[00:00:01]
OKAY. GOOD AFTERNOON, EVERYONE.
[Budget Committee Meeting on July 18, 2023.]
WE'RE GOING TO GET OUR BRIEF BUDGET HEARING UNDERWAY AT THIS TIME.WE'RE GOING TO HEAR FROM OUR COORDINATOR, JUSTIN.
OKAY, SO YOU GUYS ARE RECONVENING THE MEETING THAT YOU RECESSED BACK IN JUNE, MAY.
OKAY. SO THE LONG ANTICIPATED ASSESSMENT HAS BEEN COMPLETED.
IF YOU RECALL, BACK IN APRIL 2022, THE BUDGET COMMITTEE REQUESTED THAT AN ASSESSMENT BE CONDUCTED ON THE STAFFING LEVELS AND NEEDS AND OF THE SHERIFF'S ENFORCEMENT DEPARTMENT.
AT THE TIME, MR. STOWERS HAD NOTED THAT A STUDY HAD NOT BEEN DONE SINCE 1991.
AND SO IN THAT STUDY, 1991, THE UNINCORPORATED AREA OF PULASKI COUNTY WAS 55,000 PEOPLE.
THEY HAD A FULL COMPLEMENT STAFF OF 118 AT THAT TIME.
THEY HAD 106 SWORN PERSONNEL AND 12 CIVILIAN.
THE SHERIFF'S STAFF WENT FROM 118 TO 175.
SO IN 2007, THE SHERIFF'S ENFORCEMENT OFFICE WAS REDUCED TO 149 PERSONNEL.
TODAY, 2023 SHERIFF'S ENFORCEMENT IS BUDGETED FOR 175 PERSONNEL.
SO THE GREAT REDUCTION THAT OCCURRED BACK IN THE DAY.
IT'S SHRUNK A LITTLE BIT FROM 55,000 TO SUB 50, BUT YOU'RE BASICALLY HAVE SEEN LITTLE TO NO CHANGE IN THE UNINCORPORATED AREA WITH THE EXCLUSIONS OF CERTAIN PARTS OF WESTERN PULASKI COUNTY.
SO AS FAR AS ASSESSMENT, I DON'T THINK IT WOULD BE NECESSARY TO DISCUSS IT.
YOU GUYS HAVEN'T HAD A CHANCE TO READ IT.
I WOULD SUGGEST YOU TAKE IT HOME, READ IT, DIGEST IT, MAKE NOTES, GET YOUR QUESTIONS.
AND IF IT'S THE PLEASURE OF THIS BODY, I CAN GET WITH CPSM AND HAVE THEM AVAILABLE VIA ZOOM FOR KIND OF AN OVERVIEW AND TO ANSWER ANY OF THE QUESTIONS THAT YOU HAVE OR THAT YOU'VE NOTED AS YOU READ THROUGH IT.
THE ONLY ADVICE I WOULD HAVE TO YOU IS TO READ IT CAREFULLY.
WORDS HAVE MEANING, SO THERE'S SOME CHARTS AND GRAPHS, FOR EXAMPLE, WHERE YOU WOULD SEE A NUMBER ON A CRIME RATE AND IT WILL SAY SOMETHING LIKE, THIS IS THE INDEX VALUE.
IT'S BECAUSE IT'S PER 100,000.
SO DIFFERENT CHARTS ARE GOING TO HAVE DIFFERENT LITTLE CAVEATS AND NOTES ON THEM.
SO TAKE NOTE OF THAT, AND IF ANY OF IT DOESN'T EVER MAKE SENSE, JUST MAKE A NOTE.
AND THEN WHEN CPS IS HERE, THEY CAN GIVE YOU AN EXPLANATION OF WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING AT.
SO AS OF THIS POINT, HAPPY READING.
I THINK IT'S BEEN WHITTLED DOWN TO ABOUT 170 PAGES, BUT IT'S SOMETHING THAT NEEDS CAREFUL REVIEW.
YOU HAVE QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE INFORMATION IN THERE, OBSERVATIONS AND WHATNOT.
SO IT'S IMPORTANT TO READ IT AS IF YOU'RE NEW TO THE WHOLE THING.
IT'S NOT ABOUT ANY ONE INDIVIDUAL.
I WOULD ANTICIPATE THAT THIS IS PROBABLY ONE OF THOSE THINGS THAT WILL TAKE SEVERAL MEETINGS.
JUSTICE STOWERS, YOU'RE RECOGNIZED.
SHERIFF'S OFFICE GOING TO MAKE ANY RECOMMENDATIONS TO THIS BODY AS IT RELATES TO THIS STUDY?
[00:05:08]
I THINK THAT WOULD BE VERY HELPFUL IF STAFF COULD MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS.I THINK IT'S GOING TO BE A WORK IN PROGRESS.
SO THERE'S GOING TO BE SOME THINGS THAT.
YES, THE COUNTY ATTORNEY WILL BE AVAILABLE.
CPSM WILL BE MADE AVAILABLE TO YOU ALL TO ANSWER QUESTIONS.
AND ANYTHING THAT I CAN DO TO ASSIST IS IS FINE.
I'M HERE. AND I'M SURE IF YOU'VE GOT QUESTIONS THAT MR. HIGGINS OR ANYONE ON HIS STAFF WOULD BE HAPPY TO ANSWER THOSE QUESTIONS AS WELL.
OKAY. IT'S GOING TO HAVE TO BE COLLABORATIVE.
SO, MS. MASSEY, DO I STILL HAVE? YOU STILL HAVE THE FLOOR. THANK YOU, MA'AM.
AND, YOU KNOW, THERE'S EIGHT MEMBERS OF THIS COMMITTEE, 15 MEMBERS OF THE FULL BODY.
WE COULD HAVE A LOT OF DIFFERENT IDEAS AND INTERPRETATIONS OF OF THIS INFORMATION.
AND SO SO I CERTAINLY, AS WITH, YOU KNOW, ANYTHING THAT WE CONSIDER LEAN TO THE THE PROFESSIONAL, SO TO SPEAK.
WE'RE THE LEGISLATIVE BODY AND WOULD APPRECIATE SOME INSIGHT, INPUT AND, YOU KNOW, KIND OF WHERE WE GO FROM HERE AS.
I DON'T DISAGREE. I MEAN, WHEN WE HAVE THE PRESENTATION FROM CPSM, I WOULD HOPE THAT WE WOULD HAVE A FULLER HOUSE, THAT MORE PEOPLE WOULD TAKE INTEREST AND SHOW UP TO TO BE A PART OF IT. BUT AGAIN, TONIGHT, WE'RE JUST WE'RE JUST BASICALLY GIVING IT TO YOU GUYS.
AND WHEN WE GET INTO THAT PHASE TO WHERE IT'S BEEN READ AND EVERYONE HAS HAD TIME TO ABSORB IT, THEN I'M SURE THERE WILL BE A COLLABORATION OF EVERYONE TO TRY TO HELP WITH THE RECOMMENDATIONS AND, AND UNDERSTAND AS WELL.
MR. STOWERS? THIS STUDY IS GOING TO LOOK AT A LOT OF DIFFERENT THINGS AND THERE'S GOING TO BE THINGS THAT WILL BE UP TO THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE AS AN ELECTED OFFICIAL TO DECIDE WHETHER OR NOT HE WANTS TO IMPLEMENT.
AND THEN THERE WILL BE THINGS THAT AS THE QUORUM COURT, AS THE BUDGETARY STANDPOINT, WILL BE IN THEIR WHEELHOUSE AS TO WHAT THEY FEEL LIKE THEY SHOULD IMPLEMENT FROM A BUDGETARY STANDPOINT. AND THAT'S IT.
SO I THINK THAT, YEAH, I WOULD HOPE THAT THIS IS, YOU KNOW, AN ONGOING PROCESS THAT WE DON'T WAIT ANOTHER 31 YEARS TO DO ONE OF THESE, THAT THIS IS SOMETHING THAT IS ASSESSED, RECOMMENDATIONS ARE MADE, RECOMMENDATIONS ARE FOLLOWED AND THEN REASSESSED WITHIN 5 TO 10 YEARS.
SO I REALLY DO HOPE THAT THIS IS AND I BELIEVE IT WILL BE A BENEFICIAL FOR THE STRUCTURE, THE BUDGETING STANDPOINT, AND HOPEFULLY A LOT OF THE RANK AND FILE STAFF OUT THERE AS WELL.
OKAY. THANK YOU, MS. MASSEY. THANK YOU.
SO WHEN WILL THE GENTLEMAN BE AVAILABLE TO? LIKE I SAID, I WILL CALL HIM TOMORROW AND SAY, HEY, THEY'VE BEEN GIVEN THE REPORT.
I WOULD ASK FOR TWO WEEKS FOR YOU GUYS TO READ IT AND HOPEFULLY MAYBE THE TUESDAY OR AFTER THE BUDGET, IF WE CAN GET IT KIND OF TRY TO FOLLOW IT IN BETWEEN THE MEETINGS, EITHER BETWEEN AGENDA AND AND THE FULL QUORUM COURT.
SO HOPEFULLY IN THE NEXT TWO WEEKS OR SO WE CAN GET THAT SCHEDULED.
SO WE'LL JUST EXPECT TO HEAR FROM YOU LETTING US.
YEAH, YEAH. I MEAN, I MEAN, IT'S YOUR COMMITTEE, YOU CONTROL THE AGENDA, BUT IF YOU LIKE, I WOULD BE HAPPY TO TRY TO SET UP A MEETING IN THE NEXT TWO WEEKS SO THAT HE CAN PRESENT AND ASK QUESTIONS.
THEN ENOUGH TIME FOR EVERYONE TO READ.
I'M A SLOW READER. NO, BUT YEAH, I THINK TWO WEEKS WILL BE ADEQUATE.
AND IF NOT, WE WILL DEFINITELY LET YOU KNOW BEFOREHAND.
YEAH, I MEAN, I THINK THAT'S FAIR.
AND IF NOTHING ELSE TO HAVE HIM THERE WITH YOUR UNFETTERED READING OF IT AND TO ALLOW HIM TO KIND OF WALK THROUGH SOME OF IT BECAUSE SOME OF IT'S GOING TO BE DENSE, SOME OF IT'S PRETTY SELF EXPLANATORY.
SO SORRY, MS. MCMULLEN. BUT YEAH, I THINK I THINK TWO WEEKS IS A GOOD TIMEFRAME TO SORT OF AT LEAST TO GET BURIED INTO IT.
ALL RIGHT. WELL, IF THERE BE NOTHING ELSE BEFORE US, CAN I GET A MOTION TO ADJOURN OR IS IT ADJOURN OR IS IT? YOU NEED TO ADJOURN THE MEETING.
I'LL SEE YOU ALL NEXT TUESDAY.
* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.