Rochester Hills Legistar System

The Committee discussed the information provided by Dan Casey, Manager of

Economic Development. The information contained a 1996 study from Washtenaw

County. It was noted that the 1996 study may not reflect various types of retail fraud

that police currently handle such as credit card fraud, identity theft, etc.

Office/technology development does not require the same level of police services as

retail development due to shop lifting, check fraud, etc.

The Committee discussed making an additional request for information from the

Administration that would include:

* The growth levels over the last 10 years for all of the zoning districts (new residential,

commercial, retail, industrial, other office districts, etc.), as compared to percentage of

growth in police and fire staffing levels. The percentages may show whether or not

Captain Smith provided an update which included the following:

* The False Alarm ordinance officer is in place and is acclimating himself with the

ordinance.

* The draft ordinance has been reviewed by the City Attorney and is ready for review by

members of Council and the Administration, particularly regarding registration fees and

the appeal process, etc. It was suggested to model the false alarm fees after the fire

fees.

* The ordinance data bank may be built upon Oakland County's data bank.

* The ordinance will be implemented in phases to include a public education and

information campaign for City residents.

* The City Attorney along with Capt. Smith will provide an update to City Council at a

future meeting.

Update on Police Millage Renewal

Mr. Robbins, Citizen Representative, inquired as to the status of the renewal of the

Police Millage.

The Committee provided the following update:

* There was a presentation made to City Council members at a prior meeting. Mr.

Robbins requested a copy of the presentation which Chairperson Raschke will provide

at the next Public Safety meeting.

* The renewal expires at the end of 2006 but the taxes are collected through 2007.

* There would be about four (4) election cycles to get a millage passed so there would

be no interruption in funds. However, the last campaign took almost one (1) year.

Updates from Fire Chief Crowell:

* Oakland County has approved their portion of the purchase of tornado sirens which

will enhance coverage for the following areas: southwest corner of the City, Livernois &

Tienken area, Adams & South Boulevard area. The new sirens are cone shape and

cover a greater distance.

* The hiring process for six (6) full-time firefighter positions, which were approved in the

budget, is in process; Fifty (50) applications have been received.

* The hiring process for paid-on-call (POC) positions will begin in June. Sixty (60)

applications have been received.

Updates from OCSD Capt. Smith:

* Two (2) Michigan State Troopers with patrol cars have been assigned to the City's

substation to assist with M-59 and accidents. The effort stems from over six (6) years of

requests to the State for assistance.

* Due to the increased incidents in and around the Rochester school district, the new

Rochester Community Schools Superintendent will begin a policy of contacting the

City's substation for accurate information before sending letters home to parents.

* There will be discussions at Rochester School Board meetings regarding whether or

not to install video cameras in and out of school buildings to provide additional safety for

students and deter the increase of incidents. Video cameras are used in schools

around the country. They also provide a cost savings benefit regarding police and fire

services in addition to increased safety for students and teachers.

Mr. Robbins suggested that the law that allows the City to recoup some of its investment

in police and fire protection from a tax-exempt entity, such as schools, be examined. It

could also apply to State Board of Education and the State government to possibly

receive some financial assistance for police and fire services that are provided to

schools. Capt. Smith offered to look into it.

The Committee consensus was that the schools should be made aware of the financial

costs to provide police services for increased incidents.