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June 25, 2002
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SUBJECT: |
Department of Public Safety Funding Adjustments for Homeland Security, Hiring/Training Public Safety Officers and Budget Modification No. 36. (RTC#02-269) |
REPORT IN BRIEF
The purpose of this report is to amend the FY 2001/2002 Budget to allocate funds to the Department of Public Safety for two events that have occurred during this year which have caused significant expenditures. First, the City has experienced extraordinary expenses stemming from the Department’s response to terror following the September 11th terrorist attacks. Second, the Department has experienced additional costs due to an expanded Public Safety Officer hiring program, which is necessary to maintain required levels of sworn staffing. As the fiscal year has progressed, staff has been monitoring the level of expenses due to these two circumstances and attempting to absorb as much of this cost within the existing budget as possible. At this time, it appears that the Department will exceed its authorized budget of $43.5 million by $482,000, or 1.1%. In order to provide funding for the expenses referenced above, staff recommends Council approve a budget modification that appropriates $206,000 from the Asset Forfeiture Fund and $276,000 from the General Fund to the Public Safety Budget for FY 2001/2002. BACKGROUND Response to Terror The September 11th terrorist attacks and ensuing events such as the anthrax scares have required unprecedented levels of service for homeland security throughout this fiscal year. Overtime labor expenses incurred during the extended period of "heightened alert," as well as specialized equipment such as upgraded gas masks for all personnel, resulted in additional costs of approximately $376,000 to date. At the time of the attacks a special charge code was created in order to facilitate tracking these expenses. This was done for our own benefit and with the thought that a full accounting of our expenses would result in a quick and complete reimbursement of these extraordinary expenses from Federal sources. Although Federal Homeland Security funding has not materialized, we will continue to track appropriate expenses and seek relief if the opportunity arises. In the meantime, staff has reviewed which of these expenses can be legally charged to the Asset Forfeiture Fund and has identified approximately $100,000 that is eligible. Staff is recommending that a special project be established in the Asset Forfeiture Fund to account for these expenditures. Recruitment, Selection and Training of Public Safety Officers As the Council is aware, Public Safety staffing has been negatively impacted by an accelerating attrition rate due to the increasing age of officers and enhanced retirement incentives for sworn personnel. As a result, the Department has hired and trained many more individuals in this fiscal year than the budget anticipates in order to ensure the minimum level of staffing for sworn personnel is not jeopardized into the future. This approach has directly resulted in cost overruns in hiring-related activities in Program 432, Public Safety Administrative and Technical Services. Staff has been effecting savings in other Department programs wherever possible to mitigate this situation, but an overexpenditure department-wide will still occur by year-end according to projections as of accounting period 12. The recommended FY 2002/2003 Budget recognizes that the staffing situation is a multi-year problem, and includes a budget supplement that appropriates an additional $2 million for each of the next two years to deal with an increased level of recruitment and training. As with terror response, staff has analyzed all recruitment and training expenses and identified approximately $106,000 associated with Police Academy training activities and additional background investigations that is eligible to be charged to the Asset Forfeiture Fund. One of the areas where expenses exceed budget is for conducting background investigations on PSO candidates. The Department has incurred extraordinary overtime expenses conducting these background investigations due to the inordinate number of candidates being processed. Another area where the Department has experienced unbudgeted expense is in providing oversight at the Police Academy to insure that training is progressing according to plan. This oversight is extremely important in identifying recruits who are having training challenges. This process ensures that the most successful recruits can move forward to become members of the Sunnyvale Public Safety Department. Staff is recommending that a special project be established in the Asset Forfeiture Fund to account for these activities. EXISTING POLICY
Maintain, train and equip special response teams for extraordinary or extremely hazardous emergency incidents.
Maintain a recruitment and selection process that ensures highly competent work force meeting City affirmative actions goals.
Sustain a quality work force in order to assure that public safety services are provided in a quality and efficient manner.
DISCUSSION
During the current fiscal year, the Department of Public Safety is projected to exceed its authorized budget by approximately $482,000 due to higher than anticipated requirements in the areas of homeland security and recruitment and training of new sworn personnel. Approximately $100,000 related to terror response and $106,000 for training oversight and background investigations can be defrayed by the Asset Forfeiture Fund. This leaves a balance of $276,000, and staff is recommending that an appropriation be made from the General Fund to various programs within the Department of Public Safety in this amount.
Approving this budget modification will reduce the 20-year Resource Allocation Plan Reserve balance available at the end of FY 2001/2002 to carry into next fiscal year. However, Finance Department staff has reviewed the current expenditures for the General Fund as of accounting period 12 and has concluded that underexpenditures in a number of programs and projects will be sufficient to replenish the 20-year RAP going into the next fiscal year.
FISCAL IMPACT
This budget modification will establish two special projects in the Asset Forfeiture Fund in the amounts of $100,000 and $106,000 to account for extraordinary expenses in the areas of terror response and recruitment and training, respectively. Additionally, it is recommended that $276,000 be appropriated from the General Fund 20-year Resource Allocation Plan Reserve to various programs in the Department of Public Safety to offset projected budget overages in these same activities.
BUDGET MODIFICATION NO. 36
FISCAL YEAR 2001/2002
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Current Budget |
Increase/(Decrease) |
Revised Budget |
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Expenditures |
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Asset Forfeiture Fund |
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New Project – Response to Terror |
0 |
$100,000 |
$100,000 |
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New Project – Public Safety Hiring and Training |
0 |
$106,000 |
$106,000 |
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General Fund |
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Program 432 – Public Safety Administrative and Technical Services |
$8,165,340 |
$276,000 |
$8,441,340 |
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Reserves |
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Asset Forfeiture |
$781,521 |
($206,000) |
$575,521 |
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General Fund 20-Year RAP |
$52,910,255 |
($276,000) |
$52,634,255 |
PUBLIC CONTACT
This report was included in the publication and posting of the Council agenda on the City’s official bulletin board, the City’s web page and the San Jose Mercury News. This report is also available at the Sunnyvale Public Library and on the City Clerk’s Office. ALTERNATIVES
RECOMMENDATION
It is recommended that Alternative 1 be approved.
Prepared by:
David R. Johnson
Senior Management Analyst
Reviewed by:
Irwin I. Bakin
Director of Public Safety
Reviewed by:
Mary J. Bradley
Director of Finance
Approved by:
Robert S. LaSala
City Manager
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