city we are required to have an alternate inspector for him in order to inspect his work uh with the amount of vacation time that both the pluming inspector and inspector wires have um were required to provide coverage throughout the city for that what we've noticed now is um this year we're on track to hit about that $18 or $19,000 Mark instead of just the $9,000 that we've we've had in previous years um again other than that not much has changed we've actually uh we've gone down slightly in office supplies uh and that's due to um digitizing a lot of our processes which which is uh we've seen as a benefit vehicle supplies uh that was one of our areas we've cut slightly uh we were able to do that um by using some of the monies that we have currently um for vehicle repairs and and vehicle upfitting um other than that uh everything is essentially business as [Music] usual any question counselors no I do not I no question just minutes that good one an intention to add an additional custodian in your budget uh there's talks of doing that we're still in the early stages of that um but that is that is something we're we're talking about doing we're finding that with uh Waterford Street school with uh some of the work and and growth and intentions that we have for per Auditorium um the need is the need is there so we're we're having those conversations it'll also decrease some of our dependency on DPW for exterior maintenance as well uh we know that they're short stops so I think it would be be beneficial right all right thank you uh let's move on to police as we go through all these are not morning good morning again if there's anything that you wish to point out um no I think it's fairly so it's a fairly level funded budget with the exception of the collective bargaining agreement um responsibilities for the city um but i' be happy to take any questions or um concerns anywhere in the budget uh Mr chairman yes sir uh just uh a clarification we put document to document uh you'll notice at that this um the budget still has things broken out for police uh in uh the very different line items in terms of the compensation that both the chief chief and the deputy chief as well as the officers in both Collective marketing units uh received for their educational incentive uh as part of the Civil Service bill that uh the council put forward uh and getting out of civil service one of the things that was negotiated with the Union was doing a full Quinn Bill uh for the police Department rather than just the half a Quinn Bill uh so that is included in uh this budget here uh you'll also notice that in the compensation schedule ordinance that's uh before the city council right now with the budget process uh though all of those things have been rolled into the uh Chief and the deputy Chief's pay uh since a bachelor's degree is listed as a minimum requirement for the job rather than having it be a separate item of compensation it's now just rolled into the base pay uh in the ordinance itself so when you look at the ordinance versus what's here in the budget uh you'll see that you know the numbers may look a little different it's because it's combining all of those together uh lastly you'll notice that the public safety communications director salary and wage line item has been zeroed out that's line 422 uh 12210 that's actually been moved into the dispatch Department uh because that position is actually the director of The Dispatch Center uh it didn't make sense for that to be included up here in the police department and then have its own subdepartment separately uh somewhere else so that's why those are um the way that they are correctly questions I know I noticed that um line 441 um energy and utilities went up but that's understandable honestly councelor most of our um utilities um you know vehicle parts things like that everything you know inflation is a real thing for sure and um we're seeing anywhere from probably 5 to 15% a year usually in the the riseing costs everywhere yeah across the board sure and we think over time become more sustainable I think once we get Staffing it's going to slow it down um obviously with running a 247 365 operation like I said in the my report there um overtime costs are what they are um with cl propy agreements time contractual time off um we're trying to keep minimum Staffing um or or recommended minimum Staffing um you know a safe level and um but yeah overtime is is probably going to be a thing that happens every year um so you all right so we we have like 22 Patrol officers yeah you would like to get up to I would 40 um I would like to I think as I as I said in my report um the FBI numbers are 2.1 per th000 those are the rec full-time police officers per thousand um we're somewhere just a little south of 22,000 people in population uh we should be around 44 um we haven't we've been at our current Staffing levels for almost 20 years we had layoffs in 2003 um we were at 37 officers at that point in time um we have never recovered from that uh I I'm just trying to put this on the the radar we we need to start considering investing more and and obviously um fire chief can speak on his end of it but from the law enforcement standpoint we need to start adding more resources and then that's based off of 2020 not obviously current yeah because yeah we may the population may have gone out okay you know but yeah that's those are the numbers that we had I think during the last census are you all stud s around are you all studos to stick around no thank you thank you thank you move on to fire morning may do you have anything uh this one is uh also pretty flat except for the uh the union agreement that we have here uh you'll notice when you look at the compensation ordinance that the uh the fire chiefs uh everything was also rolled into one flat rate that's there uh aside from that you'll see that you know things that we need to start working towards like we had the police department there that's included in the writeups both and in the department request but other than that everything's pretty much the same um sure yeah just again Echo the mayor's com uh comments that we pretty much level funded um the the one account that does concern me a little bit is the overtime account on the fire side um I know budgets are tight this year and um I'm confident that that's most likely not going to cover overtime um but in the last couple years with vacant positions and um extra money left in salaries and wages we've been able to make transfers to cover a lot of that um shortfall um it's it's a concern as always even will'll be fully staffed in January um we were fully staffed um yeah as of January 8th we were fully staffed as of March 26th we were no longer fully staffed um I received um three resignations three employees have left since then um so we are now again three short um so we're in the process of um the hiring process to fill those positions um but the employee turnover situation continues so it's unfortunate but we're working through it just another thing Mr chairman that I forgot is uh just yesterday we settled the union negotiations with the union and the city and the uh memorandum of understanding was signed uh so now the actual contract itself is being uh edited with those changes that were agreed to in the negotiations and once those are done I'll provide the council with a copy of that fire uh firefighter Union contract that we have like I've done with the others but the current contract that was given to you with the budget materials is now out of date because that new one took effect uh effective um July 1 this year is there any common theme driving resignations it's still um it's two of the two of the employees who left accepted other five service positions um one of them who when we hired him was from the Boston area returned to the Boston area to accept a a position there um and the other one that left took a job in Westminster um with his goal of pursuing becoming a paramedic which they you know they run firefighter paramedics as opposed to us firefighter EMTs and he wanted to pursue that so he took the opportunity there and the third resignation um he's left the career fire service to pursue other things moved out of out of the area um can I ask how long were they um how long were they five Garder um the first one that resigned was approximately 2 and A2 years the second one um was in the four to five year range and he had left us a couple years ago to take a job in fitzburg and he had since come back to us and then left again um and the third one was only with us for I believe about 8 months and it just graduated the uh the state recruit academy in January when the opportunity in Westminster came up so it was a a a fairly short-term employee so do you feel like they're getting their training here then going um you know that that's that's part of it um it's certainly not unique to Gardener um it's these the employee turnover is happening throughout the fire service it's not uncommon um in other cities and towns in the area as well all I'll add to that the uh the employee that left the fire service went for ordained Ministry and so it's one of those as it's a just a complete different turnaround too so there it's something that's not unique to Gardner for staff leaving malor is going through the same thing right now um either to another fire department further out east that just may not have a full-time ambulance service or not a dedicated staff for the ambulance May pay more but then there's people who just simply don't want to be firefighters too and kind of the mix of what we're seeing right now so the reason why I I'm ask that's cuz I I'm I'm you know I'm looking at the wish list um increased salaries increased Staffing um those situations there which if we if you have a full staff which that would bring down the overtime in which that would that's the reason why you're saying put increase salaries which would keep them not necessarily those three which you've been doing this long enough right but not necessarily those three but increased salaries things like that it should balance all out if we're fully staffed um that's the Hope um is that you know it will improve overall working conditions um you know we were full fully staffed for you know the month of the last three first three months of the year um overtime was down significantly which you know leads to um you know the employees being able to spend more time at home and get more rest and and not be tied down to the job so much as they they have been over the last couple years so that that definitely improves you know morale and working conditions um and anything you know that we can do to improve the attraction to you know come to Gardener work in Gardener and stay in Gardener um increased salaries um increase Staffing which translates to um you know a an easier or more shared workload um anything we can do to you know to improve that is going to be a benefit to the fire department and to the city yeah no I agree I agree fully um you know it's not cheap nowadays uh you know it cost money just step outside I try to stay in the house as much as possible but Amazon gets me so I know um how it goes so like um you know I just I wish that we can hopefully come to some type of way where we're not waving them in here in the chambers while you're waving them out to another place so that's you know me and my sentiment on it that's all I agree it's it's a lot of you know we invest a lot of time and effort in hiring and and cost in in hir Hing and training um employees um and yeah it's it it frustrates myself and my Command Staff as well as the other members who you know spend time you know training the new guys on day-to-day operations it's it's a it's a lot of effort that you know could be better spent doing other things and when you have a lot of new faces you know what I mean it's you know the city isn't really there you just star to get to know these people by the time you get to know them know their kids' names things as such you know what I mean then they may be going to a different station and things like that where you know the Brotherhood and things like that are that comes with time in a job and I see that you have two people over here with 5 years of service one at 10 and one at 20 as far as they you know they're uh their milestones and you know it'll be great to to have more of that yeah absolutely absolutely again it's it's certainly not something that's unique to gu it's every every my job for 20 years I don't know half the people that I work with so you know I I I understand it you know but is what's the timeline on the ladder truck um the ladder truck has been ordered um and delivery is expected in they're saying 2 to 3 years now um so 2020 early 2026 um the am the new ambulance that was ordered a couple years ago is now at the dealer in adoro so we're expecting delivery here within a month or so um and the other two trucks that are on order are now scheduled to be completed on or about September 1st so it's moving along it's great to see progress on that side a long a long road yes yeah and I just have one other question just real quick I've seen that um I guess we were denied for the radios we spoke about the radios before what do you think sit chances oh for this year's great um I I I don't know um a lot of it depends on um the applications they receive how many receive per category in the available funding um we actually made it significantly further along in the the application process um two years ago than we did last year which was surprising to me um and speaking to the FEMA afg reps they indicated that it was a tougher year last year because there the prior to that there had been additional funding from for Co um so there was more funding um the past 2 years that funding is back to you know a lower level so less applications are being improved and the The Matrix for scoring and qualifying is is adjusted higher because of that um and you know but the good things on that is you know our radios are now a year older so that moves your scoring up higher because of the age of equipment definitely factors into the the application and the award process um and I'm I'm hopeful definitely hopeful that um we're going to hear a positive outcome from that but um it's I believe it's in the 19% bracket that of the total number of applications that are submitted that are awarded so it's one in five of of applicants that are actually successful so it's a a fairly low percentage um and overall gider has done very well with you know three significant Awards over the last five or six years so that's you know we've done very well and we're still hopeful that you know we can we can be successful this year do you think these radios are going to be a future requirement forers um they they should be um for for for us um you know 15 years old is is very old for a critical piece of equipment like that um you know we actually we had a a significant fire out by Camp Collier a couple nights ago um and it was raining heavily and there were several radios that were made in off because rain got into the microphones and they just they stop working when they get wet and that's just from rain that's not from firefighters in a building operating hose lines under you know high heat conditions and and it it's an issue um and you know the portable radios they're they're critical lifelines for firefighters that are working in buildings if they need any type of assistance that's their their Lifeline is to use that radio radio to call for help so if it's not functioning properly you know it it can it can have a negative outcome so it's it's um and the current radios are no longer serviceable basically you can't get parts for them they're not supported by the manufacturers anymore if we have radios go down we either we have a few spare radios that we cannibalize for parts or the the dealer has you know ones that are turned in and he can cannibalize those for parts um that's kind of where it's at now so they're it's it's becoming it's a top priority for us right now to get those radios replaced understand that is all I'm sorry no questions I just wanted to ask you how long have you been a firefighter um on June 5th of this year it'll be 36 years and the chief is here being the fire chief how long has it been for you uh just three and a half years or so okay I just wanted to tell you your temperament is just unbelievable I mean the guy's very lucky everybody's lucky to have you down there um after being somewhere the 36 years God bless you thank you for what you do you're welcome right any other questions thank you chief on to health good morning good morning did you have anything start us off with uh for Health Department not really um Mr chairman other than everything I said said before about the Enterprise funds and the department funds uh you'll see that everything is pretty much uh level funded we are still in negotiations with the new uh inspector's Union and I should have said that for the building department that new Union represented by the teamsters covers all of the inspectors in the building department as well as the health inspector and the assistant director of Public Health uh so once that uh negotiation is complete uh we'll get you a copy of the contract but that would be the first contract for this uh Union so there's nothing to at this time thank you do you have anything you'd like to start us off with um sure the there was a couple areas where I had made requests for quite a bit of additional money and that would be in the landfill closure expense um based on the annual inspection that was submitted to D in December uh they had requirements for us to fix the erosion that's been happening in the let down channels of the landfill um so we're basically required to fix that we did a little bit of erosion repair last year for around $10,000 um these let down channels are going to be significantly more work there's a lot more area to cover so um that was one thing where I had asked requested more money for that um and then that kind of ties into Professional Services we have our environmental consulting firm that goes out and does the inspections and uh prepares like scope of Works things like that for the project um and let's see our trash disposal and curbside collection those are both on a contract with a an increase written into it um and our Professional Services is also a contract based agreements um and then the only other thing I had made a note of is that our in the health department budget the professional development and travel has been slightly historically underfunded um so we're just looking for a little increase there oh I just remembered one more thing to add um I also requested more money for in the solid waste expenses for repairs and maintenance um still looking into improving the facilities at the transfer station um like getting a permanent restroom and internet connectivity and also just the general safety of the the lot itself and where residents access the trash bins how long is left on the E Harvey contract it's just got renewed for an additional two years how's the department as far as Staffing levels what was the question how's the department fairing as far as Staffing levels oh we are we are currently fully staffed um we took Eddie from the health Department he had some food experience and he's got a degree so we are currently training him to be our food inspector uh Angela de Prima the assistant director she's doing housing inspections I'm chipping in on housing inspections and then um the office admin and prevention transfer station all all fully staffed so I was um looking at the uh improvements and everything else that you put down and everything else and you know I'm actually I like everything that you put down I said it at the last time that we've met that I feel like um and this is not a this is not a uh promotion of the movie next week uh Mad Max but that's what I feel like every time I go there and um you know and I see how you trying the thoughts that you had in updating it to put Wi-Fi there so people that drive up they can you know purchase it there and everything else if they you know CU some people probably just drive up they they can just you know they don't know the process I personally my my fiance does the process for me cuz I don't know the process to be honest with you um that's definitely something we we get a lot of feedback on um from residents when they're coming in to buy the the tickets yeah and and you know with the hand wash stations there and everything else I know that there's times that I've went there and besides having pet hair on me or putting some something else over there that's been leaked all on me I I'm driving with sticky hands back to my house Gooding only live around the corner but um you know things like that worked because I'd rather drive with sticky hands and go in that porta potty um that's just me personally but um I like the um the improvements that you put down I I hope in the future like we spoke about before about having some permanent structures there updating those and things as such obviously that's you know huge cost and everything else but this 2024 um you know and and it's needed you know yeah unfortunately I I didn't have time last year to get specific quotes uh but I will be working on that this summer is getting more exact information as to how much all of that will cost by getting some quotes and um prices and things like that I like it that is all thank you good all right thank you very much thank you all right uh Mr Mar do you have anything further to add Mr chairman that was pretty much all I had on my end C there questions on anything um no I I think that um the budges came in pretty pretty good didn't really have any issues with anything that I've seen um I like what each of departments had to say um I like the improvements that they're looking to go do in the future and the wish list were nice so that is all uh any other business no new business here no motion return second motion by counselor second by counselor to adourn all in favor I post carries thank you Mr Mayor thank you Mr Mayor thank you thank you