Feb 03, 2026 Pre-Budget Work Session

[A. CALL TO ORDER]

[00:00:03]

I'D LIKE TO CALL THE MEETING TO ORDER. ROLL CALL, PLEASE.

HERE. MR. PHILLIP PUGH. HERE.

MR. HAMILL. HERE. MR. FORD PUGH. HERE. MR. WEBB. HERE.

AT THIS TIME, WE'LL DO THE INVOCATION. MR. HAMILL WILL HANDLE THAT FOR US. OKAY. HEAVENLY FATHER, WE THANK YOU FOR THE MANY MERCIES AND BLESSINGS THOU HAS INSTILL UPON US. WE ASK THAT YOU MIGHT WATCH OVER OUR MEETING THIS EVENING TO HELP GUIDE US IN LEADING THE COUNTY IN THE DIRECTION THAT THOU MAY SEE FIT. WE ASK THAT YOU KEEP A SPECIAL BLESSING AND WATCH OVER OUR FIRST RESPONDERS AND OUR MILITARY SERVICE MEMBERS. WE APPRECIATE ALL THE BLESSING YOU'VE GIVEN US. AND WE ASK THESE THINGS IN YOUR NAME, AMEN.

THANK YOU. I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS, ONE NATION, UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL. ALL RIGHT, THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT, WE'LL MOVE NOW TO THE ADOPTION OF THE AGENDA. MR. CHAIR, I'D LIKE TO ADD A MOTION FOR A CLOSED SESSION IN THE AGENDA. I HAVE A MOTION FOR A CLOSED SESSION. DO I HAVE A SECOND? SECOND. VERY FIRST THING. ALL RIGHT, SO IT'LL BE THE FIRST THING, SO WE GOT A SECOND. ROLL CALL, PLEASE. MR. PHILLIP PUGH? YES. MR. HAMILL? YES. MR. FORD PUGH? YES. MR. WEBB? YES. MR. COX? YES. OKAY, WE'RE GOING TO GO INTO CLOSED SESSION. OH, I'M SORRY, GO AHEAD. YOU'RE RIGHT.

ALL RIGHT, MR. CHAIR, I'D MAKE A MOTION TO GO.

TO A CLOSED MEETING, I MOVE THE BOARD HOLD A CLOSED MEETING, PERSUADING IT TO VIRGINIA. CODE 2.2-3711A1 FOR THE DISCUSSION OR CONSIDERATION OF PROSPECTIVE CANDIDATES FOR EMPLOYMENT RELATED TO THE COUNTY ATTORNEY. HAVE YOU HEARD A MOTION TO SECOND? SECOND. SECOND FOR DISCUSSION? HEARING NONE, ROLL CALL. MR. HAMILL? YES.

MR. FORD PUGH? YES. MR. WEBB? YES. MR. COX? YES. MR. PHILLIP PUGH? YES. ALL RIGHT, WE'LL BE IN CLOSED SESSION.

AND FOR THE AUDIENCE, WE'RE GOING TO TRY TO BE TEN MINUTES OR LESS. THE SESSION, I NEED A MOTION TO CERTIFY THE CLOSED SESSION.

MR. CHAIR, I'D LIKE TO MAKE A MOTION TO RECONVENE AN OPEN SESSION AND CERTIFY THE PURSUANT TO VIRGINIA CODE 2.2-3712D, THAT ONLY PUBLIC BUSINESS MATTERS LAWFULLY EXEMPTED FROM THE OPEN MEETING REQUIREMENTS AND IDENTIFIED IN THE MOTION BY WHICH THE CLOSED MEETING WAS CONVENED, WERE HEARD, DISCUSSED, OR CONSIDERED. OKAY, YOU'VE HEARD A MOTION TO HAVE A SECOND. SECOND. HAVE A SECOND FOR DISCUSSION.

HEARING NONE, ROLL CALL, PLEASE. MR. FORD, P. YES. MR. WEBB. YES. MR. COX. YES. MR. PHILLIP P. YES. MR. HAMILL.

YES. ALL RIGHT, WITH THAT,

[B. WORK SESSION]

GOOD EVENING GENTLEMEN.

PUDDLE OH, IN READY. YES, SIR.

I'M GONNA START OFF FIRST OF ALL WITH THE WORKLOAD, AND I'M ASKING FOR TWO AND A HALF DEPUTIES, AND OUR WORKLOAD HAS INCREASED TREMENDOUSLY. WE HAVE AN AVERAGE OF EACH DEPUTY SERVING 4,400 PAPERS A YEAR, ON OUR INCREASE FROM LAST YEAR THIS YEAR, AND WE INCREASED OUR PAPERS.

CIVIL PROCESS, ABOUT 175 PAPERS. THAT'S EVERYTHING, EVICTIONS, WARRANTED DEBTS, EXTRADITIONS, WHICH WE'VE HAD. WE HAD ONE DEPUTY WENT OUT OF TOWN, AND HE'S COMING BACK TODAY FROM AN EXTRADITION IN PENNSYLVANIA. ALSO, AS FAR AS EXTRADITION GOES, WE HAD 22 LAST YEAR. 22 THE YEAR BEFORE, THEN WE HAD 18. THEY'VE INCREASED. AND THREE WEEKS AGO, WE HAD A THREE-DAY JURY TRIAL.

ENDED UP IN FOUR. AND EVERY DAY, WE HAD THREE COURTS GOING. AND OUT OF THE GRACIOUS HELP FROM OUR RETIRED PEOPLE, RETIRED PEOPLE, THEY CAME IN AND HELPED US OUT. AND IF THEY WOULDN'T HAVE, I DON'T KNOW WHAT WE WOULD HAVE DONE.

WE WOULD HAVE BEEN. THAT SKELETON, WE HAD TO PULL THE SKELETONS OUT OF THE CLOSET OR SOMETHING.

BUT THEY'RE RETIRED PEOPLE, AND THEY WERE, LIKE I SAID,

[00:05:01]

NOW, THE HALF PERSON IS WHAT I'M REQUESTING TO HANDLE OUR ACCREDITATION.

AND THIS ACCREDITATION IS, ONCE YOU'RE ACCREDITED, IT DON'T STOP. YOU BECOME ACCREDITED, YOU HAVE TO READ.

WE APPLY EVERY FOUR YEARS, YOU KNOW, FOUR-YEAR TERMS, SO IT'S AN ONGOING THING. THE PD, I THINK, JUST PASSED YOUR ACCREDITATION, HOPEFULLY, AND WE'RE JUST TRYING TO GET OUR FIRST BITE OF THE APPLE. THAT'S WHERE HALF THE GUY WOULD COME IN, AND IT'S A FULL-TIME, PART-TIME, PERMANENT. DUE TO THE FACT THAT I'D LIKE FOR THAT PERSON TO GO AHEAD.

AND ALL THE HARD WORK THAT COMES WITH ACCREDITATION BE REWARDED WITH VACATION, ALSO SICK LEAVE. WE WERE GOING TO COURT AND WE'RE ON A JURY TRIALS. I THINK THE LATEST WE ENDED WAS 730 COURT 8. NOW YOU HAVE AN OFFICER DEPUTY STANDING IN COURT, GOING ON EIGHT, EIGHT AND A HALF, NINE, 10 HOURS. THEY'RE ON THE WAY HOME. POLICE DEPARTMENT GETS A CALL, WHATEVER THE CAUSE MAY BE, AND THEY'RE RIGHT AT THE FRONT DOOR OF IT.

THEY'RE THERE TO ASSIST.

THEY'RE NOT 100%. THE MENTAL STATE. AN OFFICER OF THE PHYSICAL STATE, THEY'RE NOT 100%. JUST LIKE ANY OFFICER, ANYBODY WHO WORKED A LONG DAY, AND WHEN THEY GO INTO A SITUATION, WOULD YOU WANT A DEPUTY OR AN OFFICER TO SHOW UP IN YOUR DOORSTEP? WHO'S NOT 100%, WHO'S BEEN WORKING ALL DAY? BUT HE'S THERE TO HELP. HE'S THERE TO HELP THE PUBLIC. AND THAT'S WHAT WE'RE HERE FOR. IF YOU LOOK AT THE COURT SYSTEM, IT CENTERS AROUND, IN MY OPINION, THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE. ONCE THE POLICE DEPARTMENT ARRESTS A PERSON, THEY'RE TAKEN TO JAIL. THEY COME TO COURT.

WE DEAL WITH HIM. WE DO HIS ADVISEMENT. TAKE HIM BACK AND FORTH TO JAIL IF HE'S NOT IN RIVERSIDE. WE BRING HIM BACK AND FORTH TO COURT. HOW MANY CONTINUANCES IS HE GOING TO BE? I HAVE NO IDEA. SO THE JUDGE SENDS HIM TO COURT.

PROBATION. HE GOES OUT OF STATE. COME WITH ATTORNEY.

COME TO THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE.

HEY, WE NEED FOR YOU ALL TO GO GET THEM. SO THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE HAS TO GO OUT AND GET THEM. SOMETIMES WE HAVE TO SEND TWO. SOMETIMES WE TAKE ONE AND STATE TROOPER, WHO'S BEEN HELPING US OUT QUITE MUCH, SHE GOES WITH US AND THEY DRIVE AND IT'S A TEAM EFFORT. AND THAT'S WHY IN OUR, YOU KNOW, WITH THE POPULATION GROWING, COMMUNITIES GOING UP, AND I'VE HEARD COMMENTS WHERE SINCE I'VE BECOME SHERIFF, WE'VE SEEN MORE BROWN IN THIS COUNTY THAN THEY HAVE IN YEARS. AND I WANT PEOPLE TO SEE THAT. EVERY TIME THEY TURN AROUND, I WANT TO SEE A DEPUTY'S CAR. BECAUSE THEN THEY CAN GO AHEAD AND RELY ON THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE.

THEY'RE GOING TO BE HERE TO HELP US. WE'RE A SUPPORT SYSTEM TO THE POLICE DEPARTMENT. THE POLICE DEPARTMENT IS A SUPPORT SYSTEM TO US. WE TRY TO WORK 50-50, HELP EACH OTHER OUT.

BUT I REALLY BELIEVE IF I WAS TO GET THE TWO MEN, I WOULD SPLIT OUR DEPARTMENT UP. HALF OF THEM WORK COURTS. THE OTHER HALF WOULD SERVE PAPERS, AND THEY WOULD ROTATE EVERY QUARTER SO THEY WOULDN'T GET BURNED OUT. AND THE PEOPLE THAT ARE SERVING THE PAPERS WOULD BE SERVING THE PAPERS, DOING THE EVICTIONS. WE ALWAYS HAVE TWO GOING EVICTIONS.

BECAUSE WHEN YOU START DEALING WITH PEOPLE'S MONEY FOR SERVING, WARNING DEBTS, KICKING THEM OUT THE HOUSE, WE'RE JUST THE MESSENGERS.

THEY THINK WE'RE COMING TO KICK OUT THE HOUSE. THEY DON'T WANT TO GO. AND UNFORTUNATELY, ACROSS THE COUNTRY, IT'S HAPPENED WHERE A DEPUTY OR TWO WALKS UP ON THE PORCH. NEXT THING, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE FLAT ON THEIR BACK BECAUSE SOMEBODY'S BLOWING A 12-GAUGE SHOTGUN THROUGH THE DOOR.

KNOCK ON WOOD. I'M PRAYING TO THE GOOD LORD THAT, YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT GOING TO HAPPEN HERE IN THE COUNTY OF PRINCE GEORGE. SO THAT'S WHAT I'M ASKING. I'M ASKING FOR SOME HELP, AND WE NEED IT. I GOT ONE.

SHERIFF ARGO, I THINK I ASKED THIS QUESTION BEFORE. WITH THE POPULATION GROWTH AND EVERYTHING THAT'S GOING ON AROUND, WHY IS THE STATE SO RELUCTANT ON PICKING UP? BECAUSE I THINK WE ALREADY HAVE AT LEAST ONE SHERIFF. WELL, I VOTED FOR IT, WHAT, TWO YEARS AGO? YES, SIR. AND I HOPE WE DON'T HAVE ANYBODY THAT'S NOT COVERED BY THE STATE. THERE'S ONLY ONE DEPUTY THAT'S FUNDED BY THE COUNTY. EVERYBODY ELSE IS COMP BOARD. AND THE LAST TIME WE GOT A COMP BOARD POSITION WAS BACK IN 06, WHEN SHERIFF ALLEN WAS IN TERM. BUT IS THERE ANY REASON WHY THE STATE IS REFUSING TO DO THAT? I MEAN. MR. WEBB, WHEN I WAS FIRST ELECTED, I CALLED ON SEVERAL SHERIFFS ACROSS THE COMMONWEALTH WHO HAD WAY MORE EXPERIENCE THAN I DID.

I SAID, WHAT DO I NEED TO DO?

[00:10:02]

WILL THEY GO AHEAD AND GIVE TWO OR THREE DEPUTIES EVERY? POPULATION OF 10,000. BUT THAT'S STRICTLY THE ONES WHO WERE LIVING FAR OVER IN THE WESTERN PART OF THE COMMONWEALTH. IT WAS FUNDED STRICTLY BY THE STATE, NOTHING BY THE COUNTY. THERE'S STILL SEVERAL JURISDICTIONS IN THE COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA WHO WAS JUST FUNDED BY THE COMFORT AND NOTHING THROUGH THEIR COUNTY OR CITY.

WE'RE VERY LUCKY. I UNDERSTAND THAT Y'ALL DO A GREAT JOB. IT JUST IT SEEMS LIKE THE STATE IS PUSHING MORE AND MORE OFF ON THE LOCALITIES. AND I'M NOT SURE WHAT YOU KNOW, WHAT THE REASONING IS BEHIND THAT, IF YOU LOOK AROUND AT THE POPULATION GROWTH, BECAUSE NORMALLY EVERYBODY LOOKS AT DATA ON POPULATION GROWTH AND NUMBER OF CALLS FOR SERVICE, A WHOLE NINE YARDS. YES, SIR.

BUT IT'S A TREND THAT'S BEEN GOING ON FOR SEVERAL YEARS.

I'VE BEEN TRYING. I JUST DID MY BUDGET, WHICH WAS SUPPOSED TO BE DONE BEFORE FEBRUARY 1ST, AND I SUBMITTED IT. I WAS REQUESTING TWO PEOPLE THROUGH THEM, TOO. AND ALL MY NUMBERS THAT Y'ALL HAVE HERE WAS GIVEN TO THEM. NOW, WE'RE GOING TO PROBABLY BE AUDITED.

WHEN THEY LOOK AT OUR EXTRADITIONS, BECAUSE EXTRADITIONS IS ONE OF THE THINGS THEY LOOK AT.

THEY'RE GOING TO SAY, YOU ONLY HAD THIS MUCH, HOW MANY DO YOU HAVE THIS YEAR? SO WE HAVE TO LOOK AT FCI.

ANYTIME SOMEBODY'S RELEASED FROM FCI AND THEY'RE WANTED, WE HAVE TO GET INVOLVED. WE HAVE TO TAKE THEM FROM FCI TO RIVERSIDE AND GET THE WARRANT OF EXTRADITION. WE HAVE TO TAKE CARE OF ALL THAT. WE HAVE TO CONTACT THE WANTING STATE AND SAY, HEY, YOU KNOW, THIS GUY'S READY. WE'RE GIVING YOU TWO WEEKS TO COME GET THIS GUY. OKAY? ANYTHING ELSE, MR. WEBB? ONE MORE. I GUESS THERE'S NO POSSIBILITY OF GRANTS OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT FOR A SHORT-TERM BOOST TO GET US DOWN THE ROAD.

SIMILAR TO SROS, I HAVEN'T READ OR SEEN ANYTHING ABOUT ANYTHING LIKE THAT.

WELL, IN SROS, MR. WEBB, YOU HAVE TO BE LAW ENFORCEMENT CERTIFIED, AND WE'VE ALREADY HAD ONE WHO HAS EXPERIENCE, AND THAT'S DEPUTY ALLEN. WHEN HE CAME IN FROM THE PD, HE WAS AN SRO. RIGHT. IF I COULD DO SRO, THAT'D BE GREAT. YOU KNOW, IF I COULD GET TWO POSITIONS, AND I MIGHT BE ABLE TO DO ONE IN THE SCHOOL. JUST A THOUGHT.

OH, YES, SIR. I UNDERSTAND, AND I APPRECIATE IT. BUT, YOU KNOW, WE'RE TAKING BABY STEPS FIRST.

WE WANT TO GET THIS ACCREDITATION UNDER OUR BELT. THEN WE'LL GO AHEAD AND SEND A GUY WHO'S DOING ACCREDITATION NOW, WHO RETIRED FROM RIVERSIDE, HE'S DOING PART-TIME, THAT I'M GOING TO SEND HIM TO A GRANT-WRITING SCHOOL. AND SEE WHAT WE CAN GET OUT THERE SO THEY CAN HELP US ALONG AND HELP THE COUNTY ALONG. YEAH, BECAUSE THERE IS GRANT MONEY OUT THERE. YOU'VE JUST GOT TO KNOW HOW TO FORMULATE IT. YES, SIR.

ANYBODY ELSE HAVE QUESTIONS? YES, SIR. MR. HAMMOND? SHERIFF, ONE OF THE THINGS I NOTICED, OBVIOUSLY, THE NUMBER OF PAPERS WE'RE DOING IS TREMENDOUS. I'M REALLY BLOWN AWAY THAT WE'RE ACHIEVING THAT, AND HATS OFF TO THE DEPARTMENT FOR BEING ABLE TO DO THAT.

THANK YOU. ONE OF THE THINGS I NOTICED IS THAT IT SEEMS LIKE LOCKUPS ARE UP. FROM 2023 TO 2025, LOCKUPS ARE UP BY ABOUT 30%, WHILE TRANSPORTS ARE DOWN BY, I THINK, ABOUT 25%. THAT SEEMS LIKE THAT WOULD BE PUTTING MORE PRESSURE ON THE OFFICE.

BECAUSE THE FOLKS, I WOULD ASSUME LOCKUP WOULD MEAN IT'S MORE LOCAL FOLKS VERSUS US TAKING FOLKS TO OTHER PLACES.

IS THAT PUTTING PRESSURE ON THE DEPARTMENT AS FAR AS THE TYPES OF THINGS THAT YOU'RE DEALING WITH DAY TO DAY? YES, SIR, BECAUSE WE GO AS FAR, ANYTIME WE GET A TRANSPORT, IT'S GOING TO TAKE MORE THAN TWO OR THREE HOURS. WE TRY TO GO THE DAY BEFORE. HOUSE THEM AT RIVERSIDE. THEN, AT THE COURT, WE TAKE THEM BACK. SUPPOSED TO BE IN COURT AT 9 O'CLOCK.

THE LAST THING WE WANT TO DO IS SEND SOMEBODY ON THE ROAD AT 5 O'CLOCK IN THE MORNING, TAKE A TWO-AND-A-HALF-HOUR TRIP UP, TWO-AND-A-HALF-HOUR TRIP BACK, ESPECIALLY IF THEY'RE GOING TO NORTH ON 95. YOU KNOW HOW TRAFFIC CAN BE ON THAT. SO HE HAS TO DO WITH TRAFFIC AND THE INMATE HE HAS IN THE VEHICLE WITH HIM. BUT THOSE ARE THE ONES THAT WE HAVE TO COUNT.

WHAT'S COMING FROM RIVERSIDE, WE CAN'T COUNT THAT BECAUSE THEY'RE A REGIONAL JAIL, AND WE JUST CAN'T COUNT IT BECAUSE THEY'RE BRINGING IT TO US.

THANK YOU. THE ONLY OTHER QUESTION I HAVE, AND IT MIGHT BE A COMBINATION BETWEEN YOU AND MS. JURY, IS, I THINK IN THE PAST YEAR, THE REVENUES WERE SOMETHING AROUND $890,000. DO WE HAVE...

ANY IDEA? IT LOOKS LIKE THEY SEEM TO BE FAIRLY CONSISTENT AND KIND OF TRENDING UP. WOULD WE EXPECT THAT THAT MIGHT BE THE SAME THIS YEAR AS WELL? OR IS THAT ONE OF THE THINGS WE DON'T KNOW UNTIL IT HAPPENS? WE TYPICALLY DO NOT RECEIVE FINAL COMP BOARD ESTIMATES UNTIL MAY 1, BUT WE DO GET PRELIMINARY ESTIMATES,

[00:15:03]

GOVERNOR YOUNGKIN PROPOSED A 2% PAY INCREASE EFFECTIVE JULY 1 OF 2026. HOWEVER, WE HAVE NOT HEARD MS. SPANBERGER'S PROPOSAL. AND IF THAT DEVIATES.

THERE WOULD BE AN INCREASE, BUT THERE IS ALSO AN EXPECTATION TO PROVIDE THAT 2% INCREASE ON THE COMP BOARD FUNDED SALARY FOR THOSE COMP BOARD FUNDED DEPUTY AND SHERIFF. AWESOME.

THANK YOU. THE ONLY OTHER THING, AND I DON'T THINK IT NECESSARILY GOES WITH THIS BUDGET, BUT I THINK IT'S JUST OVERALL WITH THE PROCESS, IS WE THINK ABOUT FOLKS INTERACTING WITH POLICE, WHICH MAY THEN TURN INTO COURT, WHICH THEN SHERIFF'S DEALING WITH IT, COMMONWEALTH ATTORNEY'S DEALING WITH IT. I'M NOT SURE IF WE'VE EVER LOOKED AT WHAT IS THE COST OF THAT PROCESS FROM END TO END FOR A PARTICULAR INDIVIDUAL? AND WHETHER OR NOT THE FEES ALIGN WITH THAT SORT OF THING. AGAIN, I DON'T THINK IT'S NECESSARILY SOMETHING THAT'S PART OF YOUR PRESENTATION, BUT IT SEEMS LIKE THE COST FOR THIS PROCESS IS INCREASING.

THERE'S A NEED FOR MORE FOLKS, AND SO I'LL JUST MAKE THAT COMMENT, BUT I APPRECIATE THE PRESENTATION. EACH MONTH, WE GO AHEAD AND PUT A RECONCILIATION TO THE TREASURER'S OFFICE ON ALL THE PAPERS THAT WE BRING IN, OUT-OF-STATE PAPERS. AND THAT'S $75. SOME MONTHS ARE UP, SOME MONTHS ARE DOWN. IT ALL DEPENDS. I'M GOING TO LEAVE YOU WITH THIS NOTE, FOLKS. I'M JUST A FIGUREHEAD.

CAPTAIN ROUSH AND EVERYBODY UNDER HIM, THEY'RE THE NUTS AND BOLTS OF THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE. MORE OR LESS, I WORK FOR THEM, AND I'M TRYING MY BEST TO GET THEM THE EQUIPMENT AND THE HELP THEY NEED TO DO THE JOB. AND I APPRECIATE ALL THE CONSIDERATION. THANK YOU, SIR. I YIELD REAL QUICK. YES, SIR. ALL RIGHT, THE ACCREDITATION YOU TALKED ABOUT, WHAT DO WE GET BY PUSHING FOR THAT ACCREDITATION? DO WE GET, IS IT EASIER TO GET THE GRANTS? IS IT EASIER TO GET MAYBE COMP BOARD, THINGS LIKE THAT? YES, SIR.

OKAY. ALL RIGHT, THEN THE NEXT THING, I KNOW WE TALKED ABOUT GOING TO PICK UP PRISONERS, THINGS LIKE THAT. I GUESS IT'S UP TO THE JUDGES IF THEY WANT THEM IN FRONT OF THEM VERSUS REMOTE VIA, YOU KNOW. CAMERA, THINGS LIKE THAT. IS THAT SOMETHING WE COULD PUSH FOR OR NOT, REALLY? THE JUDGE PUSHES FOR IT MAINLY ON TERM DAY, ON A GRAND JURY DAY. OKAY.

THIS IS NO SENSE OF BRINGING 20 PEOPLE TO COURT WHEN YOU CAN JUST GET THEM ON VIDEO.

RIGHT. AND THE COMMON ATTORNEY IS SUPPOSED TO HAVE AN ORDER TO GO AHEAD AND CONTINUE IT.

THEY ALREADY GOT DATES SET.

OKAY. SO, I MEAN, WE'VE HAD AS MANY AS 25 INMATES IN THAT LOCKUP, UPSTAIRS, DOWNSTAIRS, AND ON THE THIRD FLOOR, DOWNSTAIRS. BUT WE TRY TO...

IF WE KNOW THERE'S A TRANSPORT WE NEED TO DO AT A DISTANCE, SERGEANT STITH, WHO'S CHARGING TRANSPORT, HE GOES WITH THE DEFENSE ATTORNEY AND SAYS, HEY, CAN WE GET BY ON VIDEO WITH THIS, OR WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO? AND SOMEONE WILL SAY, WELL, WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE IT.

DON'T BRING THEM. OKAY. AND THEY'VE BEEN VERY COOPERATIVE WITH US ON THAT ASPECT. SO IF THEY WERE, I GUESS, UNCOOPERATIVE, THAT TRANSPORT WOULD BE WAY MORE. OKAY. ALL RIGHT. THAT'S ALL I'VE GOT.

THANK YOU. MR. FORD, PEW. I'M TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT LINE THIS IS. IT'S A $19,000 INCREASE IN HOSPITAL MEDICAL PLANS.

THAT'S A QUESTION FOR MS. DRURY. IS THAT SOMETHING WE'RE SEEING ACROSS ALL DEPARTMENTS, OR IS THERE AN OUTSIZED IMPACT TO THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE? NO, THAT IS ACTUALLY TODAY'S COMPLEMENT OF EMPLOYEES AT THE HEALTH INSURANCE THEY HAVE TODAY. WHEN WE BUILT OUR BUDGET LAST SPRING, LIKELY SOMEONE EITHER DID NOT TAKE THE COVERAGE OR THERE WAS A FAMILY MEMBER ADDED TO THE COVERAGE.

THAT IS... WHAT THEY HAVE TODAY, WITHOUT ANY RATE INCREASE. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. SURE.

ANYBODY ELSE? OKAY. THANK YOU, SIR. I'LL END WITH THIS. MS. DREW WAS A BIG HELP, AND THE YOUNG LADY SITTING RIGHT THERE WAS A BIG, BIG, GREAT, I MEAN, POSITIVE HIRE FOR THE COUNTY.

SHE HELPED US OUT TREMENDOUSLY, AND I GREATLY APPRECIATE THEIR HELP. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU, SIR. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT.

WITH THAT, WE'LL MOVE TO THE NEXT. IT'LL BE THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT. MR. BALDWIN. WELL, GOOD EVENING, CHAIRMAN COX, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD. MY PLEASURE TO BE BEFORE YOU TONIGHT TO DISCUSS THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT'S BUDGET. I THINK YOU'LL FIND.

FOR THE MOST PART, IT'S SIMILAR TO THE BUDGET WE HAD LAST YEAR.

WE HAVE GONE THROUGH AND TRIED TO REFINE SOME OF THE SPECIFIC NUMBERS IN THERE, BASED ON LOOKING AT FIVE-YEAR TRENDS AND OTHER INFORMATION WE GET FROM FINANCE AS FAR AS EXPENDITURES. WE KNOW THE ONE BIGGER ITEM WE HAVE IN THERE IS OUR CONTRACTUAL LINE, AND THAT'S OBVIOUSLY, YOU KNOW, FOR... SOME THINGS THE COUNTY JUST REALLY NEEDS TO GET UPDATED. A COMPREHENSIVE PLAN

[00:20:01]

RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT, INCLUDING MULTIFAMILY AND COMMERCIAL AND INDUSTRIAL ZONE PROPERTY, BY RIGHT. SO THERE WILL BE NO SPECIAL EXCEPTIONS OR REZONING REQUIRED. YOU'VE GOT BILLS OUT THERE TO ALLOW RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATIONS AND NONPROFITS TO BUILD RESIDENTIAL, MULTIFAMILY, MIXED-USE, BY RIGHT, ON THEIR PROPERTY, WHATEVER ZONE, WHEREVER IT IS. SO THERE'S JUST A FEW OF THEM. THERE'S AN AWFUL LOT OF POTENTIALLY VERY IMPACTIVE.

BILLS OUT THERE, THERE'S OTHER ONES ON SOLAR, THERE'S SOME OUT THERE ON DATA CENTERS, YOU NAME IT.

AND A LOT OF THESE, WHAT WE'RE SEEING, THEY'RE BEING VERY PREEMPTIVE. I THINK THE TERM WE WOULD USE, WHERE THEY'RE BASICALLY THE STATE'S GOING TO DICTATE, THIS IS WHAT WE'RE GOING TO REQUIRE YOU TO DO. AND THE ANSWER IS. THE STATE'S GOING TO DO SOMETHING TO BRING HOUSING PRICES DOWN, AND THEIR BIG APPROACH IS TO GET MORE HOUSING BUILT BY REDUCING ZONING REQUIREMENTS.

THE OTHER THING THEY'VE GOT OUT THERE, JUST AS A LAST ASIDE, ONE, TO ELIMINATE YOUR AUTHORITY TO REQUIRE PARKING ON ANY LAND USE, ANYWHERE. SO WE'LL HAVE TO SEE HOW THESE THINGS ALL TURN OUT. I'M TRACKING ABOUT 20 BILLS MYSELF JUST TO SEE HOW THEY GO.

BUT POINT OUT TO YOU THAT OUR ZONING ORDINANCE IS ALREADY OUT OF DATE, AND HERE IT COMES. AND THIS IS KIND OF MORE THIS YEAR THAN NORMAL, BUT WE GET BILLS EVERY YEAR.

THAT REALLY NEED TO GET UPDATED AND PUT INTO THE COUNTY'S REGULATORY PROGRAM.

SO THAT WHEN PEOPLE ARE USING THE ZONING ORDINANCE, PUBLIC IS USING IT, WHAT HAVE YOU, THAT WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING AT IS, IN FACT, CURRENT. AND CORRECT OF WHAT THE STATE CODE SAYS, BECAUSE BEING A DYLAN RULE STATE, WE, UM, WE HAVE TO DO WHAT THE STATE SAYS. SO QUITE OFTEN, YOU KNOW, WE'RE LEFT WITH GOING BACK AND LOOKING AT THE STATE CODE TO SEE WHAT STATE CODE SAYS TO DO. REGARDLESS OF WHAT OUR OUR COUNTY CODE SAYS. SO, YOU KNOW, WE WOULD LIKE TO CONTINUE THE PROCESS THAT WAS STARTED BACK IN 2023. GETTING THE COMP PLAN UPDATED, GET THE ZONING ORDINANCE UPDATED, AND GET THE SUBDIVISION ORDINANCE UPDATED.

WE'RE ALSO UNDER UNDER A REQUIREMENT TO TO YOU IN OUR... CHESAPEAKE BAY PRESERVATION ACT PROGRAM, UPDATED BY DEQ. AND WE'RE DOING THAT IN-HOUSE. WE'RE CURRENTLY WORKING ON THAT OURSELVES, BUT THAT'S ANOTHER MANDATE FROM THE STATE. THEY MADE SOME SIGNIFICANT MODIFICATIONS TO CHESAPEAKE BAY PROGRAM BACK DURING THE COVID ERA, AND SO THEY SORT OF HELD OFF ON FORCING LOCAL IMPLEMENTATION.

THEY CREATED A MODEL ORDINANCE FOR PEOPLE TO LOOK AT WHAT THE STATE WAS DRIVING AT. THERE'S NEW REQUIREMENTS IN THERE FOR LOOKING AT CLIMATE CHANGE. RESILIENCE, 30-YEAR LIFE EXPECTANCY OF THINGS ARE GETTING IMPROVED.

SO THERE'S A WHOLE BUNCH OF THINGS. WE'RE JUST WORKING THROUGH THAT NOW.

BUT THAT'S SOMETHING WE'RE DOING AT THE STAFF LEVEL. SO THOSE ARE ALL THINGS THAT ARE SORT OF STANDARD, WHAT WE THINK IS THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT'S SORT OF LARGER PROJECT STUFF, IN ADDITION TO THE NORMAL THINGS WE ARE DOING, WHICH IS PROCESSING REZONINGS AND SPECIAL EXCEPTIONS, AND SITE PLANS AND SUBDIVISION PLANS.

SO JUST, AGAIN, TO GIVE YOU ANOTHER EXAMPLE, GENERAL ASSEMBLY LAST YEAR, THEY WENT INTO THE REQUIREMENTS. THEY DICTATE TO US HOW WE DO OUR PLAN REVIEWS, HOW LONG WE HAVE PER REVIEW, WHAT WE'RE SUPPOSED TO TELL THE APPLICANTS TO DO.

TO FIX THEIR SUBMISSIONS WHEN THEY SUBMIT A SITE PLAN TO US OR A SUBDIVISION PLAN.

AND BEFORE LAST YEAR, EACH ROUND OF REVIEW, THEY ALLOWED 60 DAYS FOR STATE AGENCIES AND LOCALITIES TO RESPOND. LAST YEAR, THEY CHANGED THAT TO 40. SO WE LOST 20 DAYS OFF THE SPEED OF HOW QUICKLY. AS WE TRY TO WORK TO STAY IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE STATE CODE, AND BEARING IN MIND, IF WE GET OUT OF COMPLIANCE WITH THE STATE CODE, DEVELOPERS COULD TAKE US TO COURT FOR NOT MEETING THESE TIME DEADLINES. SO WE HAVE TO WORK DILIGENTLY TO MAKE SURE OUR PROCESSES ARE TIMELY. AND THAT WE'RE GETTING THE REVIEWS DONE. AND THE COMMENTS OUT TO THE DEVELOPERS OR THEIR ENGINEERS, OR WHOEVER. JUST SO WE CAN KEEP THAT PROCESS MOVING. SO THAT'S JUST ONE OF THOSE THINGS THAT SORT OF SHOWED UP. DIDN'T GET A LOT OF FANFARE UNLESS YOU WORKED IN THE... PLANNING DEPARTMENT SOMEWHERE. WELL, THE ONE THING THAT'S DIFFERENT THIS YEAR, SINCE I JOINED THE COUNTY BACK IN 2023, WE'VE BEEN CHALLENGED.

TRYING TO BE ABLE TO DO THE ONE THING IN THE ZONING ORDINANCE WE'VE NOT REALLY BEEN STAFFED TO DO.

THAT'S ZONING ENFORCEMENT. IT

[00:25:02]

BUT WE DO GET CALLS FROM CITIZENS AND OTHERS THAT THEY THINK PEOPLE ARE VIOLATING THE ZONING ORDINANCE. WE DO NOT HAVE ANY STAFF FOR THAT.

THERE'S NO ONE WITH A JOB DESCRIPTION TO DO THAT. THERE'S NO TRAINING. FOR ANYONE TO DO THAT. SO WE'VE SPENT A COUPLE YEARS TRYING TO FIND WORKAROUNDS TO TRY TO WORK THAT OUT, AND WE JUST HAVEN'T BEEN SUCCESSFUL IN COMING UP WITH A WITH A PROGRAM. AND I CAN TELL YOU, FROM JUST LOOKING BACK IN THE FILES, THIS HAS BEEN A KIND OF AN ONGOING NEED WITH THE COUNTY FOR PROBABLY A DECADE. I'M GOING TO SAY, BUT WE'VE GOT, WE'VE GOT ZONING VIOLATION CORRESPONDENCE. SO THINGS THAT DATE BACK LONGER THAN THAT, WHERE THERE'S NEVER A CONCLUSION TO THE TO THE ISSUE. AND SO I JUST FELT IT WAS IMPERATIVE TO ASK THE BOARD TO CONSIDER.

THE ONE MISSING KIND OF ELEMENT IN THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT'S CAPACITY IS TO GIVE US SOME CAPACITY TO ACTUALLY DO ENFORCEMENT.

THE ZONING ENFORCEMENT, THE WAY THE STATE HAS IT, OBVIOUSLY, LIKE EVERYTHING ELSE I'VE MENTIONED, THEY'RE VERY MUCH DICTATORIAL.

HOW YOU DO IT, HOW YOU NOTIFY SOMEBODY, THEIR APPEAL PROCESSES THEY HAVE, HOW THEY CAN APPEAL TO THE BOARD OF ZONING, APPEALS, ALL THE WAY UP THROUGH CIRCUIT COURT. SO. IT ISN'T THE KIND OF THING THAT ANYBODY JUST SORT OF PICKS UP AND CAN JUST GO DO.

YOU NEED PEOPLE WHO ARE TRAINED OR SOMEONE TRAINED WHO CAN CARRY OUT THAT FUNCTION. AND SO THAT'S WHAT I'M ASKING FOR IS A ZONING ENFORCEMENT OFFICER POSITION. JUST SO WE CAN CLOSE THAT ONE GAP I THINK WE HAVE IN THE CURRENT PLANNING DEPARTMENT. I THINK WE'RE ABLE TO HANDLE ALL OUR OTHER WORKLOAD REALLY WELL. I THINK WE'RE PROCESSING THINGS IN A TIMELY FASHION. WE HANDLE A LOT OF TRAFFIC THROUGH OUR OFFICE EVERY DAY.

BUT THIS ENFORCEMENT THING IS A... IT'S A CONSTANT PROBLEM WHERE WE CAN'T REALLY RESPOND THE WAY WE BELIEVE WE NEED TO, AND SO I'VE ASKED FOR THAT POSITION. AND THAT'S REALLY THE BULK OF MY PRESENTATION. I'D BE GLAD TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE REGARDING THE DEPARTMENT OR MY REQUEST AND OUR BUDGET THIS YEAR. ALL RIGHT, I'M GOING TO START WITH MY LEFT, MR. FORD-PUGH.

ANY QUESTIONS? NOT A QUESTION, BUT MORE LIKE AN EXERCISE. IF WE ENTERTAIN THE HIRING OF ANOTHER ZONING ENFORCEMENT OFFICER, I'D LIKE TO SEE US TEASE OUT, YOU KNOW, THESE ARE THE NUMBER OF ZONING ENFORCEMENT ACTIVITIES WE DID THIS YEAR. THIS IS THE NUMBER OF, YOU KNOW, TAX REVENUE INCREASES THAT WE GOT BY ENFORCING THOSE. AND WERE THERE ANY PROSECUTIONS THAT WE HAD TO DEAL WITH? JUST SO WE CAN TRY TO TRACK SOME DOWNSTREAM COSTS IF THAT WERE TO HAPPEN. YES, AND I THINK IF YOU LOOK AT OUR MONTHLY REPORT WE PUT UP, THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT TRIES TO TRACK ITS WORK. WE WANT TO MAKE SURE YOU'RE AWARE. THE PUBLIC'S AWARE THAT'S PUBLICLY POSTED. PEOPLE KNOW WHAT WE'RE DOING. STATUS AS BEST AS WE CAN PROVIDE IT. SO WE DEFINITELY WOULD DO THAT. WE WOULD TRACK ALL THE ACTIVITIES FOR THE SAME REASON. WE WANT TO GET TO A CONCLUSION, WHAT WE DON'T WANT TO HAVE.

THESE THINGS JUST LINGER, YOU KNOW, WHERE PEOPLE KIND OF CALLING IN ALL THE TIME, LIKE, WHAT ARE YOU DOING? WHAT ARE YOU DOING? AND WHEN THE ANSWER IS, WE'RE DOING AS BEST WE CAN, BUT REALLY NOT DOING WHAT WE SHOULD BE DOING THAT WAY. SO WE WOULD DEFINITELY TRACK ALL THAT ACTIVITY AND AND OUR GOAL IS PUNISHING PEOPLE, OUR GOAL IS TO GET COMPLIANCE. THAT'S WHAT I ALWAYS TELL ME. WE'RE NOT REALLY IN THE PUNISHMENT BUSINESS.

WE'RE IN THE COMPLIANCE BUSINESS. WE WANT TO GET YOU IN COMPLIANCE, IF YOU'RE OUT OF COMPLIANCE, WE WANT TO GET YOU INTO COMPLIANCE.

AND IF IT TAKES TAKING TO COURT TO DO THAT, THEN THAT'S WHERE IT GOES.

THANKS. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? MR. WEBB? I CONCUR WITH FORD. I KNOW IN 10 YEARS, I'VE GOTTEN A TON OF PHONE CALLS. I KNOW YOU ALL HAVE TRIED, EVEN BEFORE YOU, TRIED TO DO THE BEST YOU COULD, BUT IT WAS NOT A MECHANISM TO REALLY HOLD PEOPLE ACCOUNTABLE FROM START TO FINISH. AND IT DOES FRUSTRATE A LOT OF CITIZENS. AND I'LL JUST ADD ON TO THAT. ONE THING WE ALSO WOULD LIKE TO BE ABLE TO DO... WHEN THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS APPROVES A SPECIAL EXCEPTION OR A CONDITIONAL ZONING WITH PROFFERS, WE'D LIKE TO BE ABLE TO GO BACK BEHIND. THESE APPLICANTS AND VERIFY THEIR REMAINING IN COMPLIANCE WITH ALL THESE EXTRA CONDITIONS YOU APPLY TO THEM. AND THAT'S THE SAME ONE OF THE OTHER DUTIES THIS POSITION WOULD DO. THEY'D GO BACK OVER TIME AND LOOK AT ALL THESE EXISTING SPECIAL EXCEPTIONS, MAKE SURE THEY'RE STILL VALID AND IN USE, AND THEN MAKE SURE THAT EVERYONE DID WHAT THEY WERE SUPPOSED TO DO WHEN THEY GOT THE USE APPROVED. AND THAT'S WHEN AN ENFORCEMENT... WING OF THE DEPARTMENT WOULD DO IS ALSO MAKE SURE THAT BOARD ACTIONS ARE ARE PROPERLY MONITORED.

ALL RIGHT, MS. TAM. YEAH, SO ON THAT ROLE, WOULD YOU, ARE YOU KIND OF ENVISIONING, IS THAT GOING TO BE MORE OF A REACTIVE ROLE? THERE'LL BE FOLKS REPORTING THINGS AND WE'LL BE GOING OUT AND LOOKING FOR THAT, OR DO YOU SEE THE ROLE BEING MORE PROACTIVE, GOING OUT IN THE COMMUNITY AND KIND OF SEEKING THOSE? SO I THINK, YOU KNOW, THE COUNTY'S HISTORIC POSITION ON ENFORCEMENT HAS BEEN COMPLAINT DRIVEN. IF THE BOARD WANTED MORE THAN COMPLAINT DRIVEN, WE WOULD DO WHAT THE BOARD WANTED TO DO. SO GOING INTO IT, IT'S CAN WE RESPOND TO CALLS, CAN WE RESPOND TO THOSE THINGS. BUT IT IS ONE OF THOSE THINGS I WILL TELL YOU, WHEN PEOPLE DRIVE BY AND SEE SOMETHING, THEY WOULD LIKE TO JUST SAY, THIS IS SOMETHING WE SHOULD NOT JUST, WE SHOULD BE THE ONES WHO ARE.

[00:30:01]

ANYTHING ELSE? WOULD YOU SAY THE AMOUNT OF WORK THAT'S BEING UNDERTOKEN BY THE DEPARTMENT CURRENTLY, IS IT KIND OF AT A NORMAL LEVEL, OR ARE WE SEEING MORE THINGS COME THROUGH THE DEPARTMENT IN THE RECENT YEAR OR TWO? YEAH, WE'VE BEEN VERY BUSY. I WOULD SAY, YOU KNOW, THE TIME I'VE BEEN HERE, YOU KNOW, THE WORKLOAD'S BEEN STEADY. WE REALLY DON'T SEE, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I WAS HOPING TO SEE, A LITTLE SLOWDOWN DURING THE WINTER, MAYBE SLOWDOWN THAT DOESN'T WORK THAT WAY ANYMORE. AND MY CONCERN, ACTUALLY GOING FORWARD, AGAIN, DEPENDING ON WHAT THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY DOES, IS THE COUNTY'S GOING TO GET OPENED UP TO POTENTIAL MORE.

AT LEAST PROPOSALS COMING IN THE DOOR, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE WHEN THE STATE PREEMPTS SOME OF OUR CONTROLS OVER THESE THINGS, PEOPLE ARE GOING TO SHOW UP SAYING, OH, I'VE GOT A PIECE OF PROPERTY THAT, YOU KNOW, I'M A NONPROFIT, OR I'M A CHURCH. OR I'VE GOT A PIECE OF B1 ZONE PROPERTY WITH NOTHING ON IT. AND I WANT TO PUT APARTMENTS ON IT. SO I ENVISION POTENTIALLY AFTER THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY, AND KEEP IN MIND, MOST OF THESE THINGS FROM THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY TAKE EFFECT IN JULY, JULY 1ST. THESE AREN'T. MOSTLY DELAYED, THESE WILL GO INTO EFFECT BEFORE YOU WOULD HAVE A CHANCE EVEN AMEND THE CODE. THERE'S A FEW OF THOSE THINGS THEY'VE PUSHED BACK TO SEPTEMBER, BUT THE MAJORITY OF THEM ARE JULY 1. AND AS I MENTIONED, THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY IS TRYING TO REALLY ADDRESS THIS HOUSING THING KIND OF ACROSS THE BOARD. THERE'S A NUMBER OF APPROACHES OUT THERE. AND WHEN I LOOK AT IT, LOOKS LIKE ALL OF THEM ARE MOVING ALONG. THEY DON'T LOOK LIKE ANYBODY'S GETTING DELAYED OR STOPPED OR OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT. SO WE'LL SEE WHAT HAPPENS IS IT? AND CONTINUES THROUGH THE REST OF THE SESSION. WHAT IS CONCERNING IN TERMS OF POTENTIAL WORKLOAD, IF THE COUNTY GETS OPENED UP IN THAT WAY. AND THE LAST THING I HAVE IS, DO YOU FIND, ARE THE FEES KEEPING UP WITH THE AMOUNT OF RESOURCES THAT ARE BEING EXPENDED ON THE REQUESTS THAT ARE COMING THROUGH? WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON REVIEWING OUR FEES. WE DID A LITTLE SEARCH OF FEES, YOU KNOW, OF SOME OF THE OTHER LOCALITIES AROUND US TO SEE IF THERE'S ANY DISPARITY. BECAUSE THE COUNTY HASN'T REALLY UPDATED ITS FEE STRUCTURE. AT LEAST IN THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT, PROBABLY FIVE OR MORE YEARS.

AND THERE'S JUST A HUGE DISPARITY. YOU REALLY COULDN'T MAKE A POINT WHETHER WE ARE HIGH OR LOW COMPARED TO OTHERS.

BUT WE HAVE GONE BACK AND LOOKED AT SOME OF THE FEES WE HAVE, WHICH WE SHOULD NOT BE CHARGING. WE HAVE SOME OF THOSE. AND THEN WE HAVE FEES IN THERE WE SHOULD BE CHARGING.

AS AN EXAMPLE, WE DO A LOT OF ZONING PERMITS, HUNDREDS OF ZONING PERMITS FOR FREE. SO IF SOMEBODY'S GETTING A BUSINESS LICENSE OR WHAT, HAVE YOU? OR A BUILDING PERMIT.

AND THEY'RE GOING THROUGH THE PLANNING REVIEW, AND IT'S A FULL-ON STAFF REVIEW FOR THESE THINGS, AND THEY'RE GETTING THAT WITHOUT PAYING ANY FEE FOR IT. SO WE'RE GOING TO PROPOSE LIKE A $25 FEE FOR ALL OF THOSE. SO THERE'S SOME OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO GENERATE SOME ADDITIONAL REVENUE. THERE MAY BE OTHERS, BUT WE'RE GOING TO TRY TO START OFF. LIKE, LET'S GET THE COUNTY CODE ON FEES STRAIGHT WITH THE WAY WE ACTUALLY PROCESS THINGS AND GET THOSE NUMBERS CORRECT. AND THEN WHEN WE HAVE GAPS, WE WANT TO TRY TO PUT A REASONABLE NUMBER IN THE GAPS. THERE. SO WE, I WOULD ANTICIPATE, YES. WE'LL PROBABLY BE GENERATING MORE REVENUE NEXT YEAR FROM FEES AT THE NEW FEES STRUCTURE THAT I'M DISCUSSING WERE TO BE ADOPTED. THANKS, SIR, LITTLE CUTE. UM, I'VE GOT A QUESTION ON YOUR ADVERTISING LINE. I SEE YOUR ADVERTISING LINE ITEM, UM, I SEE YOU'RE DECREASING THAT A THOUSAND.

UM, IS IT JUST WE'RE PLANNING ON LESS ADVERTISING? YEAH, I MEAN, IT'S AN INTERESTING THING.

WHEN YOU GO BACK AND LOOK AT THE AMOUNT OF MONEY WE SPEND ON, WHETHER IT BE MAIL OUTS OR ADVERTISING, IT'S SOMETHING I ALWAYS WOULD TELL TO THE BOARD, YOU KNOW, WE DON'T HAVE A CRYSTAL BALL TO TELL YOU WHO'S COMING IN THE DOOR, NOT COMING IN THE DOOR. OKAY.

BUT WHEN YOU LOOK BACK OVER THE YEARS, YOU SEE WHAT I'VE PROPOSED IS KIND OF IN LINE WITH WHAT'S BEEN MOST YEARS.

THERE'S BEEN A COUPLE SPIKE YEARS IN THERE WHERE SOMETHING MAY HAVE HAPPENED THAT DROVE A FIAT, BUT WE'RE NOT HAVING ANY ISSUE WITH THE WAY WE'RE STRUCTURED NOW. PAYING OUR ADVERTISING FEES AND WE'LL HAVE MONEY LEFT OVER AT THE END OF THE YEAR.

SO I'M TRYING TO, LIKE, FINE-TUNE THOSE NUMBERS. SO WE DON'T JUST HAVE MONEY SITTING IN THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT BUDGET, WE DON'T THINK WE'RE GOING TO SPEND. OKAY, I'M GONNA HIT YOU WITH A CURVEBALL NOW. ONE OF THE THINGS I'VE HEARD FROM MY CONSTITUENTS IS THEY WISH WE WOULD ADVERTISE FURTHER OUT OF THE CIRCLE. AND I KNOW CURRENTLY WE ADVERTISE OFF OF STATE CODE IF I'M NOT CORRECT, IF I'M CORRECT, WHICH IS ADJACENT LANDOWNERS.

THAT'S CORRECT. ALL RIGHT, WHAT WOULD IT TAKE, AND IF THE BOARD IS IN AGREEANCE TO IT, TO TAKE THAT FOOTPRINT AND PUSH IT OUT MORE. TELL US THAT'S WHAT YOU'D LIKE TO DO. ULTIMATELY, WE'D PROBABLY WANT TO HAVE A POLICY. I'D RATHER NOT PUT THAT IN AN ORDINANCE. THE STATE CODE IS THE ORDINANCE THAT SAYS ALL ADJACENT PROPERTY OWNERS ARE DIRECTLY ACROSS THE STREET.

ON OCCASION, WE'LL LOOK AROUND. WE MAY SEE SOMEBODY, WE THINK WE OUGHT

[00:35:02]

BUT IF YOU WANTED US TO HAVE A LITTLE BIT BROADER, WE CERTAINLY COULD DO THAT.

NOW, THAT MIGHT AFFECT OUR MAIL-OUT FEES, BUT IT WOULDN'T BE A LOT.

OKAY. WE CAN CERTAINLY DO THAT.

AND SO IF THE INTENT WOULD BE TO LOOK OUT A LITTLE BROADER THAN THAT, WE JUST MODIFY OUR OWN PROCESS TO DO THAT. ALL RIGHT. AND THEN, SECONDLY, WITH THE. THE POSITION THAT YOU'RE REQUESTING, DO YOU THINK YOU'LL BE ABLE TO KEEP THAT PERSON BUSY 24-7, OR COULD THAT BE SHARED THROUGH ANOTHER DEPARTMENT, LIKE WITH MR. HARRISON OR SOMETHING? I THINK WHAT WE'VE LEARNED IN TRYING TO DO SOME OF THIS ENFORCEMENT STUFF WITH MR. HARRISON IS THIS, IT'S SUCH A UNIQUE FUNCTION OF ZONING ENFORCEMENT. I DON'T THINK THIS POSITION WOULD BE REALLY WELL-SUITED TO SWITCH IT OVER AND TRY TO DO SOMETHING ELSE. I THINK THAT'S GOING TO BE A PLANNING DEPARTMENT ZONING ORDINANCE, AND WE ALSO WOULD USE THEM FOR SUBDIVISION ORDINANCE. AS WELL. SO THEY DO SOME ASSISTANCE WITH THE STAFF WHEN SOMEBODY'S DOING A SUBDIVISION TO GO OUT. WE GO OUT AND INSPECT. FOR EXAMPLE, IF WE HAVE A SUBDIVISION THAT GETS AN ENGINEERING PLAN APPROVED, WE DO GO BACK OUT AND INSPECT TO MAKE SURE THEY'RE BUILDING WHAT THEY GOT APPROVED TO BE BUILT. AND THAT'D BE SOMETHING ELSE WE COULD USE THIS POSITION TO DO, GO OUT AND MAKE SURE THAT IF THEY PUT IN A PEDESTRIAN WALKWAY, IT'S IN THE RIGHT PLACE, OR IF THEY HAVE THINGS LIKE THAT. SO I DON'T THINK IT WOULD REALLY BE. WELL-SUITED POSITION TO SHARE. WE'VE TRIED WORKING WITH MR. HARRIS, BEEN VERY HELPFUL, TRYING TO SHARE FROM HIS STAFF, AND IT'S JUST THE ZONING STUFF IS SO UNIQUE.

THE REQUIREMENTS ARE SO UNIQUE THAT IT'S NOT AN EASILY TRANSFERABLE THING TO JUST DOING ENFORCEMENT OF SOME OTHER TYPE. I'M NOT SAYING THEY COULDN'T DO IT, BUT I DON'T THINK THAT'S A GOOD, PERSONALLY, I THINK THAT'S A GOOD FIT.

OKAY. THAT'S ALL I'VE GOT, MR. COX. ANYBODY ELSE GOT ANYTHING? ALL RIGHT. THE ONLY THING I'VE GOT IS A COMMENT, REALLY. THANK YOU FOR THE WAY YOU LAID YOUR...

DECREASES AND NO INCREASES IN HERE. THANK YOU FOR PUTTING THAT IN THERE THE WAY YOU DID.

THAT'S ALL WE'VE GOT FOR YOU TONIGHT. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU. GOOD EVENING.

THANK YOU, SIR. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT, WITH THAT, WE'LL MOVE TO THE COMMONWEALTH'S ATTORNEY.

GOOD EVENING, MR. CHAIRMAN, VICE CHAIRMAN, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD. GOOD EVENING.

MS. PUDLOW. HOW'S EVERYBODY TODAY? DOING GOOD. GOOD. SO I DO HAVE A POWERPOINT. THERE'S A PDF, AND I'LL POINT WHICHEVER IS EASIER. SO, IN THE BEGINNING OF THE POWERPOINT, WHEN IT COMES UP, THE FIRST NUMBER OF SLIDES ARE JUST TALKING ABOUT THINGS WE DO IN MY OFFICE. I'M NOT REALLY GOING TO SPEND A LOT OF TIME ON THOSE SLIDES. AM I ABLE TO MOVE IT FORWARD? YES, OKAY.

PERFECT. OBVIOUSLY, WE PROSECUTE ALL FELONY AND SOME MISDEMEANOR CASES WITHIN ALL LEVELS OF COURT IN PRINCE GEORGE. I GO INTO SOME DETAIL ABOUT HOW WE PREP OUR BENCH TRIALS, JURY TRIALS, SENTENCING HEARINGS, ANSWER DISCOVERY REQUESTS. THE BIG THING ABOUT THE DISCOVERY THAT I WANT TO POINT OUT IS IT TAKES LONGER TO ANSWER THOSE NOW THAN IT USED TO. FIRST OF ALL, OUR VOLUME OF EVIDENCE, THE NUMBER OF TEXT MESSAGES AND IMAGES AND VIDEOS WE HAVE FROM RING CAMERAS AND STUFF LIKE THAT, THE VOLUME HAS SUBSTANTIALLY INCREASED SINCE I EVEN STARTED HERE, AND CRAZY INCREASED SINCE I STARTED PRACTICING LAW IN 1998. AND THEN THE OTHER THING WE HAVE TO DO IS. WHEN WE ANSWER THOSE DISCOVERY REQUESTS, WE NEED TO BE SURE THAT WE'RE PROTECTING A PERSON'S PRIVACY. AS WELL AS A WITNESS'S SAFETY, THE INTEGRITY OF THE INVESTIGATION. SO WE NEED TO BE CAREFUL TO REDACT OUT THINGS THAT SHOULD NOT BE AVAILABLE TO THE DEFENDANT, SUCH AS A WITNESS'S SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER, RIGHT? WE WOULDN'T WANT THAT TO BE OUT THERE. SO WE HAVE TO BE CAREFUL ABOUT HOW WE ANSWER OUR DISCOVERY MOTIONS.

WE DO RESPOND TO DEFENSE MOTIONS. WE FILE MOTIONS ON OUR OWN FOR THE ADMISSION OR EXCLUSION OF EVIDENCE. OBVIOUSLY, WE DO A LOT OF RESEARCH RELATED TO THAT. WE PREPARE PLEA AGREEMENTS, AND FOR OUR PROBATION VIOLATION HEARINGS, WE HAVE TO FILL OUT SENTENCING GUIDELINES FOR THOSE. NOT SO MANY FOR PROBATION VIOLATIONS, BUT SOMETIMES, BUT ALL OF OUR PLEA AGREEMENTS, WE HAVE TO HAVE SENTENCING GUIDELINES FOR THE COURT. WE'RE INVOLVED IN RECOVERY COURT, AND WE ARE STILL IN THE PLANNING STAGE OF OUR BEHAVIORAL HEALTH DOCKET.

BUT WE'VE BEEN INVOLVED IN THAT IMPLEMENTATION PROCESS AS WELL.

AND THEN WE DO REPRESENT THE COMMONWEALTH AS A SPECIAL PROSECUTOR. WHEN OTHER JURISDICTIONS HAVE CONFLICTS WITH CASES, EITHER THE APPEARANCE OF A CONFLICT OR AN ACTUAL CONFLICT, AND OTHER JURISDICTIONS HELP US OUT AS WELL. THE CIVIL CASES, I FEEL LIKE, HAVE INCREASED.

WE HAVE INCREASED OUR PETITIONS TO RESTORE FIREARMS RIGHTS, SO THAT'S THE SECOND. STEP IN A PROCESS FOR SOMEBODY WHO'S

[00:40:02]

FIRST, THEY HAVE TO GO TO THE GOVERNOR AND RECEIVE A RESTORATION OF THEIR CIVIL RIGHTS. WE HAVE ALSO HAD AN INCREASE IN APPLICATIONS FOR REMOVAL FROM THE SEX OFFENDER REGISTRY AND ALSO APPLICATIONS FOR NAME CHANGE. AND WE DON'T GET INVOLVED IN ALL OF THOSE, JUST CERTAIN APPLICANTS. AND OUR INCREASE IS DUE TO FEDERAL INMATES AT FCI PETERSBURG, WHICH IS WITHIN PRINCE GEORGE. WANTING TO CHANGE THEIR NAME. MOST OF THEM ARE, WELL, BECAUSE THEY'RE INMATES, THEY COME TO US, AND MOST OF THEM ARE ALSO SEX OFFENDERS, AND SO THEY COME TO US FOR THAT AS WELL. AND THEN WE FILE LEGAL ACTIONS TO FORFEIT PROPERTY AND MONEY RELATED TO CRIMES. OBVIOUSLY, WE ADVISE THE LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT.

WE'RE AVAILABLE EVERY DAY, ALL DAY. CHRISTMAS, NEW YEAR'S, WHENEVER. WE PROVIDE LEGAL TRAINING, AND THEN WE HAVE A WHOLE CATEGORY OF THINGS WE REVIEW AND APPROVE. WE ALSO PARTICIPATE IN GROUPS AIMED AT IMPROVING THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM, SUCH AS OUR MULTIDISCIPLINARY TEAM, WHICH IS FOCUSED ON SEXUAL AND PHYSICAL ABUSE OF CHILDREN. AND HOW WE CAN IMPROVE OUR INVESTIGATIONS AND PROTECTION OF THOSE VERY VULNERABLE VICTIMS. AND THE ONE THAT I REALLY LOVE IS OUR CCJB, OUR COMMUNITY CRIMINAL JUSTICE BOARD. WE DO A LOT OF GOOD WORK THROUGH THAT BOARD. THAT IS WHERE RECOVERY COURT HAS COME OUT OF, BEHAVIORAL HEALTH DOCKET HAS COME OUT OF, ALSO IMPROVING ACCESS TO CLIENTS FOR DEFENSE ATTORNEYS, CLIENTS THAT ARE BEING HELD AT RIVERSIDE. WE DO ALL OF THOSE THINGS. AND THEN WE HAVE A LOT OF CITIZENS THAT CALL AND HAVE ISSUES. AND MOST OF THE TIME WE'RE NOT THE RIGHT PEOPLE. BUT WE CAN GET THEM TO THE RIGHT PLACE. I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S ME OR.WE. ARE THE SPONSOR FOR THE VICTIM WITNESS ASSISTANCE PROGRAM. WE MANAGE MULTIPLE BUDGETS AND THEN WE'RE ALSO INVOLVED IN COMMUNITY EDUCATION AND OUTREACH. SO IN MY BUDGET REQUEST, THE BIGGEST ITEMS, AND I DO OWE YOU SOME PAPERWORK STILL ON THIS, THE BIGGEST ITEMS THAT I'M REQUESTING ARE NEW POSITIONS. TWO ATTORNEY POSITIONS AND ONE STAFF, OR A COMBINATION. SO ONE ATTORNEY POSITION IS WHAT I WOULD CALL A SENIOR ASSISTANT COMMS ATTORNEY, THE OTHER WOULD BE AN ENTRY LEVEL ASSISTANT COMMS ATTORNEY. AND THEN JUST A REGULAR LEGAL ASSISTANT STAFF PERSON. AS I SAW MY PROSECUTORS WERE GETTING OVERLOADED WITH THEIR CASEWORK, I BEGAN TO LOOK AT HOW DO I FREE THEM UP. HOW DO I CREATE MORE TIME, RIGHT? HOW DO WE BECOME MORE EFFICIENT WITHOUT SACRIFICING PUBLIC SAFETY? AND SO THE FIRST THING WE DID WAS WE CREATED A ROTATING SCHEDULE OF PROSECUTORS THAT WOULD BE ASSIGNED TO OUR CIRCUIT COURT DOCKET ON A PARTICULAR DAY. AND THAT HAS ALLOWED US TO PASS SIMPLE CASES LIKE A PROBATION VIOLATION OR A GUILTY PLEA TO A PROSECUTOR. WHO KNOWS, THEY'RE JUST GOING TO BE THERE ALL DAY. FROM 9 A.M.

UNTIL THE DOCKET IS DONE, WHICH SOMETIMES IS AT 6 P.M.

AND THEN IT ALSO ALLOWS IF YOU ARE NOT SCHEDULED FOR THAT DAY, BUT YOU'VE SCHEDULED A CASE BECAUSE IT'S JUST SOMETHING YOU NEEDED TO FOLLOW. AND THE DEFENSE ATTORNEY WAS ONLY AVAILABLE THAT DAY, WHATEVER, WE GET THAT PROSECUTOR IN AND OUT OF COURT AS SOON AS WE CAN.

THEY HAVE PRIORITY ON THE DOCKET. SO THEY'RE NOT SITTING IN COURT WAITING.

WE'LL TEXT THEM. EVEN IF THE DEFENSE ATTORNEY ISN'T THERE, WE TEXT. HEY, SO-AND-SO JUST ARRIVED. CAN YOU COME ON UP TO COURT? JUST TO REALLY INCREASE THAT TIME EFFICIENCY AND ALLOW PROSECUTORS TO BE IN THE OFFICE PREPARING THEIR OTHER CASES. IN JULY OF LAST YEAR, WE NOTIFIED OUR GENERAL DISTRICT COURT THAT WE WOULD NO LONGER BE HANDLING MISDEMEANORS THAT WERE INITIATED VIA A CITIZEN COMPLAINT. AND THAT MEANS A CITIZEN GOING TO THE MAGISTRATE AND WRITING OUT A COMPLAINT SAYING, THIS IS WHAT HAPPENED TO ME, THIS IS THE PERSON THAT DID IT, THIS IS WHERE IT HAPPENED. AND THIS IS THE DAY THAT HAPPENED ON. MANY OF THOSE CITIZEN COMPLAINTS ACTUALLY LEAD TO CROSS WARRANTS, WHERE THE ACCUSED THEN TAKES OUT A CHARGE AGAINST THE VICTIM. SO YOU HAVE EACH PERSON BEING AN ACCUSED AND A VICTIM. AND WE CANNOT HANDLE BOTH SIDES OF THAT. SO MOST OF THE TIME WHEN THAT HAPPENED, WE WOULD JUST WITHDRAW FROM THE CASES AND LET THEM DEAL WITH IT WITH THE JUDGE.

OCCASIONALLY WE WOULD STAY IN THE CASE, LIKE IF WE HAD ALREADY HAD A LOT OF VICTIM INVOLVEMENT. AND YOU KNOW, WE JUST FELT LIKE WE WERE ALREADY IN. WE WOULD STAY IN THE CASE AND REQUEST HELP FROM ANOTHER JURISDICTION FOR A SPECIAL PROSECUTOR TO COME AND HANDLE THE OTHER SIDE OF THE CASE. IT JUST CREATED A LOT OF WORK AND A LOT OF ISSUES. ESPECIALLY IF WE ALL OF A SUDDEN WITHDREW FROM A CASE THAT WE HADN'T MUCH BEEN INVOLVED IN. AND THE CITIZEN IS ASKING, WHY AREN'T YOU INVOLVED IN MY CASE ANYMORE? I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT'S GOING ON. SO IT CREATED A LOT OF QUESTIONS

[00:45:02]

THIS POLICY ONLY APPLIES TO THE GENERAL DISTRICT COURT BECAUSE IN OUR JUVENILE COURT, A LOT OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE CASES WILL ACTUALLY COME BY CITIZEN COMPLAINT. AND SO AGAIN, I'M LOOKING TO MAXIMIZING PUBLIC SAFETY WHILE INCREASING OUR EFFICIENCY AND ALLOWING US TO PAY ATTENTION TO THE CASES WE MOST NEED TO PAY ATTENTION TO. IN SEPTEMBER OF LAST YEAR, WE NOTIFIED THE GENERAL DISTRICT COURT THAT WE WERE GOING TO PULL OUT OF MORE CASES. AND SO THIS INVOLVED CLASS ONE AND TWO MISDEMEANORS. SO THESE ARE OUR JAILABLE OFFENSES AND THESE ARE OFFICER INITIATED. SO THE OFFICER WENT TO THE MAGISTRATE AND TOOK OUT THE CHARGE. AND WE GOT OUT OF ALL CASES, EXCEPT THOSE THAT INVOLVED A FIREARM, A SEXUAL OFFENSE, OR A DRUG OFFENSE.

AGAIN, TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHERE IS THE LINE BETWEEN PUBLIC SAFETY AND MAXIMIZING OUR EFFICIENCY AND REDUCING OUR CASELOAD. AND THE POLICE DEPARTMENT AND I WORKED REALLY GOOD TOGETHER, YOU KNOW, PLANNING FOR THIS CHANGE.

BUT, YOU KNOW, IT'S A CHANGE I DIDN'T NECESSARILY WANT TO MAKE. IT WAS A CHANGE I HAD TO MAKE. THIS DID NOT CHANGE, AGAIN, ANY CASE WE WERE HANDLING IN THE JDR COURTROOM. THOSE STAYED THE SAME. AND IT DIDN'T CHANGE ANYTHING WE WERE HANDLING IN TRAFFIC COURT.

IN TRAFFIC COURT, WE WERE ALREADY AT HANDLING JUST DUIS AND FELONY OFFENSES.

SO HERE'S JUST A SUMMARY OF WHAT CASES WE HANDLE. CLASS 1 AND 2, MISDEMEANORS THAT ARE OFFICER-INITIATED INVOLVING FIREARMS, DRUGS, OR SEX OFFENSES AND DUIS IN THE GDC. AND THEN IN JDR, CLASS 1 OR 2, MISDEMEANORS COMMITTED BY OR AGAINST A JUVENILE. AND CLASS ONE OR TWO MISDEMEANORS COMMITTED BY A FAMILY OR HOUSEHOLD MEMBER, BY AND AGAINST, AS IMPLIED.

AND AGAIN, FOCUSING ON WHERE WE CAN AFFECT PUBLIC SAFETY THE MOST IN A POSITIVE WAY. SO WHY WERE THESE CHANGES MADE? THE BAR IMPOSES UPON ME, AS THE SUPERVISOR OF THE ATTORNEYS IN MY OFFICE, A DUTY TO SUPERVISE THEM. AND TO ENSURE THAT THEY HAVE THE RESOURCES AND THE INAPPROPRIATE CASELOAD TO DO THEIR JOB. WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE DO NOT GET BAR COMPLAINTS BASED UPON NEGLIGENCE OR OVERSIGHT BECAUSE WE'RE OVERLOADED. THAT HAS NOT HAPPENED. SO I WANT TO KEEP THAT RECORD CLEAN FOR US. WE NEED TO ENSURE THAT THE DEFENDANT HAS A FAIR TRIAL, WITH ALL THE DISCOVERY AND EXCULPATORY EVIDENCE AT THAT DEFENDANT'S DISPOSAL.

AND JUST TO CONTRAST, WE DON'T HAVE A PUBLIC DEFENDER'S OFFICE, BUT... THE COMMONWEALTH ATTORNEY'S OFFICE IS REQUIRED BY CODE TO HANDLE ALL FELONY OFFENSES.

IT DOESN'T MATTER. A CAPITAL MURDER WITH SIX DEFENDANTS COULD COME THROUGH TOMORROW. PLEASE DON'T LET THAT HAPPEN. AND WE DON'T HAVE CAPITAL MURDER ANYMORE. I DATED MYSELF. AND IT DOESN'T MATTER. I CAN'T SAY TO THE JUDGE, YOU KNOW WHAT, I CAN'T TAKE THAT GRAND LARCENY BECAUSE I'VE GOT THIS CAPITAL CASE OVER HERE. PUBLIC DEFENDER'S OFFICES, BY CONTRAST, CAN SAY TO THE COURT, JUDGE, OUR PUBLIC DEFENDERS HAVE REACHED THEIR MAXIMUM CASELOAD. AND WE ARE NOT TAKING NEW COURT APPOINTMENTS FOR THE NEXT MONTH, 60 DAYS, WHATEVER. AND SO THAT'S WHERE WE'RE A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT FROM WHERE A PUBLIC DEFENDER'S OFFICE WOULD HANDLE THINGS. AS I SAID BEFORE, WE NEED TO SPEND THE MOST TIME ON THE MOST SERIOUS OF CASES. I'VE ALREADY TALKED ABOUT OUR INCREASED VOLUME AND COMPLEXITY OF EVIDENCE. WHEN WE'RE DEALING WITH TEXT MESSAGES IN A LARGE CASE, I MEAN, IT'S THOUSANDS OF PAGES TO COMB THROUGH TO FIND THOSE ONE OR TWO LITTLE NUGGETS THAT MAKE YOUR CASE. WHEN YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT CHILD PORNOGRAPHY, AGAIN, JUST THOUSANDS OF IMAGES TO COMB THROUGH TO MAKE YOUR CASE. WE NEED ADDITIONAL TIME TO LISTEN TO THE JAIL CALLS. THOSE HAVE BEEN VERY FRUITFUL FOR US IN THE PAST. WE'VE GOTTEN TO A SITUATION WHERE WE LISTEN VERY INFREQUENTLY BECAUSE OF OUR CASELOAD. SOME CASES TAKE MORE TIME. AND YOU NEED TO DEVELOP A RAPPORT WITH A RELUCTANT VICTIM OR WITNESS AND HAVE MULTIPLE MEETINGS OR CONTACTS WITH THEM. WE WANT TO BE ABLE TO PREPARE MEANINGFUL EXHIBITS, ESPECIALLY FOR OUR JURY TRIALS. AND AGAIN, WE NEED TO REDACT OUT, ESPECIALLY FOR JURY TRIALS, ITEMS THAT WOULD NOT BE ADMISSIBLE OR WOULD BE INTRUSIVE TO A PERSON'S PRIVACY THAT ARE NOT RELEVANT TO THE TRIAL. AND IF WE MISS SOMETHING THAT WE SHOULD HAVE REDACTED. WE COULD CAUSE A MISTRIAL AND HAVE TO DO THE CASE ALL OVER AGAIN. GOING BACK TO TIME, BEING OUR MOST VALUABLE RESOURCE, WE RECENTLY TRIED OUT A NEW ONLINE RESEARCH SYSTEM.

IT'S CALLED LEXIS, LEXISNEXIS. THEY GAVE US A PRETTY EXTENSIVE FREE TRIAL WITH THAT SO WE COULD SEE IF IT

[00:50:03]

AND AS WE WENT THROUGH THE TRIAL, EACH OF US IN THE OFFICE, THE ATTORNEYS THAT WERE USING IT, SHARED LIKE, WOW, THIS HAS REALLY INCREASED THE EFFICIENCY OF MY RESEARCH, THE SPEED AT WHICH I GET A RESULT THAT HELPS MY CASE. OR ANSWERS THE QUESTION, DOESN'T EVEN NEED TO HELP US, WE JUST NEED THE ANSWER, RIGHT? AND LEXIS ALSO HAS A SPECIAL SYSTEM CALLED SHEPARDIZING, WHERE IT SEARCHES FOR THAT CASE IN ALL OTHER CASES AND ANNOTATIONS. AND IT WILL TELL YOU WHETHER THERE'S A CONTRARY HOLDING, OR MAYBE IT'S BEEN OVERRULED, MAYBE IT'S BEEN PARTIALLY OVERRULED. THIS ALSO PROTECTS OUR LAW LICENSE, BECAUSE IF WE CITE TO A CASE, WE'RE SUPPOSED TO KNOW WHETHER THAT CASE IS STILL GOOD LAW.

AND THE OTHER WAY THAT YOU DO IT IS YOU KIND OF JUST... PUT IN THE CASE AND GOOGLE IT AND SEE WHAT POPS UP. SO THIS IS MUCH MORE EFFICIENT AND ALSO PROTECTS OUR LICENSES. DATA. I KNOW IT'S REALLY, REALLY, REALLY DIFFICULT TO MEASURE WHAT WE DO. SOME MISDEMEANOR CASES CAN TAKE FIVE TIMES THE AMOUNT OF TIME AS A FELONY CASE. AND SO RAW NUMBERS AND WEIGHTING OF CASES, IT JUST ISN'T A SIMPLE ANSWER.

AND THEN I WOULD SAY THAT WE'RE MINISTERS OF JUSTICE, AND SO WE NEED TO MAKE SURE JUSTICE IS BEING DONE, AND THAT DOES NOT MEAN GETTING CONVICTIONS. SO SOMETIMES JUSTICE IS DROPPING A CASE.

SOMETIMES JUSTICE IS MAKING SURE SOMEBODY IS GETTING THE REHABILITATION THEY NEED SO THAT THEY'RE NOT COMING BACK INTO THE SYSTEM LIKE A WASHING MACHINE.

OVER AND OVER AGAIN. AND THAT USUALLY MEANS YOU'RE CARRYING A CASE OUT LONGER, YOU'RE TOUCHING IT MORE OFTEN, YOU'RE APPEARING MORE OFTEN.

AND SOMETIMES JUSTICE REQUIRES JUST THE FIRMEST APPLICATION OF THE LAW AND PUNISHMENT. AND WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT WHEN NECESSARY AS WELL. SO I THINK OUR JURY TRIALS HAVE BEEN THE BIGGEST THING THAT HAS DRIVEN OUR CASELOADS FEELING HEAVIER THAN THEY WERE. BACK IN 2020, THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY CHANGED THE LAW SO THAT JURIES WOULD NO LONGER AUTOMATICALLY BE THE SENTENCING BODY IN A JURY TRIAL. NOW IT'S UP TO THE DEFENDANT TO REQUEST A JURY. IT DEFAULTS TO THE JUDGE. AND BECAUSE JURIES DIDN'T HAVE THE EXPERIENCE OF BEING IN THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM, ONCE THEY FOUND SOMEBODY GUILTY AND RECEIVED A CRIMINAL HISTORY, THAT MAYBE MYSELF OR THE JUDGE WOULD BE LIKE, THAT'S NOT TOO BAD. THE JURY WOULD BE APPALLED AND THEIR SENTENCES WOULD BE MUCH HARSHER. AND SO THAT WAS A BIG REASON WHY WE DIDN'T HAVE AS MANY JURY TRIALS PRIOR TO THAT LAW CHANGE.

BUT YOU CAN SEE THROUGH THOSE NUMBERS THERE THAT OUR JURIES ARE GOING UP. AND JUST IN CALENDAR YEAR 2026, WE HAVE JURIES SET THROUGH SEPTEMBER ALREADY. AND WE HAVE 26 CASES SET THIS CALENDAR YEAR. AND SOME OF THEM ARE MULTIPLE DAYS. IT REPRESENTS 46 DAYS OF JURY TRIALS. JUST TO RECAP ON WHAT OUR STAFFING WAS. WHEN I ARRIVED IN 2016, IT WAS MYSELF, TWO FULL-TIME ATTORNEYS, ONE PART-TIME ATTORNEY, THREE FULL-TIME STAFF, AND ONE VICTIM WITNESS, FULL-TIME ADVOCATE. TODAY, IT'S MYSELF, FIVE FULL-TIME ATTORNEYS, THREE FULL-TIME STAFF, ONE PART-TIME STAFF THAT WE SHARE WITH VICTIM WITNESS, AND TWO VICTIM WITNESS ADVOCATES THAT ARE FULL-TIME.

MY REQUEST IS TO ADD ONE OR TWO FULL-TIME ATTORNEYS AND A FULL-TIME STAFF. THAT BASICALLY MAXES IF ALL OF THAT WAS GRANTED. THAT WOULD MAX US OUT IN TERMS OF SPACE.

WE WOULDN'T HAVE ANYWHERE ELSE TO GROW WITHIN THE OFFICE. IF WE GET EITHER OF THE ATTORNEY POSITIONS, THERE WILL BE ATTORNEYS DOUBLED UP IN AN OFFICE OR TWO.

INCREASING BY ONE ATTORNEY AND ONE STAFF POSITION WILL ALLOW US TO KEEP THE STATUS QUO RATHER THAN CUT ADDITIONAL MISDEMEANOR CASES WE HANDLE.

I'M HOPEFUL THAT IF YOU WERE TO ADD TWO ATTORNEYS AND ONE STAFF, WE WOULD BE ABLE TO GET BACK INTO THOSE OFFICER-INITIATED MISDEMEANOR CASES IN GENERAL DISTRICT COURT, THAT ARE CLASS ONE AND CLASS TWO MISDEMEANORS. AS I STATED EARLIER, ONE POSITION REQUEST IS FOR A SENIOR ASSISTANT COMMONWEALTH ATTORNEY. THIS WOULD HELP WITH RETENTION OF AN EXPERIENCED ATTORNEY, AS TITLE AND SALARY WOULD BE COMMENSURATE WITH EXPERIENCE.

AND THEN THIS POSITION WOULD ALSO ACT AS A MENTOR TO OUR LESS EXPERIENCED PROSECUTORS.

AND WE ALL PLAY THAT ROLE, BUT JUST FOR THEM TO HAVE ONE PERSON TO GO TO TO ANSWER THEIR QUESTIONS IS ALWAYS HELPFUL FOR OTHERS. THE SECOND ATTORNEY POSITION, AS I STATED BEFORE, WOULD BE AN ENTRY-LEVEL POSITION. AND THEN YOU MIGHT SAY, WELL, WHY IS IT

[00:55:01]

THE OFFICERS HAVE BEEN FRUSTRATED THAT THEY CANNOT ARGUE THEIR CASE OR PRESENT CASE LAW TO THE JUDGE, THAT THEY CAN'T RESPOND TO A DEFENDANT'S, A DEFENSE ATTORNEY'S MOTION TO DISMISS FOR WHATEVER REASON. OBVIOUSLY WE'RE THERE, WE'RE ABLE TO RESPOND, WE'RE ABLE TO ADVOCATE. I HAVE BEEN TOLD THAT CASES ARE SOMETIMES BEING DISMISSED. FOR A VICTIM OR WITNESS NON-APPEARANCE, EVEN WHEN THE COURT HAS NOT ACTUALLY ISSUED A SUBPOENA TO THAT PERSON TO APPEAR. WHEN WE HANDLE A CASE, WE ISSUE ALL THE SUBPOENAS. IF WE MAKE A MISTAKE, WE OWN IT AND SAY, JUDGE, THEY DIDN'T HAVE NOTICE TO BE HERE. I MOVE FOR A CONTINUANCE. IT'S HARD FOR AN OFFICER TO MOVE FOR A CONTINUANCE BECAUSE THAT'S TECHNICALLY A LEGAL THING TO MAKE A MOTION IN COURT, AND THEY CANNOT ENGAGE IN THE PRACTICE OF LAW. SO IT'S A VERY TIGHTROPE THING FOR THEM TO WALK. AND TO ENSURE JUSTICE IS DONE, AND I SAY THIS BECAUSE MANY TIMES WE SEE A CASE AND RIGHT AWAY WE THINK, SOMETHING'S NOT RIGHT WITH THIS CASE. OR THESE ELEMENTS DON'T MATCH THIS CHARGE, AND MAYBE THE CASE JUST NEEDS TO BE DROPPED. AND WHEN SOMEBODY IS CHARGED WITH SOMETHING, ESPECIALLY IF THEY'VE NEVER BEEN IN THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM BEFORE, IT'S IMPORTANT TO GET THEM OUT. IF THEIR CASE SHOULD NOT BE A CHARGE. IT IS IMPORTANT TO DROP THAT CASE AS SOON AS YOU CAN AND NOT HAVE THE PERSON GO THROUGH TRIAL.

AND SO, AND EQUALLY, IT'S IMPORTANT TO ENSURE JUSTICE IS DONE IF A CONVICTION IS APPROPRIATE OR IF THE CHARGE NEEDS TO BE AMENDED. AND THE VICTIM DOESN'T UNDERSTAND.

THEY GOT THE WRONG CHARGE AND THE CASE JUST GETS DISMISSED AND THEY'RE STANDING THERE WITH QUESTION MARKS ON WHAT JUST HAPPENED. I THREW IN THE ADDITIONAL ETHICAL RULES THAT THE VIRGINIA STATE BAR PLACES UPON US, ADDITIONAL TO PROSECUTORS, I SHOULD SAY.

AND ONE OF THE THINGS IS THAT IT'S OBVIOUSLY OUR DUTY TO SEEK JUSTICE, AND ALSO IT IS IMPORTANT FOR THE PROSECUTOR TO SEEK REFORM AND IMPROVE THE ADMINISTRATION. WHEN WE ARE OVERLOADED IN JUST OUR TRIAL WORK, IT IS REALLY HARD FOR US.

TO PAY ATTENTION TO THOSE THINGS. AND SO I JUST POINT THAT OUT. THAT IS ALSO PART OF OUR JOB, NOT JUST SOMETHING WE DO, BECAUSE WE THINK IT'S A GREAT THING TO DO. AND THEN JUSTICE SUTHERLAND LEAVES US WITH THIS QUOTE ABOUT THE JOB OF A PROSECUTOR. WHILE HE MAY STRIKE HARD BLOWS, HE IS NOT AT LIBERTY TO STRIKE FOUL ONES. IT IS AS MUCH HIS DUTY TO REFRAIN FROM THE IMPROPER METHODS CALCULATED TO PRODUCE A WRONGFUL CONVICTION. AS IT IS, TO USE EVERY ILLEGITIMATE MEANS TO BRING ABOUT A JUST ONE. AND THAT'S WHAT I WANT TO BE SURE THAT WE ARE DOING 110% OF THE TIME. AND I KNOW I OWE YOU PAPERWORK, AND I WILL GET THAT PAPERWORK TO YOU BEFORE MONDAY AT 8 A.M.

OKAY. ANY QUESTIONS? ALL RIGHT.

MR. HAMMOND? I'M SURE THIS IS WHAT EVERY COMMONWEALTH ATTORNEY'S OFFICE IS LOOKING FOR, IS THAT BASED ON THAT LAW CHANGE? IN 2020, THE AMOUNT OF... TRIALS HAVE GONE UP. IS THERE ANY SIGN THAT THERE'S ANY RELIEF IN THAT COMING, OR ANY ABILITY TO FIND, I KNOW WE MENTIONED EARLIER ABOUT GRANTS, ANYTHING TO HELP OFFSET SOME OF THE INCREASED EXPENSE THAT WE'RE SEEING DUE TO THAT WORKLOAD INCREASE? SO THERE'S NO RELIEF COMING IN TERMS OF A LAW CHANGE ON THAT. IT'S JUST NOT GOING TO CHANGE. I WILL SAY THAT UNDER GOVERNOR YOUNGKIN. AND A LITTLE BIT BEFORE GOVERNOR YOUNGKIN, THERE WAS SOME ATTENTION PAID TO OUR STAFFING STANDARDS, AND WE HAVE A STAFFING STANDARD NOW THAT WEIGHTS OUR CASELOAD AS WELL AS COUNTS THE FELONIES.

AND SO, I BELIEVE I'M UNDERSTAFFED BY ONE ATTORNEY, BY COMP BOARD STAFFING STANDARDS FOR FELONY PROSECUTIONS ONLY.

BECAUSE I RECEIVED A POSITION RECENTLY, MY PERCENT OF NEED IS WAY DOWN. OTHER OFFICES ARE WAY AHEAD OF ME.

NOW, WHENEVER THEY FILL A POSITION, THEY RECALCULATE THE PERCENT OF NEED. SO LET'S SAY FAIRFAX, WHO PROBABLY HAS CLOSE TO 100 PROSECUTORS, GETS A POSITION, AND THEY SAY THEY NEED 40 MORE POSITIONS. IT'S GOING TO BE RECALCULATED. NOW THAT YOU'VE GOT A POSITION, WHERE ARE YOU IN THE PERCENT OF NEED? SO IT'S NOT NECESSARILY JUST GOING DOWN THE LIST. IT'S KIND OF MORE COMPLICATED. AND THEN YOU MENTIONED GRANTS. I DID HAVE A GRANT. I HAD A CEASEFIRE PROSECUTOR WHO WAS EXCELLENT.

SHE LEFT MY OFFICE FOR TWO REASONS. WELL, MAYBE THREE. I'LL SAY THREE. EVERY

[01:00:01]

THAT WAS NUMBER ONE. NUMBER TWO, DCJS DID NOT PUT OUT THE RENEWAL OF THE GRANT INFORMATION TIMELY. AND SO BY THE TIME THEY PUT OUT, HEY, IF YOU WANT TO RENEW THIS GRANT, YOU CAN APPLY NOW, SHE ALREADY HAD A NEW JOB. IT WAS LIKE A MONTH OUT FROM HER GRANT ENDING. SHE WASN'T JUST GOING TO SIT AROUND, AND THEN THREE WOULD BE THE COMMUTE. SO GRANTS ARE OUT THERE, AND I GUESS MY OTHER COMMENT ABOUT GRANTS IS THEY TAKE A LOT OF TIME TO WRITE AND ADMINISTER. AND I HAD SOME GRANT MONEY THAT I LET GO BECAUSE I JUST COULD NOT FIND THE TIME TO ADMINISTER IT.

I DON'T THINK I WOULD HAVE FOUND AN EXPERIENCED PROSECUTOR. I DID REACH OUT TO PEOPLE THAT I KNEW WOULD BE A GOOD FIT. I DON'T THINK I WOULD HAVE FOUND THE PERSON THAT I HAD IN THAT CEASEFIRE POSITION AGAIN. AND THE DCJS SAID, WELL, YOU CAN HIRE AN ENTRY-LEVEL PERSON. I MEAN, MY OFFICE JUST COULDN'T TAKE ON ANOTHER ENTRY-LEVEL PERSON AT THAT TIME. WE SPEND MORE TIME TRAINING THAN DOING OUR CASES. I THINK I ANSWERED ALL OF THEM. OKAY. YEAH, THANK YOU.

ANYTHING ELSE? MR. PHILLIP, ANY QUESTIONS? I MEAN, I GUESS IT'S GOING TO BE A SPIRAL EFFECT. AND WHAT I MEAN BY THAT IS, WE'RE NOT PROSECUTING MISDEMEANORS. THEN POLICE OFFICERS WON'T CHARGE PEOPLE, AND IF THEY'RE DOING A MISDEMEANOR CRIME, THEN IT'S IT'S. IT'S A SNOWBALL EFFECT. I MEAN, IT COULD BE. I THINK OUR OFFICERS ARE MORE CONSCIENTIOUS THAN THAT. I GOT, TO BE HONEST. UM, BUT I DO THINK WHAT YOU'LL SEE, OR WHAT THEY'RE SEEING, IS AN INCREASE IN DISMISSALS OR NOT GUILTIES ON THOSE MISDEMEANORS. WHERE WE'RE NOT THERE PROSECUTING WITH THEM. UM, AND I'M A MEASURE GUY, SO LIKE, NOT BEING ABLE TO SAY THIS IS HOW MANY CONVICTIONS WE GOT. I GET THE IDEA THAT, YOU KNOW, YES, SOMETIMES IT'S A GOOD FEELING THAT WE DID THE RIGHT THING HERE AND DIDN'T CONVICT OR CHANGE THE. BUT I JUST, I CAN'T MEASURE OFF OF THAT. I KNOW. IT'S HARD.

THAT'S ALL I GOT AT THIS TIME.

I'M SURE I'LL HAVE SOME QUESTIONS THAT I MIGHT REACH OUT TO YOU AT A LATER DATE.

ABSOLUTELY. AND MAYBE COME SIT DOWN WITH YOU SO I CAN LEARN A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THIS.

ABSOLUTELY. WOULD YOU? I DON'T HAVE ANY QUESTIONS. WHIP? I'M GOOD. THANK YOU, SIR. ALL RIGHT. PIGGYBACKING ON WHAT MR. PHILLIP PUGET SAID, I'M CONCERNED. WHAT HAPPENS TO A MISDEMEANOR CASE THAT'S INITIATED BY A CITIZEN COMPLAINT? WHERE DO THEY GO NOW THAT Y'ALL ARE NOT PROSECUTING THEM? THEY GO TO COURT, AND THEY STAND IN FRONT OF THE JUDGE, AND THEY TELL THE JUDGE WHAT THEY HAVE TO SAY ABOUT THE CASE.

BUT SOMETIMES THE OTHER SIDE, THE DEFENDANT, WILL HAVE AN ATTORNEY. NOT ALWAYS, BUT... AND THEN THE CITIZEN IS THERE, LIKE THE OFFICER BY THEMSELVES. AND THEN I DO HAVE CONCERN WITH THE CLASS 1 AND 2 MISDEMEANORS INVOLVED IN FIRE, DRUGS, SEX, AND OFFENSES INVOLVED BY AN OFFICER. WHAT ABOUT THE REST OF THEM, WHICH, AGAIN, YOU'VE PRETTY MUCH ANSWERED.

OKAY. I THINK THAT'S ALL WE NEED. OKAY. THANK YOU, MA'AM.

THANK YOU. I WELCOME YOU ALL TO REACH OUT. OR, IF THERE'S SOME METRIC THAT YOU'RE IN PARTICULAR INTERESTED IN, I WILL TRY TO GET THAT FOR YOU. JUST REACH OUT AND LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU'D LIKE TO SEE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. I WILL MOVE INTO THE DISCUSSION FROM THE RIVERSIDE CRIMINAL JUSTICE AGENCY. GOOD EVENING, CHAIRMAN COX, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD, MS. PUDLOW. I DO HAVE A POWERPOINT PRESENTATION. AND THANK YOU ALL FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO COME BEFORE YOU THIS EVENING TO DISCUSS OUR FY 2027 BUDGET REQUEST ON BEHALF OF RCJA.

HOPEFULLY YOU ALL HAD A CHANCE TO REVIEW OUR BUDGET PACKET, SUBMITTED IN ITS ENTIRETY. SO TONIGHT, I'LL JUST BRIEFLY HIGHLIGHT THE REQUESTED CHANGES FROM CURRENT YEAR BUDGET AND OUTLINE THE DEPARTMENT'S REQUEST FOR AN ADDITIONAL PART-TIME POSITION. ALL RIGHT, THE ADOPTED BUDGET IN FY2026 WAS $1,333,856. THIS BUDGET INCLUDES THREE REVENUE SOURCES, A STATE GRANT FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE SERVICES, LOCALITY CONTRIBUTIONS FROM PRINCE GEORGE, HOPEWELL, AND SURREY, WHICH TOTALED $493,831, WITH PRINCE GEORGE'S PORTION EQUALING $222,224.

AND, AS YOU MAY KNOW, THOSE CONTRIBUTIONS ARE BASED ON A THREE-YEAR AVERAGE OF PROGRAM UTILIZATION. AND THEN OUR FINAL REVENUE SOURCE

[01:05:03]

OF THAT INCREASE, $43,268 IS REQUESTED FROM OUR DCGS GRANT. WE'LL COVER A POTENTIAL 2%. PAY INCREASE FOR STATE SUPPORTED EMPLOYEES AS PROPOSED BY GOVERNOR, FORMER GOVERNOR YOUNGKIN, MENTIONED EARLIER BY MS. DRURY. THE TOTAL ALSO COVERS THE COST OF A DEPARTMENTAL STRATEGIC PLAN, WHICH WOULD BE PROVIDED BY THE COUNTY'S CONTRACTED CONSULTANT MANAGING RESULTS. SO HERE AGAIN, YOU'LL SEE PRETRIAL PLACEMENTS.

BY LOCALITY, PRINCE GEORGE WILL SEE AN $18,935 INCREASE IN ITS LOCALITY CONTRIBUTION BASED ON INCREASED PROGRAM UTILIZATION.

HOPEWELL WILL SEE A $10,610 DECREASE. MISSOURI WILL SEE A $257 INCREASE. SO THOSE ARE OUR PRETRIAL PLACEMENTS FOR FY 2025. AND THEN HERE YOU'LL SEE OUR LOCAL PROBATION PLACEMENTS FOR FY 2025. AGAIN, PRINCE GEORGE HAS HIGHER. IN BOTH OF THOSE AREAS. ONE SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN OUR LOCAL BUDGET IS IN OUR FURNITURE AND FIXTURES CATEGORY, OF WHICH TEN THOUSAND DOLLARS HAS BEEN IN THERE FOR THE PAST FEW YEARS. THIS YEAR, THERE WILL BE NO REQUESTS MADE AS THOSE BUILDING UPGRADES HAVE BEEN COMPLETED. AND THEN ALL OTHER LINE ITEM CATEGORIES ARE UNDER UNDER STATE AND LOCAL FUNDING WILL REMAIN THE SAME AS LAST YEAR. I DID WANT TO HIGHLIGHT JUST OUR CURRENT STAFF POSITION SINCE WE ARE ASKING FOR A PART-TIME POSITION. WE CURRENTLY HAVE 11 FULL-TIME EMPLOYEES AND ONE PART-TIME DEPUTY SHERIFF WHO COORDINATES OUR LITTER REDUCTION PROGRAM.

AND I CAN CORROBORATE WHAT SHERIFF VARGA SAID ABOUT PULLING DEPUTIES DURING THE JURY TRIALS.

DEPUTY KEITH KING, WE HAD TO PAUSE OUR LITTER REDUCTION PROGRAM FOR A FEW DAYS SO THAT DEPUTY KING COULD ASSIST SHERIFF VARGA WITH THAT JURY TRIAL.

IN FY2027, RCJ IS REQUESTING TO ADD ONE PART-TIME POSITION TO OUR CURRENT STAFF.

IN WORKING WITH MS. HURT AND HR AND MR. O'REAN FINANCE, WE'VE DETERMINED THAT THE ANNUAL COST FOR THAT POSITION WOULD BE $26,124. PRIOR TO FY2022, I WILL TELL YOU, RCJ DID HAVE 12 FULL-TIME POSITIONS. WE CHOSE NOT TO FILL A PRETRIAL OFFICER VACANCY THAT YEAR. THE PROGRAM MANAGER, CHARLOTTE WALLMAN, AND MYSELF WERE ABLE TO STREAMLINE SEVERAL INTERNAL PROCESSES AND REALLOCATE OUR DUTIES. TO ENSURE THAT THE WORKLOAD AMONGST STAFF WAS MORE EQUITABLE, AND ALSO TO MAKE SURE THAT ALL STAFF WERE WORKING TO CAPACITY. WE HAD STAFF THAT WERE COVERING CERTAIN CASELOADS, CERTAIN LOCALITIES, AND SO SOME COURTS WERE REFERRING MORE, OTHERS WERE REFERRING LESS, AND SO THERE WERE SOME DISPARITIES AMONGST THE WORKLOAD, AND SO WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT WAS MORE EQUITABLE. SO IN DOING THAT, WE WERE ABLE TO ELIMINATE THE POSITION, THAT FULL-TIME POSITION, FROM THE BUDGET THAT YEAR. WE HAVEN'T REGRETTED THAT DECISION. HOWEVER, OVER THE PAST YEAR, RCJA HAS SEEN AN INCREASE IN THREE KEY AREAS, INCLUDING THE IMPLEMENTATION OF A COLOR CODE RANDOM DRUG TESTING SYSTEM, AN INCREASED EXPECTATION AMONGST OUR COURT STAKEHOLDERS FOR RCJA REPRESENTATION AT CRIMINAL DOCKETS, AND AN INCREASE IN OUR BED-TO-BED PRETRIAL SUPERVISION REFERRALS. ADDITIONALLY, OUR HALF-YEAR FY26 DATA INDICATES THAT WE'RE ON TARGET FOR A 14% INCREASE IN REFERRALS, WHICH, AGAIN, WE DON'T BELIEVE THAT SUPPORTS A FULL-TIME POSITION, BUT WE CERTAINLY DO FEEL THAT IT SUPPORTS A PART-TIME POSITION.

SO OUR COLOR CODE RANDOM DRUG TESTING SYSTEM, JUST TO TELL YOU A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT, THAT WAS REQUESTED THROUGH OUR COMMUNITY CRIMINAL JUSTICE BOARD, OUR COURT STAKEHOLDERS, AS MS. FIERA MENTIONED. THAT WAS SOMETHING THAT WAS REQUESTED BY OUR JUDGES AND OUR COMMONWEALTH ATTORNEYS TO HAVE A RANDOM COLOR CODE DRUG TESTING SYSTEM IN PLACE. THIS IS SIMILARLY DONE IN OTHER AGENCIES. I CAME FROM CHESTERFIELD COMMUNITY.

CORRECTIONS. I WAS THERE FOR MANY YEARS, AND WE HAD A COLOR CODE SYSTEM THERE JUST TO MAKE RANDOM TESTING FOR OUR SUBSTANCE-USING CLIENTS. THIS HAS TAKEN ABOUT 16 HOURS PER MONTH OF THE OFFICER'S TIME THAT WAS PREVIOUSLY DEVOTED TO CLIENT CONTACTS AND COURT REPORT WRITING. ADDITIONALLY, CLIENTS TESTING POSITIVE OR FAILING TO REPORT TO THOSE RANDOM SCREENS HAS INCREASED THE VIOLATION REQUEST THAT WE ARE REQUIRED TO SUBMIT TO OUR COURTS. SO, AGAIN, JUST ANOTHER EXTENSION OF THEIR WORKLOAD, OTHER THAN

[01:10:01]

TO MAKE THAT INITIAL CONTACT WITH CLIENTS, INTRODUCE THEM, SCHEDULE AN INTAKE, GIVE THEM DIRECTIONS TO OUR OFFICE. ALL OF THOSE THINGS, THAT FIRST INITIAL CONTACT, INCREASE THE LIKELIHOOD THAT THEY'RE GOING TO COME, THAT THEY'RE GOING TO COMPLY, THAT THEY'RE GOING TO STAY ON TRACK. WHEN FOLKS LEAVE THE COURTROOM AND HAVE NO CONTACT OTHER THAN A PIECE OF PAPER, A LOT OF TIMES THEY DON'T MAKE IT TO US, AND SO THAT'S WHEN THE TRACKING DOWN BEGINS. IT'S JUST INCREASINGLY BECOMING NOT POSSIBLE TO DO THAT. AS MS. FIERRO SAID, SOMETIMES THE COURT DOCKETS ARE DONE IN A HALF A DAY. SOMETIMES WE'RE THERE UNTIL FOUR, FIVE, SIX O'CLOCK IN THE EVENING, WHICH IS EXTREMELY DIFFICULT FOR OUR OFFICERS, PARTICULARLY WHEN THEY HAVE.

THANK YOU. CASELOADS OF ANYWHERE FROM 80 TO 100 CLIENTS. MANY OF THOSE CLIENTS HAVE TO BE SEEN ON A WEEKLY BASIS, SOME HAVE TO BE SEEN BI-WEEKLY, THERE'S SOME THAT ARE MONTHLY, BUT AGAIN, HIGHER RISK CLIENTS ARE BEING SEEN TYPICALLY ONCE A WEEK. AND SO TRYING TO COVER A DOCKET AT LEAST ONCE, SOMETIMES TWICE A WEEK, IS INCREASINGLY DIFFICULT. SO THE LAST KEY AREA IS AN INCREASE IN OUR BED-TO-BED PRE-TRIAL REFERRALS. AND BY THAT, I MEAN DEFENDANTS WHO ARE RELEASED ON BOND AND ARE IMMEDIATELY TRANSPORTED TO TREATMENT FACILITIES AND OR RECOVERY HOUSES. BUT THOSE ARE CLIENTS THAT THE COURT WANTS US TO TRACK AND TO REQUEST COURT ACTIONS IF THOSE CLIENTS FAIL TO COMPLY WITH THOSE PROGRAMS OR IF THEY ABSCOND. SO OFFICERS ARE SPENDING MORE AND MORE TIME CONTACTING THESE FACILITIES, WAITING FOR CLIENTS TO SIGN RELEASE OF INFORMATION FORMS, AND THEN FOLLOWING UP FOR...

COMPLIANCE REPORTS AND CERTIFICATES TO REPORT BACK TO THE COURT. WE'VE HAD CLIENTS WHO HAVE ORDERED TO DO A BED-TO-BED, GET OUT OF RIVERSIDE REGIONAL JAIL, THEY'RE PICKED UP BY A PROVIDER, THEY MAKE IT TO THE STOP SIGN AND THEY JUMP OUT THE CAR AND THEY GO RUNNING. SO WE ARE TASKED WITH THAT, NOTIFYING THE COURT, SUBMITTING A KPIS REQUEST TO LET THE COURTS KNOW THIS PERSON HAS ABSCONDED, THEY'VE FLOWN, WE HAVE NO IDEA WHERE THEY ARE.

SO THOSE ARE THINGS THAT WE HAVE TO DO IN A VERY QUICK, TIMELY BASIS. THIS IS JUST AN EXAMPLE OF A ROLE THAT COULD BE FILLED BY A PART-TIME POSITION, HAVING A CASELOAD. PROBABLY THREE YEARS AGO, WE DIDN'T HAVE ANY BED-TO-BED TRANSFERS. I WOULD SAY AT THIS POINT, WE PROBABLY HAVE ANYWHERE FROM 30, 40 ON OUR CASELOAD.

SO I THINK THAT EASILY WOULD BE AN ENTIRE CASELOAD FOR SOMEONE, A PART-TIME POSITION TO HAVE.

WE'RE HOPING THAT THIS IS A ROLE THAT COULD BE FILLED BY A PART-TIME POSITION THAT SUPPORTS BOTH ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF, BUT ALSO PERFORM SOME OF THE DUTIES OF AN OFFICER WITHOUT ACTUALLY HAVING TO HAVE A FULL-TIME OFFICER SWORN IN.

AND AGAIN, THIS WOULD BE A PRETRIAL PROBATION OFFICER TECHNICIAN POSITION. AGAIN, WE DON'T THINK THAT OUR NEED DEMANDS A FULL-TIME POSITION, BUT WE DO THINK THAT IT WOULD BE BENEFICIAL TO HAVE A PART-TIME POSITION.

IN ORDER TO HAVE OUR OFFICERS MAINTAIN THOSE QUALITY CONTACTS AND INTERACTIONS WITH THEIR CLIENTS, PARTICULARLY THOSE MEDIUM-RISK AND HIGH-RISK CLIENTS. AND ALSO ENSURE PUBLIC SAFETY IN THE COMMUNITY. JUST QUICKLY, THOSE ARE THE DUTIES THAT I THINK I OUTLINED. JUST HYBRID POSITION, TRACKING THOSE DEFENDANTS WHO HAVE ABSCONDED, REMAINED INCARCERATED. A NUMBER OF OUR CLIENTS ARE REFERRED TO US, NEVER GET OUT OF JAIL.

SOME OF THEM ARE REFERRED WITH A BOND. SOME OF THEM HAVE, YOU KNOW, EVEN IT COULD BE A VERY LOW BOND, BUT IF THEY DON'T HAVE THE FINANCIAL MEANS TO.

SATISFY THAT BOND. AND THEY REMAIN INCARCERATED, WE'RE STILL RESPONSIBLE FOR TRACKING THOSE CLIENTS, MAKING SURE THAT THEY'RE STILL WHERE WE THINK THEY ARE, AND THEN LETTING THE COURT KNOW THAT. OBVIOUSLY, IF THEY MAKE BOND, THEN WE ARE IMMEDIATELY RESPONSIBLE FOR THEM. ALSO, THE BED-TO-BED TRANSFERS THAT I MENTIONED. AND THEN SECURING MAGISTRATE AND COURT REFERRALS FROM JAIL BOOKING AND COURT CLERK'S OFFICES. WE OFTEN HAVE CLIENTS THAT SHOW UP AT OUR OFFICE WITH NO PAPERWORK AND THEY SAY, HEY, I WAS RELEASED FROM RIVERSIDE REGIONAL JAIL LAST NIGHT. MY ATTORNEY TOLD ME I HAD TO COME HERE, OR I THINK THE JUDGE SAID SOMETHING ABOUT RIVERSIDE CRIMINAL JUSTICE AGENCY. WE HAVE NO PAPERWORK, SO THEN THE TRACKING BEGINS.

WE HAVE A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF TIME, FIVE DAYS TECHNICALLY FROM THE TIME WE RECEIVE A REFERRAL OR FROM THE TIME THAT THEY'RE RELEASED THAT WE'RE SUPPOSED TO HAVE CONTACT WITH THEM. SO TYPICALLY, WE DON'T LIKE TO INITIATE SERVICES WITH SOMEONE UNTIL WE ACTUALLY HAVE PAPERWORK. WE DON'T REALLY KNOW WHAT IT IS THAT WE'RE SUPPOSED TO BE DOING WITH THEM. SO IT'S A LOT OF TRACKING DOWN PAPERWORK. WE ARE CONSTANTLY ON THE PHONE WITH THE JAIL, CONSTANTLY ON THE PHONE WITH THE CLERK'S OFFICES, BACK AND FORTH TO THE CLERK'S OFFICES. SO AGAIN, THIS CREATES A LOT OF HARDSHIP FOR OUR ADMINISTRATIVE FOLKS.

THAT COULD EASILY BE PASSED ON TO A PART-TIME POSITION TO HELP WITH THAT. AND THEN AGAIN, JUST ADDITIONAL SUPPORT TO OUR WEEKLY COLOR CODE RANDOM TESTING EVENT. THE BENEFITS OF THE POSITION, AGAIN, RCJA REPRESENTATION IN ALL CRIMINAL COURTS. I'M SURE,

[01:15:02]

PARTICULARLY IF WE'VE BEEN IN COURT AND HAD THAT CONTACT WITH THEM. AND THIS WOULD ALLOW US TO BE MEETING OUR MINIMUM STANDARDS THAT ARE REQUIRED BY DCGS. AND WE HAVE TO HAVE A CONTACT WITHIN FIVE DAYS.

BUT THAT ALL DEPENDS ON HOW QUICKLY WE CAN GET OUR PAPERWORK AND GET SERVICES STARTED WITH FOLKS. INCREASED INTERACTION AND INTERVENTION WITH OUR MEDIUM RISK AND HIGH RISK CLIENTS. WE SUPERVISE SEX OFFENDERS. WE SUPERVISE DOMESTIC VIOLENCE PERPETRATORS, WE SUPERVISE FOLKS CHARGED WITH MURDER, PENDING MURDER TRIAL. A MURDER TRIAL COULD BE CONTINUED MULTIPLE TIMES, BUT YOU WOULD THINK THAT THOSE FOLKS WOULD BE HELD WITHOUT BOND, BUT OFTEN THEY ARE NOT.

OFTEN, IF THEY DON'T HAVE A CRIMINAL HISTORY, IF THERE ARE CERTAIN FACTORS IN PLACE, THEY'VE BEEN RELEASED TO THE COMMUNITY, THEY'RE UNDER OUR SUPERVISION. SO REALLY, WE SUPERVISE ANY TYPE OF CRIME THAT YOU CAN IMAGINE, WHETHER IT BE A MISDEMEANOR OR A FELONY, WHILE THEY'RE ON PRETRIAL. ONCE THEY HIT PROBATION, THOSE ARE OUR MISDEMEANOR.

DEFENDANTS THAT WE'RE SUPERVISING. AND THEN IMPROVED EFFICIENCY AND COURT NOTIFICATION OF NON-COMPLIANCE. WE ESTIMATE THIS WOULD HAPPEN ONE TO THREE DAYS FASTER. AGAIN, IF WE HAVE SOMEONE WHO'S ABSCONDED, WHO'S CHARGED WITH A SEX OFFENSE, SOMEONE WHO'S VIOLATED THE SEX OFFENDER REGISTRY, SOMEONE WHO'S CHARGED WITH DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, YOU KNOW, WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THE COURT'S NOTIFIED AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE. THAT HAS A DIRECT IMPACT ON PUBLIC SAFETY. AND THAT CONCLUDES MY PRESENTATION.

THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION. I KNOW YOU HAVE A LOT TO CONSIDER, BUT I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU MIGHT HAVE.

OKAY. MR. FORTPEW? I DON'T THINK THIS IS A QUESTION FOR MS. WEFF. IT'S MORE OF A QUESTION FOR MS. PUDLOW FOR THE STRATEGIC PLAN COST FOR THIS DEPARTMENT. YES. NOT A TONIGHT ANSWER, BUT IS THAT IN LINE WITH WHAT THE OTHER DEPARTMENTS ARE GETTING QUOTED FOR, STRATEGIC PLANS? I CAN HAVE THAT FOR YOU IN A FEW MINUTES. THEY HAVE A MEDIUM, SMALL, AND LARGE COST THAT THEY'VE PROVIDED FOR US, AND THAT'S MAINTAINED THE ENTIRE TIME. WE'VE HAD A CONTRACT WITH THEM. SO I'LL GET THAT TO YOU SHORTLY. OKAY, THANKS. AND DO WE TALK ANY AT ALL ABOUT DOING A TRAIN-THE-TRAINER FOR THAT? I LOVE ALL DEPARTMENTS. I WANT THEM TO HAVE EQUITABLE TRAINING AND EXECUTION OF THE STRATEGIC PLAN, BUT IS THE TRAIN-THE-TRAINER POSSIBLE? SIR, I DO KNOW THAT THAT IS AN OPTION THAT OTHER LOCALITIES HAVE. HAVE DONE, BUT IT'S NOT AN OPTION WE HAVE LOOKED AT.

BUT, YES, THAT IS SOMETHING THAT THAT CONTRACTOR CAN OFFER.

OKAY, THANKS. AND THAT WAS SOMETHING I SPOKE WITH MS. DRURY ABOUT, THE COST AND ESTIMATE OF THE COST, JUST BASED ON THE SIZE OF OUR DEPARTMENT. AND SO SHE COMPARED OUR DEPARTMENT SIZE TO A FEW OF THE OTHERS, AND THAT'S HOW WE CAME UP WITH THAT AMOUNT. YES, SIR.

THANK YOU. YES, SIR. MR. WEBB.

I'M GOOD. MS. HAMILL. YEAH, I KNOW IN THE PRESENTATION, WHEN I WAS LOOKING AT THIS, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WAS MENTIONED IS THAT THERE'S COST SAVINGS AND NOT HAVING FOLKS BE AT THE JAIL. THAT'S CORRECT.

BECAUSE I THINK THE NUMBER THAT WAS IN THE PRESENTATION IS $52 A DAY, AND THAT COULD BE SOMETHING THAT CHANGES. AND SO DO WE HAVE ANY IDEA, LIKE, HOW MUCH COSTS WE'RE ABLE TO SAVE BY UTILIZING THESE PROGRAMS AND KEEPING FOLKS OUT OF JAIL? SO I KNOW THE LAST TIME I WAS ON A STATE COMMITTEE, AND I REMEMBER THE LAST TIME THAT WE LOOKED AT THIS. THE COST WAS AT THAT TIME PROBABLY IN THE 40S. THE DAILY JAIL COST WAS AROUND 40-SOMETHING, BUT I WANT TO SAY THE COST FOR OUR SERVICES WAS LESS THAN $10 PER DAY. IF YOU'RE DOING AN APPLES TO ORANGES TYPE COMPARISON, IT WAS ABOUT LESS THAN $10 VERSUS AT THAT POINT, IT WAS OVER $40. BECAUSE I FOUND FOR ME, I MEAN, THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS, WHILE THAT MIGHT NOT BE A REVENUE, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT'S KIND OF LIKE, HEY, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE BENEFITS THAT WE GET IS THAT WE SAVE $40 A DAY, OR WHATEVER THE NUMBER ENDS UP BEING. ABSOLUTELY. SOMETHING LIKE THAT, I FIND, WOULD BE VERY HELPFUL FOR ME TO UNDERSTAND. WHILE WE DO HAVE THESE EXPENSES, IT'S SAVING US EXPENSES WE WOULD HAVE INCURRED SOMEWHERE ELSE. RIGHT. WE ARE A COST AVOIDANCE DEPARTMENT, FOR SURE. BUT WE'RE ALSO REHABILITATING THE FOLKS. I THINK, MS. FIERA SPOKE ABOUT THAT. I MEAN, THE COURT IS LOOKING FOR OPTIONS. THEY DON'T WANT TO SEND EVERYONE TO JAIL. NOT EVERYONE IS DESERVING TO BE IN JAIL, AND WE CERTAINLY DON'T WANT TO PAY FOR PEOPLE TO BE INCARCERATED IF THERE'S A RISK THAT WE CAN MITIGATE BY HAVING THEM. SUPERVISED SAFELY IN THE COMMUNITY, THEN WE'RE GOING TO HAVE THAT CONDITION IN PLACE SO THAT WE CAN MITIGATE THAT RISK.

TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY COME TO COURT LIKE THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO, AND THAT THEY DON'T REOFFEND.

AND THERE'S NO RECIDIVISM.

THANK YOU. ANYTHING ELSE? NO, SIR. MR. PUGH? NO, NOT AT THIS TIME. THANK YOU, MA'AM. OKAY, SURE. REACH OUT IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS.

HAPPY TO ANSWER. OKAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT.

WITH THAT, WE'LL MOVE TO THE DISCUSSION OF GENERAL SERVICES BUDGET REQUESTS. GOOD

[01:20:09]

THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING ME TO PRESENT THE GENERAL SERVICES FY27 BUDGET. I DO HAVE A POWERPOINT PRESENTATION. I'M NOT GOING TO GO THROUGH EVERY SLIDE, BUT THERE'S SOME KEY POINTS HERE THAT WILL PROVIDE A LITTLE BIT OF BACKBONE TO OUR... OUR BUDGET REQUESTS. SO I THINK YOU ALL ARE AWARE OF JUST WHAT GENERAL SERVICES DOES FOR THE COUNTY. WE MAINTAIN ALL THE COUNTY BUILDINGS, PROVIDE OVERSIGHT FOR LAWN CARE AND JANITORIAL SERVICES, RESPONSIBLE FOR PARTICIPATING IN EMERGENCY SERVICES PLANNING AT ALL FACILITIES, EMERGENCY OPERATIONS PLAN. RESPONSIBLE FOR OVERSEEING ANY BUILDING CONSTRUCTION AND RENOVATIONS PERTAINING TO COUNTY PROPERTIES AND RESPONSIBLE FOR CONVENIENCE STATION REFUSE CONTRACT.

TRYING TO GET THIS TO ADVANCE HERE, THERE WE GO, BUILDING GROUNDS U.S. IT'S JUST STATISTICAL DATA. WE TAKE CARE OF ABOUT FOUR HUNDRED AND TWENTY THOUSAND SQUARE FEET OF BUILDINGS AND STRUCTURES THROUGHOUT THE COUNTY. A TOTAL OF 52 FACILITY SITES. AS OF JANUARY 13TH, 2026, 1,707 WORK ORDERS HAVE BEEN ASSIGNED IN FACILITY DUDE, WHICH IS OUR WORK ORDER SYSTEM. AS OF THAT DATE, 1,673 WERE COMPLETED BY BUILDING TO GROUND STAFF FOR THE YEAR 2025. COUNTY STAFF THAT DO NOT REGULARLY UTILIZE THE WORK ORDER SYSTEM ACCOUNT FOR APPROXIMATELY 200 OR MORE SERVICE REQUESTS ANNUALLY THROUGH E-MAILS AND PHONE CALLS. WHAT'S NOT CURRENTLY MEASURABLE. IS PREVENT THE AMOUNT OF TIME WE SPEND ON PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE OF MECHANICAL SYSTEMS FOR ALL COUNTY BUILDINGS, WHICH IS ADDING ADDITIONAL WORK TO OUR TO OUR FORCE, WHICH WILL BE CAPTURED WITH QUANTIFIABLE DATA AS THE COMPREHENSIVE PROGRAM IS FULLY DEVELOPED, WE'RE FOCUSING ON A PROACTIVE, NOT A REACTIVE, APPROACH MOVING FORWARD.

BEFORE MY TIME HERE IN PRINCE GEORGE COUNTY, THERE HASN'T BEEN A PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE PLAN. SO WHEN WE TALK ABOUT PROTECTING COUNTY ASSETS, ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS IS DOING THE NECESSARY PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE.

TO PREVENT FAILURES, PREVENT THE COUNTY FROM HAVING TO SPEND MONEY ON REPAIRS. A TOTAL OF 31 COUNTY DEPARTMENTS REQUEST WORK ORDERS ON ANY GIVEN DAY.

GENERAL SERVICES STAFF TAKES CARE OF ANY NUMBER OF THINGS ACROSS TRYING TO WORK ON VARIOUS TYPES OF WORK ORDERS SUBMITTED. WORK ORDERS INCLUDE, OR NOT LIMITED TO, ELECTRICAL, PLUMBING, HEATING, AIR CONDITIONING, CONSTRUCTION, FABRICATION, LIGHTING, GROUNDS, CARPENTRY, DOORS AND HARDWARE, KEYS, LOCKS, HEAVY EQUIPMENT OPERATION, MECHANICAL SERVICE, PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE, ICE MACHINES, FURNITURE, MOVING, COUNTY DECORATIONS, ETC. STAFF ALSO ASSISTS WITH ALL COUNTY SPONSORED EVENTS, PROVIDING LOGISTICAL SUPPORT.

SO I WANT TO FOCUS ON THIS SLIDE HERE. THIS IS GENERAL SERVICES STAFF CHALLENGES. CURRENT MAINTENANCE STAFF ARE MULTIFACETED, WITH A WIDE ARRAY OF SKILL SETS. MOST ARE PROFICIENT IN GENERAL MAINTENANCE, BUILDING STRUCTURE, REPAIRS, ELECTRICAL, PLUMBING, PAINTING, MINOR TROUBLESHOOTING, CUSTOMER SERVICE. THEY ALL HAVE THE ABILITY TO PRIORITIZE EMERGENCY ISSUES AS THEY ARISE.

THE CHALLENGES THE STAFF FACES DAILY ARE IN REFERENCE TO HVAC, OR MECHANICAL ISSUES, HEAT AND AIR CONDITIONING.

THIS IS WHERE WE SPEND AN AWFUL LOT OF MONEY, OR HAVE BEFORE MY TIME, INCLUDING THIS YEAR, ON MAINTAINING EQUIPMENT, OPERATION IN ALL OF OUR BUILDINGS. ALL GENERAL SERVICES MAINTENANCE MECHANICS POSSESS VERY LIMITED KNOWLEDGE OF COMMERCIAL HVAC EQUIPMENT, WHICH REQUIRES BUDGET FUNDING IF AN OUTSIDE CONTRACTOR NEEDS TO BE CALLED IN TO RESOLVE A MECHANICAL ISSUE.

BEYOND A TEAM'S SKILL SET OR KNOWLEDGE. SO, AS DIRECTOR OF THE DEPARTMENT, I HAVE MORE THAN FOUR DECADES OF EXPERIENCE WITH THIS. AND I'M CONSTANTLY TRAINING THE STAFF DAILY ON HOW TO FIX MECHANICAL EQUIPMENT IN THE COUNTY. THE GOAL IS TO TRAIN AND PROVIDE TRAINING TO STAFF ON HVAC TO REDUCE FUTURE BUDGET CONSTRAINTS. SO YOU'LL SEE IN ONE IN OUR PROFESSIONAL SERVICES LINE ITEM THERE'S AN INCREASE, WHICH I'LL DISCUSS HERE IN A FEW MOMENTS.

FOR PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE ON CHILLERS AND BOILERS, WHICH IS PLANNED FOR THIS BUDGET. WITH A GOAL OF GENERAL SERVICES STAFF TO SHADOW THOSE CONTRACTORS FOR ON THE JOB TRAINING TO PROTECT THOSE COUNTY ASSETS.

AS KNOWLEDGE IS GAINED, RELIANCE ON THESE PROFESSIONAL SERVICES WILL BE REDUCED MOVING FORWARD. THOSE ITEMS ARE SPECIFICALLY, IF I CAN GET

[01:25:02]

WE'RE LOOKING AT ENSURING ELEVATED PROFESSIONAL COMMUNICATION WITHIN ALL DEPARTMENTS, COLLABORATE WITH OTHER COUNTY DEPARTMENTS TO BETTER SERVE THE COMMUNITY, AND CREATE A SUSTAINABLE SAFETY CULTURE FOR ALL DEPARTMENTS.

INCLUDING SAFETY COMMITTEE INVOLVEMENT AND SAFETY PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT. SO I DID AS PART OF THE BUDGET PACKAGE, I DID BREAK OUT THE DEDUCTIONS THAT IN BUDGET LINE ITEMS. BUT I SPECIFICALLY WOULD LIKE TO FOCUS IN ON THE INCREASES THAT I'M REQUESTING. WE LOOK AT BUDGET LINE ITEM, LINE ITEMS 45102 TO 45148, WHICH IS ELECTRIC LINE ITEMS FOR ALL COUNTY BUILDINGS.

86,272 IS REQUESTED FOR FY27, WHICH IS AN INCREASE OF 10% ACROSS ALL GL CODES. THE INCREASE IS BASED ON TRENDS AND RECENTLY ANNOUNCED RATE INCREASES FROM DOMINION ENERGY OF 11% AS OF JANUARY 1ST OF THIS YEAR. THERE HAS BEEN NO MENTION FROM PRINCE GEORGE.

ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE. IN TERMS OF WHAT THEIR INTENTIONS ARE FOR INCREASES, THIS 10% INCREASE HAS BEEN INCLUDED AS A PLACEHOLDER AS STAFF EVALUATES IMPACTS OF THESE RATE INCREASES. THE OTHER SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IS LINE ITEMS FOUR, FIVE, ONE, FIVE, ONE, TWO, FOUR, FIVE, ONE, SEVEN, FIVE? HEATING LINE ITEMS. THIS IS AN INCREASE OF FOURTEEN THOUSAND, EXCUSE ME, 175 DOLLARS, WHICH IS THE REQUEST FOR FY27. AGAIN, 10% INCREASE ACROSS THESE CODES, THESE GL CODES. 10% INCREASE HAS BEEN INCLUDED AS A PLACEHOLDER AS STAFF EVALUATES IMPACTS OF THESE RATE INCREASES. OUR EXPENDITURES ARE ALSO IMPACTED BY THE SEVERITY OF THE WINTER SEASON. HOW COLD IS IT? AND I THINK OVER THE LAST 14 DAYS, WE'VE REALIZED THAT WE NEED TO PLAN FOR THIS. IT SEEMS THAT THE LAST FEW YEARS ARE... OUR WINTERS HAVE GOTTEN WORSE, AND IF WE DON'T PLAN FOR THAT IN OUR HEATING COSTS, I THINK WE'D BE REMISS. SO IN A BREAKDOWN, LET ME GO BACK TO, I THINK I SKIPPED ONE VERY IMPORTANT ONE HERE.

MAINTENANCE SERVICE CONTRACTS, PROFESSIONAL SERVICES, LINE ITEM 43320. I'M REQUESTING AN INCREASE OF $28,350. GIVES US A GRAND TOTAL OF 472,678.

THOSE INCREASES INCLUDE SEVERAL ITEMS, AND I THINK THIS IS IN YOUR PACKAGES AS WELL. I'LL IDENTIFY THOSE. AS I DISCOVER THINGS THAT HAVE HAPPENED PRIOR TO MY TIME HERE, I'M FOCUSING ON THREE THINGS, SAFETY, FUNCTIONALITY, AND COMPLIANCE.

SO, IN TERMS OF COMPLIANCE, OVER THE LAST DECADE OR MORE, THIS COUNTY HAS NOT DONE ANY FIRE ALARM PANEL INSPECTIONS IN COUNTY BUILDINGS. SO THE FIRST THING I DID WHEN I BECAME DIRECTOR IS I... WE TOOK A HIT

[01:30:04]

AGAIN, MY STAFF ISN'T CERTIFIED, NOR DO THEY HAVE THE EDUCATION TO WORK ON THESE IMPORTANT COUNTY ASSETS. AND THAT'S ALL I'VE GOT. HAPPY TO ENTERTAIN ANY QUESTIONS, OKAY, MR. HAMILL YES, SIR. SO IN THE PRESENTATION YOU'D PUT IN, I THINK IT WAS LAST YEAR THAT YOU HAD ABOUT 1,707 WORK ORDERS. HOW MANY OF THOSE ARE KIND OF SCHEDULED PREVENTATIVE RECURRING TASKS VERSUS KIND OF ONE-OFF THINGS? WHERE THINGS HAVE BROKEN AND FOLKS HAVE PUT IN TICKETS? WHAT I'VE IDENTIFIED IS WHAT IS WHAT IS QUANTIFIABLE CURRENTLY. THE PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE DIDN'T EXIST, DOESN'T EXIST, IT'S UNDER DEVELOPMENT NOW, SO I MENTIONED PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE OF COUNTY BUILDINGS IS CURRENTLY UNDER DEVELOPMENT.

AND THAT'S GO TO EACH PIECE OF EQUIPMENT, LOOK WHAT THE MANUFACTURER SAYS FOR MAINTENANCE, AND YOU FOLLOW IT. WE HAVE TO PUT THAT POLICY IN PLACE, THAT PROCEDURE. SO IF WE WENT TO A PIECE OF EQUIPMENT AND WE SAW THAT IT WAS OUT, IS THERE A WORK ORDER GENERATED BY THAT FINDING, OR IS THAT COMPLETELY SEPARATE FROM THE WORK ORDER? AS SOON AS WE FIND OUT ANYTHING'S OUT, A WORK ORDER'S GENERATED.

OKAY. WE WILL MANUALLY DO IT OURSELVES. WE'LL GO TO THE OFFICE. WE'LL GET ON OUR PHONES, WE'LL DO WHATEVER WE TAKE, WHATEVER IT TAKES TO MAKE IT QUANTIFIABLE. SO AS WE DEVELOP THE PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE PROGRAM, WE'LL BE ABLE TO PUT REGULARLY SCHEDULED SERVICES IN THAT. SO BY THIS TIME NEXT YEAR, THESE WORK ORDERS NUMBERS SHOULD DRAMATICALLY INCREASE. DO ANY OF THE WORK ORDERS INCLUDE THINGS LIKE PROJECTS THAT ARE BEING REQUESTED BY DEPARTMENTS, OR IS IT ONLY SOLELY JUST MAINTENANCE? SOMEBODY WANTS TO CHANGE SOMETHING ABOUT AN OFFICE, IS THAT A WORK ORDER AS WELL, OR IS IT ONLY MAINTENANCE? IT'S EVERYTHING YOU CAN THINK OF, SIR. OKAY. YEAH, ANY REQUESTS FROM ANYBODY IN THE COUNTY, WE'RE THE END OF THE ROAD. ALL THE REQUESTS COME HERE, AND WE TRY TO ADDRESS EVERY NEED. THERE'S SEVERAL CONTRACTS IN HERE WHERE I KNOW WE'VE GOT TO GO TO OUTSIDE FOLKS TO DO CERTAIN ASPECTS OF THIS. HAVE MOST OF THOSE CONTRACTS BEEN LOOKED AT IN THE LAST 18 TO 24 MONTHS? ARE THOSE THINGS THAT WE'RE CONSTANTLY EVALUATING TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE GETTING THE BEST DEALS? YES. NOW THAT WE HAVE A PROCUREMENT OFFICER, I'M ACTUALLY GETTING CONTRACTOR EVALUATIONS, AND I'M ABLE TO PROVIDE MY INPUT BASED ON MY TIME HERE, AND I WILL CONTINUE TO DO SO. I THINK THAT'S ALL I HAVE RIGHT NOW. MR. PHILPEW? HOW MANY PEOPLE DO YOU CURRENTLY HAVE IN YOUR DEPARTMENT? WE HAVE, CURRENTLY, WE HAVE... THREE MAINTENANCE MECHANICS, ONE SUPERVISOR, MYSELF, AND AN OFFICE MANAGER. WE'RE DOWN ONE MAINTENANCE MECHANIC.

WE HAVE INTERVIEWS ACTUALLY SCHEDULED FOR TOMORROW AFTERNOON. ALL RIGHT. HAS THERE EVER BEEN A THOUGHT ABOUT POSSIBLY DOING, LIKE, CAREER DEVELOPMENT OR TAPPING ONE OF YOUR GUYS TO MAYBE GO AND GET HVAC CERTIFICATES? GREAT QUESTION.

SO ONE OF MY STAFF MEMBERS TOOK IT UPON HIMSELF JUST LAST WEEK TO ENROLL WITH THE LOCAL COMMUNITY COLLEGE TO GET.

TO BEGIN HIS FORMAL TRAINING, WHICH IS WONDERFUL NEWS. HE TOOK IT UPON HIMSELF TO DO SO, AND HE'S PAYING FOR IT. AND I ENCOURAGE THE OTHERS. I HAVE TWO NEWER STAFF MEMBERS THAT HAVEN'T BEEN HERE QUITE A YEAR YET. THEY WANT TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE OPPORTUNITY TO GET THE FORMAL EDUCATION AND GET REIMBURSED FOR IT, WHICH THEY'RE WAITING WITH BATED BREATH FOR THAT ONE-YEAR MARK. SO WE CURRENTLY HAVE A REIMBURSEMENT PLAN FOR EDUCATION? IN POLICY, YES, SIR. OKAY. ALL RIGHT. THAT'S ALL I GOT. MR.

[01:35:01]

HERE'S THE STEPS YOU NEED TO TAKE TO ENSURE THE LONG LIFE OF THIS PIECE OF EQUIPMENT.

IT'S SUCH A COMPLICATED PIECE OF EQUIPMENT THAT I CURRENTLY AM THE ONLY ONE THAT CAN WORK ON IT, AND I CAN'T BE EVERYWHERE AT EVERY MINUTE OF THE DAY. IT MADE SENSE TO, AND I TOOK THE BUDGET HIT THIS YEAR. I WENT AHEAD AND EXECUTED THAT CONTRACT. I SAW THE VALUE IN PROTECTING THAT ASSET. SO NOW WE HAVE THEM COMING TWICE A YEAR BEFORE THE COOLING SEASON AND AT THE END, AND THEN THEY'LL DO SO AGAIN NEXT YEAR. AND THE SAME THING WITH, I THINK THE BIG THINGS, OUR BOILERS ARE HIGHLY COMPLICATED, COMPLEX PIECES OF EQUIPMENT. THEY CAN BE DANGEROUS. THEY CAN ACTUALLY BE, IF THEY'RE NOT SERVICED PROPERLY BY A TRAINED INDIVIDUAL, YOU'RE OPERATING AT RISK. SO IT MAKES SENSE TO PAY FOR THOSE SERVICES NOW SO WE CAN GET THE EXTRA EDUCATION WE NEED.

IN A YEAR OR TWO FROM NOW, I'D LOVE TO BE ABLE TO COME TO YOU AND SAY, HEY, WE CAN REDUCE THESE COSTS. AND I THINK THE REPAIR COSTS WILL FOLLOW SUIT. THEY'LL DROP AS WELL, OR WE WON'T HAVE TO CALL OUT CONTRACTORS. THE MORE WE LEARN. THE MORE WE CAN DO, HALLELUJAH. AGREED. I DON'T REMEMBER IF I MENTIONED THIS TO YOU WHEN WE WERE DOING OUR BOARD ORIENTATION, BUT REWANI OFFERS SOME PROGRAMS, HVAC, ELECTRICAL, THINGS LIKE THAT.

HAVE YOU EVER THOUGHT ABOUT USING SOMEONE LIKE A STUDENT FROM REWANI TO COME AND DO PART-TIME WORK WITH THE DEPARTMENT? I HAD NOT CONSIDERED THAT, BUT I WOULD BE OPEN TO IT FOR SURE, ABSOLUTELY.

ABSOLUTELY. I COULD CERTAINLY USE A LITTLE BIT OF HELP TO GET THESE GUYS UP TO SNUFF QUICKER. IT'S A PROCESS. IF YOU TAKE THE LAYPERSON AND YOU TRY TO TURN THEM INTO AN HVAC PERSON, YOU'VE GOT A COUPLE-YEAR TASK AHEAD OF YOU, AT MINIMUM. AND THEN THE OTHER QUESTION, I SEE THERE'S A LAWN MAINTENANCE CONTRACT IN HERE, A COMPLEX, SOMETHING I HAD MENTIONED TO DIRECTOR ROSSELL WHEN HE GAVE HIS PRESENTATION. OR I THINK...

MAYBE THE OTHER FEW DID IT, WAS CONTRACTING WITH SOMEBODY TO CUT THE GRASS AT SOME OF THE PARKS THAT PARKS AND REC MANAGE. I DIDN'T KNOW IF THAT WAS SOMETHING. THAT DEPARTMENTS WORK TOGETHER WITH PROCUREMENT TO SEE IF THE SAME VENDOR THAT'S DOING THE COMPLEX LAWN MAINTENANCE COULD. THAT'S A GREAT SUGGESTION. I HAVE NOT DONE THAT. OH, WE'RE ALREADY USING THEM? YEAH, I HAVEN'T PURSUED THAT. DIDN'T EVEN CONSIDER IT, TO BE HONEST WITH YOU. OKAY. JUST A THOUGHT.

YEAH. THAT'S ALL I HAVE.

OKAY. THANKS, SIR. MR. WHIPP.

WELL, THANK YOU FOR BRINGING IT FORWARD. I HAD NO IDEA ABOUT IT, BUT BOILERS ARE VERY DANGEROUS.

YES, SIR. IT IS A SPECIAL SKILL SET. PREVENTIVE, PROACTIVE MAINTENANCE IS SOMETHING I DO UNDERSTAND. THAT'S WHAT I'VE DONE DAMN NEAR MY WHOLE LIFE.

YEP. OEM MANUALS, BOILERS, TURBINES, WHATEVER, THEY'LL GIVE YOU WHAT THEY RECOMMEND YOU SHOULD DO, AND THEN THEY THROW IT IN YOUR LAP, AND IT'S UP TO YOU TO DEVELOP THE PM AND THE FREQUENCY BASED ON CYCLE TIME, RUN HOURS, WHATEVER. INDEED. AND IT TAKES TIME, AND THEN YOU'VE GOT TO COLLECT THE DATA ON IT TO SEE WHERE YOU'RE AT.

INDEED. THAT WAS ONE OF THE QUESTIONS THAT WAS ASKED OF ME WHEN I INTERVIEWED FOR THIS POSITION. HAVE YOU EVER DEVELOPED A PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE PROGRAM? I'VE DONE SEVERAL. IT'S TASKING. IT'S TASKING. IT TAKES TIME. YEAH, IT DOES. THAT'S ALL I GOT.

THANK YOU. YES, SIR. ALL RIGHT, REAL QUICK, I'M JUST LOOKING AT YOUR MAINTENANCE SERVICE CONTRACT. YOU HAVE TWO LISTED FOR FIRE PROTECTION EQUIPMENT COMPANY, WHICH IS ANNUAL FOR THE ADMIN, COURTHOUSE, AND SUCH. AND THEN YOU'VE GOT THE COUNTY COMPLEX AND THE CELL TOWERS. SO WHAT IS PROTECH EXTINGUISHER SERVICES DOING? THEY TAKE CARE OF ALL OF OUR FIRE EXTINGUISHERS.

IN EVERY SINGLE BUILDING, THEY DO REGULAR INSPECTIONS ON THEM. THEY INSPECT THE ONES THAT ARE IN OUR COUNTY VEHICLES. THE FIRE PROTECTION EQUIPMENT COMPANY DOES. PRIOR TO MY TIME HERE, THERE WAS SOME VALUE SEEN IN DOING REGULAR INSPECTIONS OF THE... SPRINKLER SYSTEMS. THEN WHEN I FOUND OUT WE DIDN'T DO ANY FIRE ALARM PANEL INSPECTIONS, I DID A BACKFLIP. SO THE THREE SEPARATE ONES, THE PRO-TEC DOES THE FIRE EXTINGUISHERS AND FIRE PROTECTION DOES THE, HAS BEEN DOING THE SPRINKLER INSPECTIONS AND NOW ARE DOING THE THE FIRE ALARM PANELS.

THOSE ARE JUST INSPECTIONS. I JUST WANT TO MAKE THE BOARD AWARE THAT ANY DEFICIENCIES IDENTIFIED DURING THOSE INSPECTIONS WILL BE ABSORBED IN OUR REPAIR LINE ITEM. AS WE

[01:40:03]

CONTRACTORS THAT ARE ON A COOPERATIVE CONTRACT FROM CHESTERFIELD TO GIVE ME BUDGET NUMBERS TO DO THESE ITEMS. HAVE NOT EXECUTED EITHER OF THESE CONTRACTS, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF PIE BARKER. I SAW IMMEDIATE VALUE IN THAT, AND I WOULD TELL YOU, IT'S PROBABLY TWO WEEKS INTO THIS NEW ROLE, I ORDERED IT, AND WE'RE NOW COMPLIANT.

SAFETY, FUNCTIONALITY, COMPLIANCE. I HAVE TO FOCUS ON THAT. THANK YOU, SIR. YES, SIR. OKAY. THANKS, SIR. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT, THAT WILL BRING US TO THE NEXT ONE, AND THAT IS DISCUSSION OF FIRING EMS. GOOD EVENING MR. CHAIR, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD, MS. PARDO, ALL ASSEMBLED. I DO NOT HAVE A POWERPOINT. THAT MAY BE A GOOD THING. I FIRST WANT TO THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO COME BEFORE THE BOARD TO SHARE A PERSPECTIVE THAT HOPEFULLY WILL HELP YOU MAKE DECISIONS, THE DIFFICULT DECISIONS. I MEAN, I'VE JUST SAT HERE THROUGH ALL THESE PRESENTATIONS, AND I SEE THE NEEDS AT ALL LEVELS. SO I DON'T ENVY YOUR POSITION TONIGHT AND THROUGH THIS WHOLE BUDGET PROCESS. TONIGHT, I WOULD LIKE TO ENGAGE IN A POSITIVE DIALOGUE ABOUT THE STATUS OF THE FIRE DEPARTMENT. ITS FUTURE AND HOW WE CAN BEST MOVE FORWARD FOR THE BETTERMENT OF THE COUNTY. I REALIZE THAT THE BUDGET AS PRESENTED MAY SEEM EXCESSIVE OR UNREALISTIC TO SOME, HOWEVER, I BELIEVE IT IS AN HONEST REFLECTION OF THE NEEDS OF THE DEPARTMENT.

I FEEL IT IS MY OBLIGATION TO PRESENT A BUDGET THAT MAXIMIZES OUR EFFECTIVENESS AND INCREASES OUR SAFETY, INCREASES THE SAFETY OF THE COMMUNITY AND OUR FIREFIGHTERS.

IT IS MY DUTY TO ADVOCATE FOR THE MEMBERS OF THE DEPARTMENT, BUT ALSO TO MINIMIZE, TO MINIMIZE THE LIABILITIES TO THE COUNTY. THE BUDGET, AS PRESENTED, ADDRESSES ALL THESE CONCERNS.

OF COURSE, I UNDERSTAND THE ECONOMIC CONTEXT, BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, I UNDERSTAND AND SHARE YOUR NEED FOR FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY. AND THE DIFFICULT POSITION YOU'RE IN. HAVING TO BALANCE SAFETY ON ONE HAND AND THE LIMITED RESOURCES THAT WE HAVE ON THE OTHER. REGARDLESS OF THE OUTCOME, REGARDLESS OF THE OUTCOME OF THIS BUDGET PROCESS, I CAN ASSURE YOU THAT THE MEMBERS OF THE DEPARTMENT AND I WILL CONTINUE TO SERVE THE COUNTY TO THE BEST OF OUR ABILITY.

TO THAT END, I WOULD LIKE TO SHARE WITH THE BOARD SOME PRIORITIES AND SOME OPTIONS FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION AS WE WORK THROUGH THE BUDGET PROCESS. I WANTED TO GIVE SOME CONTEXT.

IN MY POWERPOINT PRESENTATION, WHICH I TAKE IT THAT YOU'VE ALL SEEN IN THE VIDEO, I SHARE A LOT OF STATISTICS AND A LOT OF NUMBERS. I WANTED TO GIVE YOU A LITTLE EXTRA PIECE OF CONTEXT. BECAUSE A LOT OF TIMES I REFERRED IN MY POWERPOINT PRESENTATION ABOUT INVESTING IN OUR FOLKS, BOTH VOLUNTEER AND CAREER MEMBERS, AND I TALKED ABOUT RETENTION, RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION QUITE A BIT. AND AS IT TURNS OUT, IT IS A VERY, VERY EXPENSIVE, NOT RETAINING FOLKS THAT WE HAVE IS A VERY EXPENSIVE PROPOSITION. SO I WILL SHARE THIS. LAST YEAR, WE LOST EIGHT FULL-TIME FIREFIGHTERS, THREE PART-TIME FIREFIGHTERS, AND ONE ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT PERSON.

[01:45:07]

ADDITIONALLY, I HAVE SOME NUMBERS THAT WERE GIVEN TO ME RECENTLY. I WILL HAVE TO KIND OF VERIFY IT A LITTLE BIT MORE, BUT IT SEEMS ACCURATE TO ME.

GENERALLY, WE PUT ABOUT 10 OR SO VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTERS THROUGH THE PROCESS, FIVE OF WHICH WILL REMAIN PAST THE CLASS AND WILL REMAIN FOR A YEAR OR SO. AND THEN MAYBE ONE OR TWO WILL REMAIN FOR TWO OR THREE YEARS AFTER THAT. SO JUST THE FIVE THAT DON'T PASS, AT $8,000, COST THAT INCLUDES FIRE GEAR, THE PHYSICALS, FINGERPRINTING, CLASS, BOOKS, ALL THESE KINDS OF THINGS. THE COST OF THOSE FIVE VOLUNTEERS IS $40,000 A YEAR THAT THE COUNTY DOESN'T ACTUALLY SEE A LOT OF BENEFIT FROM. SO 88 WE LOST LAST YEAR. SO FAR, WE HAVE...

ONE FIREFIGHTER WHO JUST RECENTLY GOT RELEASED, SO SHE'S MAKING AN IMPACT, BUT SHE'S ALSO RESIGNING.

EFFECTIVE THIS WEEKEND. WE INVESTED $115,000 IN HER, AND WE ARE NOT GETTING MUCH FROM HER. IT IS FRUSTRATING BECAUSE SHE WAS A LEADER ON HER ACADEMY. SHE WAS AN EXCELLENT RECRUIT. SHE HAS PROVEN HERSELF OUT IN THE COMPANIES, AND NOW WE'RE LOSING HER, PARTLY BECAUSE OF PAY, PARTLY BECAUSE OF OTHER LEADERSHIP ISSUES THAT WE HAVE, AND PARTLY BECAUSE SHE'S LOOKING AT BETTER OPPORTUNITIES ELSEWHERE. I'M EXPECTING A SECOND RESIGNATION FROM A DIFFERENT FIREFIGHTER IN THE NEXT WEEK OR TWO, MORE FOR PERSONAL REASONS.

BUT AGAIN, WE DON'T HAVE THE ABILITY TO RETAIN THESE FIREFIGHTERS.

IT IS FRUSTRATING, TO SOME DEGREE. IT FEELS LIKE I'M HANGING ON TO THIS DEPARTMENT. I MENTIONED YESTERDAY, I FEEL LIKE I'M USING SCOTCH TAPE TO TRY TO HOLD THIS TOGETHER.

AND TO TRY TO GIVE PEOPLE HOPE. AND TRY TO GIVE PEOPLE, ALL OF OUR FIREFIGHTERS, SOMETHING SPECIAL FOR THEM TO BE A PART OF, TO GROW.

PEOPLE WILL QUIT THE DEPARTMENT FOR ALL SORTS OF REASONS.

THEY'RE OVERWORKED. OUR DUAL STAFFING MODEL IS KILLING OUR GUYS. THEY SPEND A LOT OF TIME IN THE AMBULANCE, RUNNING BACK AND FORTH. WHEN THEY GET A CHANCE TO GO ON THE FIRE TRUCK, OF COURSE, THEY'RE TAKING THAT, BUT THEY'RE TAKING ALL THESE RUNS.

IT'S TWO PEOPLE AT EACH FIRE STATION. THEY'RE BEING OVERWORKED. WE ARE REQUIRING TO. WE'RE MANDATING OVERTIME WAY MORE OFTEN THAN WE WOULD LIKE, AND THIS IS HAVING AN EFFECT, AND WE CAN SEE IT. PEOPLE WILL ALSO LEAVE THE DEPARTMENT BECAUSE OF BETTER PAY. WE ARE ONE OF THE LOWEST IN THE AREA AT THE MOMENT, AND WE DON'T NEED TO BE THE HIGHEST PAID.

FOR SURE, BUT WE NEED TO DO BETTER BECAUSE IT'S COSTING US A LOT OF MONEY. I MEAN, EIGHT FIREFIGHTERS WITH BASICALLY A MILLION DOLLARS THAT WE'VE LOST. THAT WE WON'T BE ABLE TO SEE. WE HAVE 10 FIREFIGHTERS IN THE ACADEMY.

THOSE 10 FIREFIGHTERS WERE APPROVED LAST YEAR IN JULY, PLUS THE ONES THAT LEFT. THEY COME OUT IN APRIL. THEY WON'T BE RELEASED UNTIL PROBABLY SOMETIME IN JULY AS FAR AS BEING ABLE TO OPERATE ON THEIR OWN, AND THERE'S STILL GOING TO BE PROBATION IN FIREFIGHTERS FOR SOME TIME AFTER THAT. SO IT'S NOT WE CAN COUNT 100% ON THEM.

BUT IT HAS A TREMENDOUS IMPACT.

AND WE'RE TRYING TO... TO DO.

WHEN I SAY WE NEED TO INVEST IN OUR FOLKS, WE NEED TO, NOT JUST TO PAY. THAT'S A SEPARATE ISSUE.

BUT THE OVERWORK, THE GROWTH AND ADVANCEMENT OPPORTUNITIES IS THINGS THAT TYPICALLY KEEP FOLKS ENGAGED AND WILL KEEP THEM IN THE DEPARTMENT. IF THEY SEE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR PROMOTION, IF THEY SEE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR GROWTH, IF WE ARE PROVIDING TRAINING, FOR PROVIDING LEARNING, THOSE THINGS. ENGAGEMENT, PRODUCE ENGAGEMENT OF OUR MEMBERS, AND THEREFORE WE ARE MORE

[01:50:02]

THREE OF THEM FAILED, SO WE ENDED UP WITH FOUR OUT OF THE ACADEMY. AND WE HAVE SINCE DROPPED OTHERS OUTSIDE OF THOSE. WE INCREASED OUR PAY, AND WE WERE ABLE TO RECRUIT WHEN WE WERE HIGHER THAN SOME OF THE SURROUNDINGS, WHICH ATTRACTS MORE CANDIDATES, WHICH ALLOWS US TO RECRUIT BETTER PEOPLE. WE RECRUITED 11 IN THIS CLASS. WE LOST ONE. BUT THE SCORES AND THE PERFORMANCE THAT WE SEE SO FAR IS PHENOMENAL. THESE GUYS ARE DOING AN EXCELLENT JOB.

THEY HAVE, ON FIRST ATTEMPTS, PASSED ALL THEIR EMT TESTS, ALL THEIR HAZMAT TESTS, ALL THOSE. THEY'RE DOING A FANTASTIC JOB. AND IT WOULD BE A SHAME FOR US TO LOSE ANY OF THESE 10 WITHIN A YEAR FOR ANY OF THESE REASONS. SO THIS IS THE KINDS OF, YOU KNOW, MONIES WHEN WE TALK ABOUT FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY.

THAT I WOULD KIND OF LIKE TO ENSURE THAT WE KEEP THIS IN MIND, THAT WHEN WE'RE INVESTED IN TRAINING, WHEN WE'RE INVESTED IN FACILITIES, WHEN WE'RE INVESTED IN UNIFORMS AND THINGS LIKE THAT, IT MAY SEEM TRIVIAL, PERHAPS, BUT THESE THINGS MATTER BECAUSE IT'S ANOTHER WAY FOR THE COUNTY TO SHOW THAT WE CARE ABOUT OUR EMPLOYEES. THE VOLUNTEERS ALSO WILL BENEFIT FROM A LOT OF THIS, RIGHT? THEY WOULD LIKE TO HAVE BETTER STATIONS. THEY WOULD LIKE TO HAVE UNIFORMS. CURRENTLY, THE UNIFORMS THAT THEY GET VERSUS THE CAREER PERSONNEL, THERE'S A DISPARITY THERE. AND WE WANT TO TRY TO ALIGN THINGS A LITTLE BIT BETTER FOR ALL OUR MEMBERS. I JUST ENCOURAGE YOU TO KEEP THOSE KIND OF NUMBERS IN MIND AS WE GO THROUGH SOME OF THESE. WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO PROPOSE THIS EVENING OR SHARE WITH YOU ARE SOME PRIORITIES.

AND SOME OPTIONS THAT WE MAY HAVE. AND I HOPE, AND I BELIEVE, THIS IS GOING TO JUST BE STEP ONE OF CONTINUED DIALOGUE.

AT LEAST THAT WOULD BE MY HOPE.

FIRST, IN THE ADMINISTRATION REQUEST, WE HAD FOUR POSITIONS. I WOULD PRIORITIZE THE EMS CAPTAIN AND THE ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT, THE CLERICAL SUPPORT, MANAGING 125 MEMBERS OF THE DEPARTMENT, IDLH.

THAT'S NOT EVEN INCLUDING ASSOCIATION MEMBERS AND ANY OF THAT STUFF THAT TO SOME DEGREE, WE HAVE TO TRACK.

BUT JUST THE IDLH FOLKS, IT'S ABOUT 125. FORTY-FIVE OF THOSE ARE CAREER. EIGHTY OF THOSE ARE VOLUNTEER. IT IS A FULL-TIME JOB, AND IT IS TAXING OUR PEOPLE, NOT JUST THE VOLUNTEER MANAGEMENT, BUT ALL THE OFFICE WORK THAT WE HAVE. I MENTIONED IN MY POWERPOINT. OUR OFFICE MANAGER ACCRUED OVER 500 HOURS OF COMP TIME LAST YEAR. AND SADLY, TWO DAYS AGO, SHE TURNED IN HER RESIGNATION. THE PRESSURE HAS BEEN TOO MUCH.

AND AGAIN, IT'S FRUSTRATING, JUST LIKE THE FIREFIGHTER WHO'S SO COMMITTED TO DOING A GOOD JOB THAT MADE A DIFFERENCE IN THIS DEPARTMENT. OUR OFFICE MANAGER IS NOW LEAVING AND IS GOING TO TAKE A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF WORK TO MAKE UP THE DIFFERENCE OF ALL THE THINGS THAT SHE DID.

SHE LITERALLY HELD THIS DEPARTMENT TOGETHER, AND I'M NOT SURE HOW WE ARE GOING TO. I MEAN, WE'LL MANAGE, BUT IT IS GOING TO BE AN UPHILL TASK.

CURRENTLY IN THE ADMIN, WE'RE CONSTANTLY CHASING ONE THING OR ANOTHER. PERSONALLY, AND I KNOW THE BATTALIONS AS WELL, THE TRAINING CAMP, IT'S LIKE WE CAN'T FOCUS ON ANY ONE TASK FOR VERY LONG. WE LOOK AT IT. I WISH I HAD MORE TIME TO REVIEW AND ASSESS AND THINK THROUGH AND BE MORE THOROUGH ABOUT SOME OF THE PROCESS, BUT WE'RE MISSING THINGS. AND SOME THINGS THAT ARE CRITICALLY IMPORTANT HAVE TO BE SET ASIDE. BECAUSE THE ADMINISTRATION JUST DOES NOT HAVE THE TIME TO MANAGE ALL OF IT AT THE SAME TIME. SO THE DEPUTY CHIEF, FOR THOSE REASONS, ARE IMPORTANT, THE FIRE MARSHALS ARE IMPORTANT, BUT I UNDERSTAND THAT WE CAN'T GET EVERYTHING WE WANT. IF YOU HAVE TO PRIORITIZE SOMETHING, AND I CAN'T TELL YOU WHICH ONE IS.

[01:55:01]

BUT THE EMS COMPANY, THERE'S A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF RESPONSIBILITY THERE. WE WANT TO EXPAND THE VOLUNTEERS' INVOLVEMENT IN CMTS, AND PREVIOUS CHIEF IS NOT PARTICULARLY FOND OF THAT.

BUT. I THINK IT WOULD BE A GREAT BENEFIT TO THE COMMUNITY IF WE CAN DO THAT, BUT WE NEED ADDITIONAL RESOURCES TO BE ABLE TO MANAGE THAT PROGRAM. WE CAN'T JUST EFFECTIVELY OR VERY EFFICIENTLY INVOLVE THE VOLUNTEER EMTS. IT'S JUST GOING TO OVERTAX SOMEBODY ELSE. WE SHARE IN TASKS ALL THE TIME, LIKE I MENTIONED IN SOME OF MY OTHER PRESENTATIONS. AS FAR AS OPERATIONS, WE DID ASK. WE'RE ESSENTIALLY 12 NEW POSITIONS WITH THE ADDITION OF OPERATIONS CAPTAINS.

OPERATIONS CAPTAINS SOUNDS KIND OF A LITTLE COMPLICATED, BUT OPERATION LEVEL CAPTAIN, FIRE CAPTAINS, LIEUTENANTS, AND FIREFIGHTERS. SO 12 OF THEM ALL TOGETHER, AND THE IDEA WAS TO TRY TO ADDRESS THE CONCERN WITH THE RESPONSE TIMES AND OUR UNAVAILABLE TIMES DUE TO OUR DUAL STAFFING MODEL.

OUR GOAL IS TO TRY TO STAFF.

FIVE PERSONNEL PER STATION AT SOME POINT. THAT'S NOT GOING TO HAPPEN THIS YEAR OR NEXT YEAR, OR THE YEAR AFTER. IT'S GOING TO BE A PROGRESSIVE GROWTH.

BUT WE HAVE TO PLAN IT. I MENTIONED AT THE BEGINNING OF MY POWERPOINT PRESENTATION THAT WE HAD, BY 2030, WE WOULD BE WELL OVER 7,000. WE CAN'T WAIT UNTIL THEN TO TRY TO START BUILDING THE SYSTEM THAT IS GOING TO SUSTAIN THAT LOAD DOWN THE ROAD. SO, AS AN ALTERNATIVE, TWO THINGS. THAT I WOULD PROPOSE FOR THESE POSITIONS. ONE, IF YOU CAN ADD ANY NEW FIREFIGHTER POSITIONS, LET'S LOOK INTO RECLASSIFYING THE CURRENT LIEUTENANTS, FOUR OF THEM, INTO CAPTAINS, AND LET'S RECLASSIFY FIVE LIEUTENANTS OR FIREFIGHTERS INTO LIEUTENANTS. SO THAT WE HAVE A TOTAL OF 12 COMPANY OFFICERS. WHAT WILL THAT DO? WELL, ONE, IT SETS UP THE FRAMEWORK.

RIGHT NOW WE HAVE SEVEN LIEUTENANTS, WHICH MEANS FIVE FIREFIGHTERS ARE BEING ASKED TO SUPERVISE AT SOME LEVEL OR ANOTHER.

WE'RE GETTING READY TO HAVE TEN NEW FIREFIGHTERS COME OUT OF THE ACADEMY, AND ONE OF THEM IS GOING TO HAVE TO BE A MENTOR, OR SOMEBODY'S GOING TO BE A SUPERVISOR TO A BRAND NEW GUY. WE'RE ASKING THEM TO ASSUME THE RESPONSIBILITY, BUT WE'RE NOT PAYING THEM FOR THAT ROLE. SO THE CAPTAIN POSITION ALLOWS US TO HAVE BOTH BETTER ALIGNMENT WITH THE VOLUNTEER SYSTEM, BUT ALSO IT DESIGNATES ONE PERSON THAT'S IN CHARGE OF THAT STATION AND THE APPARATUS THERE. IT RELIEVES SOME OF THE TASKS THAT SOME OF THE BATTALIONS HAVE ON COORDINATING MAINTENANCE FOR ALL THE STATIONS. A HOUSE CAPTAIN, OR A CAPTAIN AT EACH STATION WILL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE APPARATUS ASSIGNED THERE, FOR THE HOUSE THERE, MAKING SURE THAT THE OTHER TWO LIEUTENANTS, UH, ARE TAKING CARE OF ALL THE DUTIES AND ALL THESE OTHER THINGS. AS WE ADD PEOPLE, WHEN THE BUDGET AND CIRCUMSTANCES ALLOW, THESE GUYS WILL ALREADY HAVE THE TRAINING. HOPEFULLY BY THEN THEY WILL HAVE A RHYTHM ON HOW THINGS WORK, AND WHEN WE ASSIGN THEM, FOLKS, THEY'LL BE BETTER PREPARED TO ASSUME THAT RESPONSIBILITY.

SORRY. THE OTHER OPTION... NOW I WOULD LIKE TO EXPLORE IS THAT WE CONSIDER A SAFER GRANT IF WE CAN ADD THE POSITIONS, AND WE CAN, YOU KNOW, THE COST OF RECLASSIFYING THE POSITIONS? AT ABOUT 148,000, THAT'S A ROUGH ESTIMATE BECAUSE IT DEPENDS WHO ACTUALLY GETS PROMOTED. COULD GO UP A LITTLE BIT, GO DOWN A LITTLE BIT, BUT THAT'S IN MY OPINION. WE HAVE A HUGE IMPACT ON THE MORALE. IT WILL HAVE A HUGE IMPACT ON OUR ABILITY TO TO MAYBE GIVE THESE FIREFIGHTERS SOME PATHS AND SOME HOPE THAT THEY CAN ADVANCE IN THEIR CAREERS. THE SAFER GRANT SHOULD BE COMING UP SOMETIME SOON. I WOULD LOVE TO EXPLORE THAT AS AN OPTION.

THE TERMS OF THE SAFER GRANT HAVE CHANGED A LITTLE BIT.

THEY USED TO COVER A LOT MORE UP FRONT, AND NOW THEY COVER A LITTLE BIT LESS. BUT I THINK IT'S DEFINITELY A WAY THAT WE SHOULD EXPLORE IF THE BOARD OBVIOUSLY AGREES WITH THAT;

[02:00:01]

YOU KNOW, EVERY CUT OR EVERY CHANGE THAT WE MAKE, OBVIOUSLY, THERE'S A GIVE AND TAKE. WE LOSE SOMETHING FOR IT. IF WE REDUCE FIRE TRAINING BY $99,000, BASICALLY, TO KIND OF LEVEL, ALMOST LEVEL TO LAST YEAR'S BUDGET, WE LOSE THE ABILITY TO ENGAGE THE VOLUNTEERS AND THE CAREER STAFF IN SOME OF THESE LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES. GROWTH OPPORTUNITIES, WHICH WE NEED TO INVEST IN THESE FOLKS. WE JUST DON'T DO A VERY GOOD JOB AT DEVELOPING OUR OFFICERS. WE HAVEN'T, AND I WOULD LIKE TO CHANGE THAT. IT IS A BIG NUMBER, BUT IT IS A HUGE INVESTMENT.

SO COMPARED TO WHAT WE TALKED ABOUT, HOW WE LOST ALL THESE FOLKS, I THINK MAYBE YOU SEE KIND OF AT LEAST MY LOGIC. MAYBE YOU DON'T AGREE WITH IT, BUT IT'S KIND OF MY THINKING.

WE PUT SOME MONEY INTO SOME OF THESE THINGS. OUR TRAINING AT THE COUNTY IS TREMENDOUSLY CHALLENGED. WE DON'T HAVE A TRAINING FACILITY, WE CAN'T TRAIN HERE, WE HAVE TO SEND PEOPLE ELSEWHERE. I DO HAVE A PLAN THAT I'M TRYING TO DEVELOP TO GET A TRAINING SITE STARTED, MINIMAL. WE WENT AFTER SOME GRANTS IN THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS.

SADLY, WE WERE UNSUCCESSFUL, WE PUT A LOT OF EFFORT AND WORK INTO IT, BUT WE WERE UNSUCCESSFUL. SOME OF THESE MONIES THAT WE'RE ASKING FOR TRAINING WILL GO TOWARDS TRYING TO DEVELOP A SITE, ESPECIALLY FOR HANDS-ON TRAINING, SEARCH, HOST ADVANCEMENT, LADDERS, ANY OF THESE THINGS THAT REQUIRE REPETITION, REQUIRE MEMORY, MUSCLE, THAT ARE HIGH STRESS, WE DON'T TRAIN ON. MOST OF OUR TRAINING HAPPENS IN PARKING LOTS AND IN FIRE BAYS, AND IT'S NOT REALISTIC. AND IT IS A DANGEROUS SET OF CIRCUMSTANCES FOR, NOT JUST FOR OUR FIREFIGHTERS, BUT FOR THE COMMUNITY AT LARGE.

TRAINING BUILDS CAMARADERIE.

TRAINING BUILDS TEAMWORK. IT BUILDS TRUST BETWEEN VOLUNTEERS AND CAREERS, ESPECIALLY IF WE CAN GET THEM OUT THERE TOGETHER.

BUT IT ALSO BUILDS CONFIDENCE.

SO THAT WE ASK OUR FIREFIGHTERS TO GO AND MAKE THAT PUSH INTO A HOUSE THAT IS ON FIRE TO MAKE A RESCUE. OR TO AT LEAST ATTEMPT. THEY HAVE TO HAVE THE KNOWLEDGE, THE SKILL, AND THE CONFIDENCE TO MAKE THAT, TO TAKE THOSE ACTIONS. I HAVE SHARED WITH SOME OF YOU WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THAT IS NOT THE CASE. IT HAS DEVASTATING CONSEQUENCES.

IT WILL DESTROY THE DEPARTMENT TO SOME DEGREE. IT WILL UNDERMINE CONFIDENCE THAT THE COMMUNITY HAS IN OUR SERVICE, AND IT WILL TAKE A LOT OF TIME AND EFFORT. TO TRY TO REBUILD ON SOME OF THAT. SO IT IS CRITICALLY IMPORTANT THAT WE PROVIDE AS MUCH TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES AS WE CAN.

AGAIN, I DON'T ENVY THE POSITION THAT YOU'RE IN BECAUSE YOU HAVE TO MAKE THAT DECISION. AS TO WHAT LEVELS AND WHAT AMOUNTS WE'RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO KEEP OR NOT KEEP. IF WE TAKE OUT, I'M GOING TO MOVE ON TO THE FIRE GEAR, WE CAN TAKE OUT 25 SETS, ASSUMING THAT WE DON'T HIRE ANY NEW PEOPLE RIGHT OFF THE BAT. THAT WILL SAVE US ABOUT $135,000, AND IT WILL KEEP US WITH 10 SETS FOR THE VOLUNTEERS THAT WE'RE HOPING TO RECRUIT THE NEXT YEAR. WE HAVE PUT IN FOR A GRANT, A MINI-GRANT FROM THE STATE, AND WE'RE HOPING TO GET ENOUGH FUNDS TO BUY AN ADDITIONAL FIVE SETS.

SO IF WE DON'T GET THAT AND THE NEED ARISES, THEN WE CAN COME BACK.

TO THE BOARD AND TRY TO APPROPRIATE DIFFERENT FUNDS TO USE FOR THAT NEED. SO HERE THE ONE PIECE THAT WE CANNOT GIVE UP IS IN, IT STILL HAS AN IMPACT ON THE BUDGET, IS THE 44 SETS OF GEAR THAT HAS TO BE REPLACED. THAT'S THE STANDARD AND WE WOULD PUT OURSELVES IN. VERY BAD POSITION. SHOULD WE NOT REPLACE THOSE SETS OF GEAR. THE NFPA PHYSICALS, WE CAN REDUCE THAT BY $32,000. I'M GOING TO BE HONEST, THAT WAS KIND OF MY MISTAKE. I COUNTED TWO SETS OF FOLKS AT THE SAME TIME. SO THE TOTAL COST FOR THAT, I DON'T HAVE MY COMPUTER RUNNING, BUT I BELIEVE IT'S $153,000, WHICH IS ABOUT A $20,000 RAISE. NOW, THE ORIGINAL NUMBER WAS BASED ON

[02:05:02]

AND THEN THEY HAVE TO DO THIS OTHER PHYSICAL. AND I SET IT UP SO THAT WE SHOULD BE DOING THE SAME PHYSICAL, WHETHER YOU'RE GETTING HIRED OR YOU'RE AT YOUR YEAR MARK. THE OTHER THING THAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO IS THAT WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT ALL VOLUNTEERS HAVE MORE OPPORTUNITIES TO PARTICIPATE. SO LAST YEAR THERE WAS A LOT OF PUSHBACK.

PEOPLE WERE JUST UNABLE TO MEET. THE SET SCHEDULE THAT WE HAD. I AM WORKING WITH A DIFFERENT GROUP TO TRY TO CHANGE THAT SO THAT WE...

IT DOESN'T MATTER. LIKE, RIGHT NOW, WE WOULD HAVE, LIKE, TWO WEEKS OR THREE-WEEK PERIOD, AND IF SOMEBODY'S ON VACATION, IF SOMEBODY'S GONE FOR WHATEVER REASON, THEY DON'T PARTICIPATE, THEY DON'T MEET THE STANDARD FOR THAT YEAR. SO WE ARE TRYING TO ADD SATURDAY HOURS OR LATE EVENING HOURS. WE'RE TRYING TO ADD MORE FLEXIBILITY SO WE CAN CAPTURE MORE OF... ALL OF OUR PERSONNEL. THE CAREER STAFF IS A LITTLE BIT EASIER BECAUSE WE KIND OF HAVE MORE CONTROL OF THEM, BUT WE HAVE TO AFFORD THE FLEXIBILITY TO THE VOLUNTEERS. SO, BUT WE CAN STILL REDUCE THAT BY 32,000 AND TRY TO MEET OUR GOAL. THESE PHYSICALS ARE IMPORTANT AND YOU GUYS KIND OF HAD THAT BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE ALREADY.

QUICK QUESTION. YES, SIR. IS A $57,000 INCREASE FOR THE PHYSICALS WITH THE DUPLICATES, IS THE $32,000 REDUCTION? SO $153,000 WOULD BE THE TOTAL NOW WHEN YOU ASK. ALL RIGHT, THANKS. YES.

ANY OTHER QUESTIONS ON THAT? NOT RIGHT NOW. OKAY. FIRE AND RESCUE EQUIPMENT, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF THESE WERE REQUESTS BY ALL THE STATIONS, VOLUNTEER AND CAREER. SO IF WE TOOK OUT THE RESCUE CHAINS AND ELIMINATE THE TANK AND THE FOAM FOR STATION ONE AND THE FILL STATION FOR STATION EIGHT, AND WE TAKE OUT THE F-PAT CERTIFICATION, WE TAKE ALL THESE THINGS OUT, PLUS THE THREE NEW VEHICLES FOR THE POSITION. NOW, IF YOU RECONSIDER THE EMS CAPTAIN AS A PRIORITY, WE'LL HAVE TO ADD 125,000 OR SO BACK INTO IT.

BUT IF WE ELIMINATE, IF YOU DON'T PLAN ON DOING THAT, OUT OF THIS LINE, WE CAN ELIMINATE 472,000. WE ASSUME WITH THE FPAT A LITTLE BIT OF LIABILITY. WE WON'T BE ABLE TO USE IT AS WE WOULD LIKE. IT WILL AFFECT THAT EFFICIENCY AS FAR AS THE MOST PERSONNEL IS AT STATION 8, AND WE DON'T HAVE A FILL STATION FOR THE SCBAS THERE. SO. SO THERE WILL BE SOME CHALLENGES IN SOME OF THAT. AND WE'LL JUST HAVE TO MAKE ALL THEIR EQUIPMENT THAT'S SORT OF OUT OF DATE AND SHOULD BE REPLACED, SEE IF WE CAN CARRY IT ALONG ONE MORE YEAR. OTHER OPERATING SUPPLIES WE CAN REDUCE BY $55,000. THAT IS MOSTLY $40,000 OF THAT IS THE FIRE MARSHAL EQUIPMENT. THE FIRE MARSHAL REQUIRES INVESTIGATIVE EQUIPMENT AND DRONES AND ALL KINDS OF OTHER THINGS, GUNS AND BULLETS, I GUESS, PLUS THE N95 TESTING MACHINE, WHICH WAS AN OSHA COMPLIANCE REQUEST. CURRENTLY, WE USE IT AS A SMELL TEST, BASICALLY, AND IT'S JUST NOT. WE USE IT, BUT IT'S NOT THE BEST PRACTICE.

WAY OF DOING THAT ASSESSMENT.

UNIFORMS AND APPAREL, AGAIN, IS $90,000. THAT'S A BIG AMOUNT OF MONEY IF YOU JUST LOOK AT IT LIKE THAT. BUT AGAIN, ESPECIALLY CLASS AS, VOLUNTEERS USUALLY LACK ON THAT. THE AMOUNT OF UNIFORMS THAT WE GIVE A NEW FIREFIGHTER IN THE CAREER SIDE IS NOT THE SAME, AND I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE THEM ALIGNED A LITTLE BIT BETTER.

IF WE ARE TO BE ONE DEPARTMENT, WE SHOULD HAVE PRETTY CLOSE TO THE SAME UNIFORM. I MEAN, THAT'S THE WHOLE KIND OF POINT. AGAIN, IT SEEMS LIKE A SMALL GESTURE, RIGHT, LIKE, MAYBE KIND OF A WEIRD THING TO SAY.

BUT WHEN YOU TAKE ACTION, YOU CAN'T JUST GO AND SAY, GET ALONG BETTER, RIGHT? YOU HAVE TO START TO SHOW WAYS TO

[02:10:01]

AND THIS WOULD BE MORE OF LIKE A ROOF CHOPPING DEVICE, AS OPPOSED TO A FORCEFUL ENTRY. SO IT'S JUST A WAY TO DEVELOP YOUR SKILL SET AND YOUR MUSCLES AND YOUR MUSCLE MEMORY AND ALL THAT STUFF. ALL OF THAT TOGETHER, SORRY, I'M GOING TO HAVE TO LOG IN. IF YOU ADD ALL THE NUMBERS THAT I JUST GAVE YOU, I BELIEVE IT COMES TO JUST OVER 900,000. SO 933,000. AND IF WE KEEP THE FIRE GEAR THAT WE HAVE TO REPLACE, THEN OUR ASK WOULD BE ABOUT $233,000 ABOVE WHAT WE ASKED LAST YEAR.

SO WE WERE NOT INCLUDING SALARIES AND WAGES AND BENEFITS. I THOUGHT WE WERE ABOUT $1.1 MILLION OVER WHAT WE ASKED LAST YEAR, ELIMINATING ALL OF WHAT I JUST SAID IS $900.

AND $33,000, IF WE TAKE OUT THE GEAR AND WE TAKE ALL THESE THINGS THAT I JUST MENTIONED, WE WOULD END UP ABOUT $14,000 UNDER WHAT WE ASKED LAST YEAR.

SO I KNOW I KIND OF THREW A LOT OF NUMBERS AT YOU. I APOLOGIZE FOR THAT.

MY GOAL TONIGHT WAS JUST TO KIND OF SHARE, ESPECIALLY THE PRIORITIES, ESPECIALLY UP FRONT, AND FOR US TO... KIND OF BEGIN THAT DIALOGUE. I DID WANT TO SHARE, BECAUSE SOMETIMES, YOU KNOW, WE TALK IN ABSTRACT, AND IF I CAN...

THANK YOU. OH, THREE, ACTUALLY. THERE WE GO.

EVERYONE ELSE BEHIND ME. SO IF YOU LOOK AT IT, THIS KIND OF GIVES YOU AN IDEA OF WHERE WE ARE. THE GREEN BOXES ARE OUR COMPANY OFFICERS, SO WE SHOULD HAVE SEVERAL MORE.

THE THREE NAMES THAT YOU SEE ARE THE THREE SPOTS THAT YOU SEE IN RED LETTERS. THOSE ARE POSITIONS THAT ARE CURRENTLY ON LIGHT DUTY, SO THEY DON'T COUNT TOWARDS THE STAFFING. SO THAT'S WHY CURRENTLY WE ARE FORCED TO—OUR OVERTIME BUDGET HAS GONE UP SIGNIFICANTLY. ONE OF THESE LIGHT DUTY POSITIONS HAVE BEEN OUT OF SERVICE FOR ALMOST A YEAR, THE OTHER ONE ABOUT FIVE MONTHS, AND THEN WE HAVE ANOTHER ONE THAT'S BEEN FOR A FEW WEEKS. OVERALL, I THINK LAST YEAR WE HAD ABOUT EIGHT PEOPLE AT DIFFERENT LEVELS, ON OVERTIME OR ON LIVE DUTY, WHICH THEN REQUIRES, YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT LIKE, YOU KNOW, IF I GET SICK, NOBODY HAS TO COVER ME FOR A DAY OR TWO AT THE OFFICE, RIGHT? I JUST HAVE TO MAKE IT UP WHEN I COME BACK.

BUT WHEN THE PERSONNEL ARE SICK, AND YOU CAN SEE THE NUMBERS AT THE VERY BOTTOM, THE 14S ALL THE WAY ACROSS, THAT'S HOW MANY WE'RE SUPPOSED TO HAVE, BUT THEY'RE RUNNING WITH ACTUALLY 9, 9, AND 11.

RIGHT NOW, SO THAT CREATES A LOT OF OVERTIME BECAUSE THIS DOESN'T INCLUDE ANYBODY THAT WANTS

[02:15:03]

AND THEN, AS YOU CAN SEE, THE PINK. THOSE ARE TWO OPEN SPOTS THAT WE CURRENTLY HAVE.

WE HAVE INTERVIEWS LATER THIS WEEK. WE'RE HOPING TO FILL THOSE TWO SPOTS. SOON.

THOSE ARE SOME OF THE PEOPLE THAT HAVE LEFT.

OF COURSE, WE HAVE ONE OF THESE PROBATIONARY FIREFIGHTERS IS ALSO BECOMING AN OPEN SPOT LATER THIS WEEK, AND THEN, SADLY, WE WILL HAVE ANOTHER OPEN SPOT LATER. SO I DON'T KNOW, REMEMBER HOW MANY PEOPLE WE HAVE INTERVIEWING, BUT THESE INTERVIEWS WOULD BE FOR PRE-CERTIFIED FIREFIGHTERS.

BUT IT'S KIND OF ALL PART OF THE PICTURE, RIGHT? AS TO WHY IT IS SUCH A HARDSHIP ON THE FIREFIGHTERS AND WHY WE NEED THE ADDITIONAL PERSONNEL.

AT THIS TIME, I'LL ENTERTAIN QUESTIONS AND I'LL TAKE A WATER BREAK. I DON'T HAVE ANY QUESTIONS RIGHT NOW. MR. WEBB. YOU'RE AN OFFICE MANAGER THAT YOU JUST LOST. YES. HER PRIMARY ROLE WAS THAT BILLING OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT. OR IS THAT WHAT THEIR CLERICAL FIRST IS FOR. A PRIMARY...

RESPONSIBILITY WAS MANAGING THE OFFICE, THE BUSINESS SIDE, SO ALL THE INVOICING AND ACCOUNTS PAYABLE, TIMESHEETS, MANAGING THE PERSONNEL ASSIGNED. SHE ALSO MANAGED PARTLY THE VOLUNTEERS, THE LOSAB REQUIREMENTS, ALL THE COMPLIANCE, ALL THOSE THINGS, AND BILLING. AND BILLING IS A HUGE PIECE OF THE PUZZLE. I THINK, AND I'M GLAD YOU BROUGHT IT UP, I'VE ASKED HER BEFORE CHRISTMAS BREAK TO START EXPLORING THE POSSIBILITY. I MEAN, IT WAS OBVIOUS TO US IN JULY TIMEFRAME, KIND OF THE ALARM WAS SOUNDED, THAT EMS BILLING WAS A SIGNIFICANT CHALLENGE FOR US. NOT BECAUSE SHE WASN'T TRYING. I MEAN, SHE'S PUTTING IN 500 HOURS OUTSIDE OF WORK TO TRY TO KEEP THAT GOING. AND SHE, YOU KNOW, THAT'S PART OF. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT IS REALLY, TRULY WEIGHING ON HER IS SHE FEELS RESPONSIBLE FOR THAT. AND NO MATTER WHAT AMOUNT OF ASSURANCES WE'VE GIVEN HER, SHE'S STILL STRUGGLING WITH THAT. ANYWAY, I THINK WE NEED TO LOOK AT WHAT OTHER JURISDICTIONS ARE DOING AND SURROUNDING. I THINK WE CAN.

FIND A CONTRACTOR THAT CAN TAKE OVER THAT TASK. I BELIEVE OUR REVENUES WILL INCREASE EVEN AFTER WE PAY WHATEVER THE FEE IS. I BELIEVE I HAVE NOW TWO PROPOSALS, AND I WOULD LIKE TO PRESENT IT TO THE BOARD SOMETIME LATER THIS MONTH, AT LEAST TO GET A CONSENSUS OF WHETHER YOU WANT ME TO GO FORWARD OR NOT, GO FORWARD OR WHATEVER. BUT TAKING THAT WHOLE BILLING THING WOULD... BE HELPFUL IN ADDING A THIRD FULL-TIME ADMIN PERSON.

WOULD KIND OF ALLOW US TO TAKE A LITTLE BIT BIGGER DEEP BREATH AND AND BE MORE FOCUSED. SO WE JUST WE LOSE THINGS ALL THE TIME. AND BE BACKFILLING THE CURRENT MANAGER POSITION AND HAVING THE CLERICAL I, WE NEED TO BACKFILL THAT POSITION. AND I WOULD LIKE TO HIRE YET ANOTHER PERSON RIGHT NOW. UM, MY EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT THAT IS SUPPOSED TO HELP ME WITH SVGS AND POLICY REVIEWS.

AND WRITING THINGS AND GOING THROUGH SOME OF MY MEETINGS, AND A WHOLE SLEW OF OTHER THINGS. SHE MANAGES PART OF THE HIRING PROCESS WITH ONE OF THE BATTALIONS.

SHE'S MANAGING THE AWARDS BANK, WHICH SHE'S DONE A LOT OF THINGS. SHE'S ALSO TRYING TO MANAGE ALL THE ONBOARDING FOR THE VOLUNTEERS. THIS NEW POSITION, IN MY MIND, ORIGINALLY I THOUGHT, OKAY, WE CAN USE IT TO ASSIST WITH BILLING, BUT I THINK BILLING JUST NEEDS TO GO AWAY. AND THIS PERSON WOULD BE. VOLUNTEER COORDINATOR, SHE WILL BE THE SOLE POINT OF CONTACT. IT WOULD ELIMINATE SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE'VE LOST.

IT WILL STREAMLINE THE PROCESS.

AND IT WILL ALLOW MY EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT AND THE OFFICE MANAGERS TO CONCENTRATE ON THE WHOLE SLEW OF OTHER THINGS THAT WE HAVE DAY-TO-DAY MANAGING. LOOK AFTER. THE OTHER THING CONCERNS ME IS, AND I FELL TO IT. OVERTIME'S

[02:20:01]

BUT OVERTIME, IT GETS OLD.

YES. AND USUALLY IT GETS OLD AT THE POINT IN TIME WHEN YOU START HAVING TO DRAFT PEOPLE. BECAUSE THEY'VE HAD ENOUGH OVERTIME AND THEY'VE MISSED TOO MUCH TIME WITH FAMILY AND THEY DON'T HAVE A QUALITY OF LIFE. OR KIDS AND BALL GAMES, OR WHATEVER THE CASE MAY BE, AND THEY JUST WANT TO SAY TO HELL WITH IT. ANY OF THE PEOPLE THAT ARE RESIGNING IS...

AND I DON'T WANT TO GET INTO DETAILS, WE SHOULDN'T GET INTO IN HERE. THE PEOPLE THAT ARE RESIGNING, HAS IT GOT ANYTHING TO DO WITH THE AMOUNT OF HOURS THEY WERE WORKING OR REQUIRED TO WORK, OR IS IT FOR OTHER REASONS? YES, SO BOTH. SOME WILL RESIGN BECAUSE THEY DON'T GET PAID ENOUGH FOR THE AMOUNT OF WORK THAT THEY DO, AND THEY'RE TRYING TO FIND THAT WORK-LIFE BALANCE.

YOU KNOW, WE DON'T DO AN EXIT INTERVIEW.

THIS IS JUST INFORMAL CONVERSATIONS THAT I'VE HAD WITH FOLKS, AND I TALKED TO THIS FIREFIGHTER EARLIER THIS WEEK, THE SAME AS I DID. I'M STILL TALKING TO MY OFFICE MANAGER. THERE'S STILL TIME. CHANGE YOUR MIND.

WE'LL DEFINITELY DO OUR BEST TO TRY TO KEEP YOU HERE. WE NEED TO FIND A WAY TO RESOLVE THAT FOR BOTH VOLUNTEER AND PAID.

YES, 100%. WE'RE SPENDING A TON OF MONEY, AND WE'RE NOT GETTING A RETURN ON INVESTMENT, WHICH IS BAD ENOUGH.

BUT THE SAD PART ABOUT IT IS WE'RE INVESTING AND HOPING THEY'RE GOING TO STAY WITH THE COUNTY. WELL, THERE'S A LOT OF FACTORS. SOME OF THE THINGS THAT I PRESENTED ARE TRYING TO ADDRESS SOME OF THAT. OBVIOUSLY, SALARIES WILL BE OTHER PARTS OF IT, BUT IT'S MORE THAN JUST SALARIES.

THERE'S OTHER DEPARTMENTS GOING THROUGH THE SAME THING. WE TRAIN THEM, AND THEN THEY FIND A BETTER-PAYING JOB, AND SIX MONTHS ARE GONE. IF YOU SHOW THAT WE'RE INVESTING IN THESE FOLKS, THAT WE'RE GIVING THEM THE FACILITIES, A BUILDING THAT THEY CAN BE PROUD OF. RIGHT NOW, STATION 8 HAS ONE SHOWER.

ONE. THEY HAVE THE MOST PEOPLE.

THEY HAVE ONE SHOWER. THEY HAVE TO, IF YOU FOLLOW THE NFPA STANDARDS, THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO BE SHOWERING WITHIN 30 MINUTES OR SOMETHING AFTER THEY GET TO THE FIREHOUSE. THERE'S NO WAY THAT THEY'RE GOING TO DO THAT WITH FIVE FOLKS COMING BACK, PLUS THE BATTALION, RIGHT, AND USING ONE SHOWER. IT'S JUST NOT POSSIBLE. SOMETIMES THEY HAVE TO GO TO THE CWC, TAKE SHOWERS OVER THERE, AND THEN COME BACK TO THE FIRE STATION. THAT'S NOT PRACTICAL. NOBODY WANTS TO DO THAT, RIGHT? WE HAVE TO SHOW FOR BOTH CAREER AND VOLUNTEER MEMBERS THAT WE'RE GIVING THEM THE BEST FACILITIES, THE BEST EQUIPMENT. I MEAN, WE'VE DONE A FANTASTIC JOB WITH ALL THESE FIRE ENGINES AND SCBAS AND OTHER THINGS, BUT NOW THE FACILITIES ARE KIND OF FALLING BACK. SO SOME OF THESE THINGS WE'RE TRYING TO ADDRESS THAT. LAST QUESTION.

I THOUGHT WHEN I READ YOUR REPORT, I READ IT TWICE, BUT I MAY HAVE MISSED IT.

DON'T WE ALSO HAVE IT BESIDES THE UNIFORMS THAT ARE COMING UP ON THE 10 YEARS? REPLACEMENT DON'T WE ALSO HAVE SCBAS COMING BACK UP AGAIN? BECAUSE I KNOW YEARS AGO WE BOUGHT, WE REPLACED A HELL OF A LOT OF THEM. YEAH, WE JUST DID THE HYDROTEST. I'M CORN SHAKING, SO APPARENTLY I'M WRONG.

YEAH. OKAY. WE JUST DID THE FIVE-YEAR TESTING, SO I THINK WE GOT A LITTLE BIT MORE TIME STILL. ALL RIGHT, I APOLOGIZE, I MISREAD THAT THEN. YOU KNOW, WE WILL BE KEEPING AN EYE ON FOR GRANTS AND ANY OF THAT SORT OF THING. OUR DEPUTY EMERGENCY MANAGER, BRIAN BAER, IS PHENOMENAL WHEN IT COMES TO TRACKING AND APPLYING FOR THOSE. HE'S BEEN VERY HELPFUL TO US. AND ALSO CHIEF COKER HAS BEEN, LIKE, AT THE FOREFRONT WITH THE SAFER GRANT AND THAT KIND OF THING. SO I THINK WE ARE GOING TO TRY TO GO AFTER AS MANY OF THOSE AS WE CAN. WELL, I'LL CLOSE WITH THIS. I THINK EVERYBODY IN THIS LAST EVENT WE JUST HAD.

I'M BRIAN BARRIER, FIRE AND EMS POLICE. THE WHOLE NINE YARDS, ALL THE COUNTY EMPLOYEES DID A HELL OF A JOB. THANK YOU.

YEAH. THAT'S ALL I GOT. MR. HAMMOND? I'LL SECOND THAT COMMENT AS WELL, MR. WEBB. ALL THE FOLKS THAT WORKED IN THAT EVENT, CERTAINLY HATS OFF TO THEM FOR ALL THE HARD WORK THAT WAS ABOVE AND BEYOND. SO, I SPENT A LOT OF TIME TRYING TO... I THINK IT WAS AROUND 93 PAGES OF THE ORIGINAL PRESENTATION THAT WAS GIVEN TO THE BOARD. AND SO THERE WAS A LOT OF DATA, AND AS A DATA GUY, I APPRECIATE THAT. THERE WAS A LOT. I DO APPRECIATE THAT. I HAD TO SPEND SOME TIME GETTING MY HEAD WRAPPED AROUND. KIND OF THE PHILOSOPHY OF THE STANDARDS AND KIND OF LOOKING AT THE TRENDS THAT THE DEPARTMENT IS FACING, YOU KNOW, AS FAR AS THE CALLS OF SERVICE AND THINGS LIKE THAT. I GOT A LITTLE BIT OF STICKER SHOCK WHEN I FIRST SAW THE ORIGINAL NUMBER, AND I REALIZED YOU'VE GOT SOME REVISED NUMBERS, WE'LL SEE LATER. SO CERTAINLY, I'LL STAY AWAY FROM TOO MANY OF THE BUDGET NUMBERS, EXCEPT JUST THE INITIAL NUMBER, AND THIS IS JUST MY ROUGH CALCULATION. BASED

[02:25:01]

AND SO THAT KIND OF SHOCKED ME A LITTLE BIT.

AND TO KNOW THAT YOU'VE LOOKED AT THE NUMBERS AGAIN. I LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING THE DIFFERENCE. THE CALLS FOR SERVICE IN 2022 TO 2025, IT LOOKS LIKE THE CALLS FOR SERVICE INCREASED ABOUT 107%. AND DEPENDING ON HOW THE DATA FOR CALLS FOR SERVICE ALIGN WITH THE BUDGETARY NUMBERS, WHETHER OR NOT 2022 ALIGNS WITH FISCAL YEAR 23 OR FISCAL YEAR 22, THAT SAME INCREASE, SO 107% ON THE CALLS FOR SERVICE. THE BUDGET INCREASED SOMETHING LIKE 156% IN THAT SAME TIMEFRAME. AND SO TO SEE THIS BUDGET 147% HIGHER THAN LAST YEAR. ON TOP OF THAT, SUDDENLY I THINK I REALIZED THAT THERE'S SOMETHING IN THIS THAT I DIDN'T UNDERSTAND. AND SO YOU HAD MADE A REFERENCE EARLIER ABOUT THE STANDARDS. THE STANDARDS YOU REFERENCED IN THE PRESENTATION, THE 1710 AND 20, I WASN'T ABLE TO FIND THE CURRENT VERSION OF THOSE. I THINK WHEN I LOOK ON AN FPA, I'M COMING UP WITH 1750. MAYBE THAT'S THE NEWER.

NO, SO THAT'S THE NUMBER. I CAN GET YOU AN ACTUAL COPY. IT'S KIND OF A PAIN TO SHARE BECAUSE THEY'RE PROTECTIVE. SO I HAVE THE POLICY. I'LL TRY TO SEE IF I CAN. IT'LL TAKE A LITTLE BIT OF WORK, BUT WE CAN PRINT YOU OFF A COPY IF YOU WANT TO SEE IT. USUALLY, WE LOOK AT 1710, WHICH IS A PROFESSIONAL FIRE DEPARTMENT STANDARD, WHICH IS THE FOUR-MINUTE AND EIGHT-MINUTE RESPONSE TIME FOR. FOR ALL, YOU KNOW, FOR THE ENTIRE FIRST RESPONDENT ALARM. AND THEN THE, BUT MOST OF THE TIME, I LOOK AT THE NFPA 1720, AND THEN THERE'S LIKE THREE DIFFERENT VERSIONS OF THAT. THERE'S AN URBAN AND THERE'S A SUBURBAN. THERE'S ALSO A RURAL. BUT IF YOU LOOK AT OUR MAP THAT I HAD IN MY PRESENTATION, YOU SEE THAT MOST OF OUR RUNS ARE IN MORE OF A SUBURBAN-URBAN KIND OF SETTING. SO I STICK TO THE SUBURBAN. 10 FIREFIGHTERS ON THE SCENE IN 10 MINUTES 90% OF THE TIME, AND WE DON'T MEET THAT MOST OF THE TIME. YEAH, I SIGNED UP ON THE NFPA WEBSITE JUST BECAUSE I WANTED TO SEE THE STANDARDS. BECAUSE I KNOW WE'VE HEARD THESE REFERENCED SEVERAL TIMES, AND IT'S HANDY TO SEE THOSE. I COULD ONLY FIND 1750 THAT WAS CURRENT. THEY CLAIMED THAT 1710 AND 20 HAD BEEN ROLLED INTO 1750 AS OF DECEMBER, SO MY NUMBERS COULD BE OFF ON THOSE. I THOUGHT IT WAS THE FITNESS STANDARD THAT GOT... ROLL INTO SOMETHING ELSE. THEY DO THAT ALL THE TIME. MY GUESS IS THAT IT WON'T CHANGE MUCH AS FAR AS TIMES. SO WHEN I WAS LOOKING AT THAT, YOU KNOW, I WAS TRYING TO MAKE SURE.

BECAUSE WHEN I LOOKED AT THE PRESENTATION, I WAS REALLY CONCERNED ABOUT RESPONSE TIMES AND THE NUMBER OF FOLKS THAT SHOW UP TO THOSE. AND WHEN I LOOKED AT 1750, WHICH IS THE ONE, LIKE I SAID, THAT'S THE ONE THAT I LOOKED AT. I THOUGHT IT WAS THE NEWEST ONE SINCE DECEMBER. IT TALKS ABOUT THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE PER SQUARE MILE, AND PRINCE GEORGE WAS UNDER THE IMPRESSION FELL UNDER RURAL. WE'RE ABOUT 160 OR 170 PEOPLE PER SQUARE MILE, WHICH IS SIX PEOPLE 14 MINUTES, 80% OF THE TIME. YOU'RE LOOKING AT THE ENTIRE COUNTY, AND I FOCUS MORE ON WHERE THOSE RUNS ARE. IF YOU LOOK AT THE POWERPOINT THAT I HAD, THERE WAS A MAP, A HEAT MAP, WHICH SHOWS WHERE ALL THAT STUFF IS. MOST OF OUR RUNS, FOR INSTANCE, THE BUSIEST AREA IS PUDDLE DUCK AND JEFFERSON PARK AREA.

THAT'S NOT... RURAL SETTING THAT'S WHY I USE THE SUBURBAN SETTING, BECAUSE IT'S TRYING TO COMBINE THAT RURAL ON THIS AND GETS ME A LITTLE BIT CLOSER TO, REALLY WHAT IT SHOULD BE.

THE HIGHEST CENSUS I COULD FIND IN PRINCE GEORGE WAS SOMETHING LIKE 650 PER SQUARE MILE FOR JEFFERSON PARK, WHICH WOULD PUT US IN THE SUBURBAN, ACCORDING TO 1750. AND I THIS, I'M JUST TRYING TO GET MY HEAD WRAPPED AROUND THIS BECAUSE IT WAS ALARMING TO SEE THOSE RESPONSE TIMES. I WOULD AGREE WITH YOU THAT THE SUBURBAN'S IS THE KIND OF THE ONE THAT WE SHOULD BE LOOKING AT. THE THE OTHER THING WAS REMOTE. I HADN'T HEARD THAT MENTIONED BEFORE. I UNDERSTAND THAT ANYTHING THAT WAS GREATER THAN EIGHT MILES FROM A FIRE DEPARTMENT IS CONSIDERED REMOTE, AND IT ISN'T CONSIDERED IN ANY OF THE OTHERS AS WELL. IS THAT TRUE? YEAH. SO BY THAT STANDARD, WE SHOULD HAVE MORE PEOPLE ASSIGNED TO THOSE STATIONS, BECAUSE IT'S GOING TO TAKE LONGER FOR ANYBODY ELSE TO ASSIGN.

FOR INSTANCE, STATION 4, WAY OUT THERE, STATION 7 WILL PROBABLY FALL INTO THAT CATEGORY. WHAT YOU WOULD EXPECT, A LITTLE KIND OF INTUITIVE, RIGHT? LIKE, DO YOU... YOU WOULD THINK THAT YOU HAVE TO HAVE MORE PEOPLE OUT THERE BECAUSE ON THE FIRST ALARM, LIKE RIGHT NOW, STATION 7 IS OUT THERE WITH TWO FOLKS.

THEY'RE NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO DO A LOT UNTIL THEY GET EITHER VOLUNTEERS OR ADDITIONAL CAREER STAFFING FROM SOMEWHERE ELSE. AND IT'S GOING TO TAKE THEM 10, 15 MINUTES TO GET OVER THERE.

YEAH, BECAUSE I WAS LOOKING AT REMOTE, BECAUSE THAT WAS THE THING. I KNOW ONE OF THE NUMBERS YOU CITED, SOME OF OUR RUN TIMES WERE AS HIGH AS 20 MINUTES. YES. AND

[02:30:01]

BUT I DON'T THINK WE'RE THERE YET, RIGHT? LIKE, WE'VE GOT A LONG WAYS TO GO. YES, SIR.

YES, SO IT'S JUST, I WAS JUST TRYING TO UNDERSTAND, BECAUSE, LIKE I SAID, THAT INITIAL SHOCK OF THOSE NUMBERS, COUPLED WITH THE BUDGET NUMBERS, I JUST, IT HELPS ME TO UNDERSTAND THAT. AND MAYBE WE CAN FIND SOME TIME. I CERTAINLY WOULD LOVE TO PULL UP AND SEE SOME OF THE MAPS THAT YOU'VE GOT, BECAUSE THE DEMAND ZONE STUFF WAS SOMETHING, YOU KNOW, IF WE'RE HITTING THE NUMBERS BASED ON WHAT THE SIZE OF THE LOCALITY IS, THAT'S ONE THING, AND THEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT...

SOME OF THE OTHER NUMBERS, BUT IF WE'RE SO FAR BEHIND, WHEN I LOOK AT THE URBAN AND IT SAYS 15 FOLKS IN NINE MINUTES, 90% OF THE TIME, THAT'S A BIG NUMBER. FOR PRINCE GEORGE, I FEEL LIKE.

THAT'S A VERY LARGE NUMBER.

BUT IF WE'RE ACTUALLY IN SOME PARTS OF THE COUNTY, SHOULD BE FOUR PEOPLE AND THE AMOUNT OF TIME IT TAKES TO GET TO THAT PLACE. NOW IT'S LIKE, OKAY, WE'RE RESPONDING IN THE WAY THAT YOU MIGHT EXPECT FOR A RURAL LOCALITY OR REMOTE.

AND IT'S JUST TRYING TO UNDERSTAND, HOW DO WE SUPPLEMENT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE GETTING THE COVERAGE ISO-WISE AND THINGS LIKE THAT. AND SO I'LL SAVE THE REST OF THAT BECAUSE I THINK THAT WOULD BE GREAT TO BE ABLE TO CATCH UP AND UNDERSTAND SOME MORE. HERE'S THE OTHER THING THAT I JUST WOULD LIKE FOR YOU TO CONSIDER IS THAT PUBLIC SAFETY, UNFORTUNATELY, IS NOT ALWAYS ABOUT EFFICIENCY. IT'S ABOUT EFFECTIVENESS, RIGHT? LIKE, THERE'S SOME DUPLICATION AND THERE'S SOME OVERLAP IN CERTAIN THINGS. IT IS BY DESIGN. YOU KNOW, WE DID A REALLY GOOD JOB OVER THE LAST WEEKEND WITH THE ICE STORM AND EVERYTHING ELSE.

IT COULD HAVE GONE TERRIBLY.

THE STORM ITSELF COULD HAVE ENDED UP BEING LIKE THEY DID IN TENNESSEE, AND POWER OUTAGES AND ALL THAT. SO THERE WAS A LITTLE BIT OF LUCK. WE MANAGED.

WE DID A GOOD JOB. WE LEARNED QUITE A BIT. I CERTAINLY LEARNED A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT.

BUT TOWARDS THE END, IF THAT HAD ACTUALLY LASTED ANOTHER 24 OR 48 HOURS, WE WERE AT A POINT WHERE WE DIDN'T HAVE ANY MORE RESOURCES FOR US TO THROW AT THIS THING. WE WOULD HAVE WORKED EVERY PERSONNEL. WE DIDN'T HAVE THE REDUNDANCY AND THE COMMAND STAFF. IT WOULD HAVE BEEN COMPLICATED. WOULD WE HAVE DONE IT? YES. WOULD WE HAVE TAKEN RISKS? YES. BUT, YOU KNOW, SO I, AND THE ONLY REASON I'M IN THE LAB IS BECAUSE YOU TRIED TO RELATE THE NUMBER OF RUNS.

AND SOMEHOW MIRROR THE INCREASE IN THE BUDGET, WHICH I UNDERSTAND KIND OF A TENDENCY TO DO THAT.

BUT WE'RE NOT GOING TO. THE RELATIONSHIP IS NOT GOING TO BE AS CLEAR AS YOU WOULD EXPECT IT IN OTHER AREAS. CERTAINLY. THE ONLY OTHER THING, AND I THINK THIS MIGHT BE A PART OF OUR CONVERSATION WHEN WE CATCH UP, IS THAT, YOU KNOW, I KNOW YOU HAD MENTIONED 1710, 1720. 1710, I BELIEVE, IS THE CAREER. THIS IS THE CAREER STANDARD. I'M UNDERSTANDING, I JUST TRIED TO UNDERSTAND. LIKE PRINCE GEORGE, I THINK WE FALL UNDER COMBINATION, I GUESS, IF IT'S GREATER THAN 50% VOLUNTEERS. I THINK WE SAID AT 80 VOLUNTEERS VERSUS 42 CAREER. I GUESS, LIKE I SAID, THIS WOULD PROBABLY BE GOOD TO CATCH UP, JUST UNDERSTANDING HOW WE DISPATCH THAT. IF WE'RE AT 66% VOLUNTEERS AND 33 CAREER, MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE LEVERAGING OUR... VOLUNTEERS TO THE BEST OF OUR ABILITY. I UNDERSTAND FOLKS ARE NOT VOLUNTEERING LIKE THEY USED TO. FOLKS ARE AT WORK. THERE'S A WHOLE HOST OF REASONS WHY THOSE 80 INDIVIDUALS MAY NOT BE ABLE TO RESPOND, BUT I HEAR WHAT YOU'RE SAYING, YOU KNOW, THAT THE DEMANDS BEING PLACED ON THE DEPARTMENT. AND IF 66% OF THE DEPARTMENT IS VOLUNTEERS, HOW CAN WE LEVERAGE THEM? TO THE BEST OF OUR ABILITY? TO BE ABLE TO TO GIVE THE CITIZENS THE SERVICE THEY WOULD EXPECT, RIGHT? WE DON'T WANT...

HOUSES. WE DON'T WANT LOSS OF LIFE. WE DON'T WANT BUILDING LOSS. WE'VE GOT A LOT OF GOOD VOLUNTEERS OUT THERE. I'D LIKE TO CATCH UP AND TALK. I WOULD AGREE, AND I THINK THAT WE CAN GO INTO MORE DETAIL ABOUT THAT.

YES, SIR. AND LIKE I SAID, I'D JUST LIKE TO SEE THE UPDATED NUMBERS. I HAD QUESTIONS ON NUMBERS.

BASICALLY, I'M JUST DELETING

[02:35:01]

I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU UNDERSTAND THAT WE ARE ASSUMING ADDITIONAL RISK TO LOSE PEOPLE AND TO DO SOME OF THESE OTHER THINGS.

BUT I THINK IF WE CAN ADD SOME OF THE OTHER THINGS THAT...

THAT WOULD BE TO OUR ADVANTAGE.

I APPRECIATE THE OFFER FOR THE EDUCATION WHEN WE GET TOGETHER LATER. YES. THAT'S ALL I HAVE, SIR. MR. PUGH, PHILIP PUGH.

ALL RIGHT, I'VE GOT SOME REQUESTS. YES, SIR. LET'S GO BACK TO CAPTAINS. YES. HOW MANY CAPTAINS DO YOU CURRENTLY GOT RIGHT NOW? I HAVE TWO NON-OPERATIONAL CAPTAINS, AN EMS CAPTAIN OR A TRAINING CAPTAIN AND A SUPPORT SERVICES CAPTAIN. ALL RIGHT, HOW MANY LIEUTENANTS DO YOU CURRENTLY HAVE RIGHT NOW? SEVEN. SEVEN, OKAY. SO WE TALKED ABOUT, OR YOU HAD TALKED ABOUT.

PUTTING A CAPTAIN AT EACH STATION, CORRECT? THAT'S CORRECT. SO THAT WOULD BE A TOTAL OF FOUR CAPTAINS, WOULD IT NOT BE? YES, SIR. ALL RIGHT, SO MY NEXT QUESTION IS, CAN YOU GET ME THE NUMBERS ON WHAT? IT WOULD BE TO RECLASSIFY FOUR CAPTAIN POSITIONS FOR ONE AT EACH STATION, AND THEN ALSO GET ME THE NUMBERS ON? I THINK IT WOULD BE EIGHT LIEUTENANTS? AM I CORRECT WHEN I SAY THAT? YOU WOULD RECLASSIFY AN ADDITIONAL FIVE FIREFIGHTERS, AND SO THE THREE LIEUTENANTS THAT ARE— CURRENTLY ASSISTING WITH THOSE FIVE, IT WILL GIVE US EIGHT LIEUTENANTS. AND THE COST FOR THAT IS $148,000 IT WOULD TAKE TO RECLASSIFY THEM. ALL RIGHT.

WE WORKED ON A, I MEAN, I HAD TO PICK NAMES, RIGHT? SO I JUST KIND OF RANDOMLY PICKED FOUR LIEUTENANTS AND MINIMUM CAPTAINS, AND FIVE FIREFIGHTERS AND MINIMUM LIEUTENANTS. AND THEN BASED ON, YOU KNOW, IT'S BASED ON THOSE.

PARTICULAR PEOPLE, THE NUMBER CAME OUT TO 148,000. THAT NUMBER WOULD CHANGE BECAUSE WE WOULD HAVE A PROMOTION PROCESS. I'M NOT JUST GOING TO PICK THEM, RIGHT? I WANT TO TRY TO. IF SOMEBODY'S MORE IN THE STEP PLAN, IT'S GOING TO BE MORE VERSUS. YEAH, I JUST RANDOMLY PICKED THE FIRST LIEUTENANTS THAT I SAW, AND I MADE THEM CAPTAINS, AND THE FIRST FOUR FIREFIGHTERS THAT CAME TO MIND, AND I MADE THEM LIEUTENANTS, AND THAT'S HOW WE CAME UP WITH 148. IT CAN GO UP A LITTLE BIT MORE OR A LITTLE BIT LESS, DEPENDING ON HOW LONG THEY'VE BEEN AND WHAT'S NEXT. STEP THEY'RE IN AND THAT KIND OF THING. BUT I WOULD SAY, YOU KNOW, SAFELY, YOU KNOW, SOMEWHERE AROUND $150,000 WOULD GIVE US THAT FRAMEWORK. ALL RIGHT. MY NEXT QUESTION. HAVE WE? HAS THERE BEEN ANY TALK ABOUT A CAREER DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM? YES. ANYTHING LIKE THAT? WE HAVE A WORK GROUP THAT PUT THAT PIECE TOGETHER.

OKAY. OBVIOUSLY, THERE'S SOME COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH THAT. I HAVE. LAST MONTH, WE HAD A WHAT WOULD HAVE BEEN THE FIRST FORMAL FIRE OFFICER DEVELOPMENT, FIRE COMPANY OR COMPANY OFFICER DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM THAT I WAS GOING TO TEACH, AN EIGHT-HOUR CLASS, MANDATORY FOR ALL OFFICERS AND ACTING LIEUTENANTS, ANYBODY THAT'S COMPLETED THEIR TRAINING UP TO THAT POINT. AND I'M GOING TO TAKE THE FEEDBACK FROM THAT AND THEN TRY TO DELIVER THE SAME IN A DIFFERENT FORMAT TO THE VOLUNTEER COMPANY OFFICERS.

BECAUSE WE WANT TO DEVELOP ALL OF THEM. BUT I'M STARTING WITH THIS GROUP BECAUSE, LIKE I SAID, IT'S EASIER TO CAPTURE THEM A LITTLE BIT, AND I CAN GET THE FEEDBACK FOR THE PROGRAM. THIS IS SOMETHING THAT I, AS A BATTALION CHIEF, I HAVE WORKED ON FOR A LITTLE OVER A YEAR TO DELIVER TO ALL MY COMPANY OFFICERS.

THAT'S ONE OF THE PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE BATTALION CHIEF, IS TO MENTOR AND GROW AND DEVELOP THEIR PEOPLE, ESPECIALLY THE COMPANY OFFICERS. AND WE JUST HAVE NOT DONE THAT. I'M PASSIONATE ABOUT THAT BECAUSE I REMEMBER THE FIRST TIME THAT I GOT PROMOTED, I TOOK MY BASIC QUALIFICATION CLASSES. I GOT MY RED HAT AND MY BADGE, AND OFF I WENT. AND ON THE VERY FIRST DAY, I GOT A CALL FROM THE OPERATIONS CHIEF. LET ME TELL YOU, IT WAS A SHOCKER WHAT I HAD TO DO. I WAS NOWHERE NEAR PREPARED. SO THIS IS A LITTLE BIT ABOVE AND BEYOND THE CLASSES THAT WE REQUIRE THEM.

IT'S BASED ON EXPERIENCE AND KNOWLEDGE GAINED AND INPUT FROM. THE OFFICERS THEMSELVES, EVERYBODY BRINGS SOMETHING TO THE TABLE. SOMETIMES WE JUST HAVE TO SHINE A LIGHT ON IT, WHAT THEY KNOW AND DON'T KNOW.

ALL RIGHT, I WANT TO MAKE IT PERFECTLY CLEAR,

[02:40:03]

STAY. I'M GOING TO SUPPORT GROWTH IN THE FIRE DEPARTMENT IN BOTH CAREER AND VOLUNTEER.

IT MAY NOT HAPPEN OVERNIGHT, BUT IT'S GOING TO HAPPEN. YOU KNOW, WE'RE LOOKING AT A STATION SIX CURRENTLY THAT I'M GOING TO SUPPORT WITHIN REASON. YOU KNOW, WE ORDERED NEW FIRE TRUCKS, WE'RE WORKING AND HEADING INTO A DIRECTION, BUT WE'RE STILL IN A SMALL STAGE. THE MONEY DOES KEEP US FROM JUMPING OVER THE MOON OVERNIGHT. SO KEEP THAT IN MIND.

BUT WE DON'T WANT TO LOSE ANYBODY.

BUT I WILL SAY THIS. REACH OUT.

IF THERE'S AN ISSUE, IF THERE'S ANYTHING, YOU KNOW, CONCERNS OF YOU'RE THINKING ABOUT LEAVING, PICK A PHONE UP, CALL ME. CALL ANY BOARD MEMBER.

SO WE KNOW THOSE CONCERNS. SO WHEN WE DO THESE BUDGETS, WE UNDERSTAND, OKAY, HEY, WE MAY LOSE SOMEBODY BECAUSE OF SOMETHING AS SIMPLE AS A GROWTH PLAN OR, YOU KNOW, A CAREER DEVELOPMENT PLAN.

THAT GOES, HEY, THIS IS WHAT I CAN DO TO GET AN EXTRA 1% PAY.

SOMETHING. I LOOK FORWARD TO MORE DIALOGUE, BUT I WILL SAY, YOU KNOW, THE OTHER THING I WOULD LIKE, AND WE ALREADY TALKED ABOUT IT, IS SEEING WHAT CONTRACTING THE EMS BILLING LOOKS LIKE. AND THEN THE OTHER THING IS OUR PART-TIME POOL.

WHAT IS OUR PART-TIME POOL CURRENTLY? WE GOT 10 EMPLOYEES, 20 EMPLOYEES. WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE? ARE WE WORKING ON BUILDING THAT UP? THAT'S ANOTHER OPTION THAT IS DEFINITELY WORTH EXPLORING.

CURRENTLY, WE'RE 288,000, 310,000 FOR PART-TIME FIREFIGHTERS. I'M TALKING ABOUT HOW MANY EMPLOYEES.

YEAH, AND I THINK WE'RE PROBABLY SOMEWHERE BETWEEN 15 AND 20. I DON'T KNOW. THE EXACT NUMBER, 20? ABOUT 20. 20. THAT NUMBER, AGAIN, FLUCTUATES A LITTLE BIT SOMETIMES. BUT, YOU KNOW, EACH ONE OF THOSE HAS THAT $8,000 TAG AT THE BEGINNING AND ONGOING ANNUALLY $5,000 OF THESE, $5,400 FOR THE S.O. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT SPITBALLS IN MY MIND, AND I KNOW A LOT OF DEPARTMENTS ARE DOING IT, AND I DON'T KNOW WHAT THIS BOARD, YOU KNOW, THEIR THOUGHTS ARE ON IT, BUT IF WE'RE EXPERIENCING BURNOUT, PEOPLE LEAVING, AND LOW STAFFING, WHICH IS OBVIOUS, MAYBE PUT TOGETHER A PLAN AND PRESENT TO MS. PUDLOW AND THE BOARD OF A PILOT PROGRAM, WHETHER WE DO IT FOR SIX MONTHS, WHETHER WE DO IT FOR 12 MONTHS, AND DO A PEAK TIME, WHETHER IT'S 8 TO 8, 9 TO 9, DOESN'T MATTER, WHATEVER THE CALLS CALL FOR, TO PUT UP MEDICAL NEEDS. AND THEN YOU DON'T HAVE TO EXPEND TURNOUT GEAR, THINGS LIKE THAT, BUT IT GIVES THE FULL-TIME EMPLOYEES A BREAK.

AND THEY'RE ABLE TO TRAIN, THEY'RE ABLE TO GET ON A FIRE TRUCK, THINGS LIKE THAT, UNLESS THE CALL VOLUME GOES UP. I WOULD LIKE TO SEE POSSIBLY WHAT THAT COST WOULD BE AND THE EFFECT IT WOULD HAVE ON THESE SYSTEMS. I BELIEVE HOPEWELL IS DOING SOMETHING LIKE THAT. I THINK IN THEIR PROGRAM THEY'RE FIREFIGHTER ONES, BUT THEY'RE... MOSTLY MEDICS, SO THEY CAN GET THE RETIREMENT UNDER THE FIREFIGHTER VERSION.

YEAH, THIS WOULD JUST BE A PART-TIME THING. YEAH, YEAH, YEAH. START WITH TO SEE IF IT WORKS. YEAH.

YEAH, WE CAN. BUT I'D LIKE TO SEE SOME INFORMATION ON THAT, POSSIBLY. OKAY. AND THAT'S ALL I'VE GOT, MR. CHAIR. OKAY. ALL RIGHT, REAL QUICK, REAL QUICK, CHIEF. I'VE GOT A COUPLE QUESTIONS I NEED TO ASK YOU. YES, SIR. ALL RIGHT, LOOKING BACK AT YOUR PRESENTATION YOU PRESENTED WITH THE 500 HOURS, DID YOU EVER REQUEST FOR ADDITIONAL HELP TO TAKE SOME OF THAT WORKLOAD OFF? NO, SO IT WAS NOT CLEAR TO ME AT THE TIME THAT THIS NUMBER WAS THAT LARGE. A YEAR AGO, WHEN I FIRST STARTED, MY FOCUS WAS ON WHAT WE ARE SPENDING ON THE BUDGET, RIGHT? LIKE, I JUMPED IN, THIS BUDGET WAS ALREADY DONE. I HAD TO SORT OF LEARN WHAT WE WERE TRYING TO ASK FOR. I MADE THE PRESENTATION. AND THEN I STARTED TRACKING SOME OF THESE THINGS. ONCE WE GOT PAST THAT PROCESS, WE STARTED TRYING TO LOOK AT WHAT IT WOULD LOOK LIKE HIGHER AND SOGS, AND A SLEW OF OTHER THINGS.

[02:45:03]

NOW, WE WERE BEHIND IN APRIL, MAY, WHEN WE HAD THOSE ISSUES WITH THE SOFTWARE, PROGRAMS AND ALL THAT. SINCE, WE HAVE TAKEN VACATION FOR A COUPLE WEEKS. THERE WERE SOME PERSONAL MATTERS THAT HAVE OCCURRED THAT I'M SURE YOU'RE AWARE OF. SO WE'VE MISSED ABOUT ANOTHER MONTH. GUESS WHAT DIDN'T STOP JUST BECAUSE SHE WASN'T AVAILABLE? THE RENTS.

SO NOW WE'RE BACK TO 600, 700 RENTS BEHIND SCHEDULE THAT ARE NOT BEING BUILT UNLESS WE DON'T HAVE THE REVENUE. I THINK THERE'S NO DOUBT IN MY MIND THAT WE NEED TO GET THIS FARMED OUT TO SOMEBODY ELSE. HAS THE KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERTISE.

BY THE WAY, THEY ALSO TYPICALLY WILL PROVIDE SOME OF THE QUALITY IMPROVEMENT, QUALITY ASSURANCE THAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR BECAUSE THEY LOOK AT ALL THE REPORTS. THEY CAN COME BACK AND TELL US, HEY, AT LEAST THAT'S MY EXPERIENCE IN OTHER DEPARTMENTS, WHERE WE'VE USED OUTSIDE VENDORS TO DO THIS, EDUCATE OUR PROVIDERS IN INFORMATION THAT IS REALLY NEEDED AND WHY IT'S NEEDED, AND GIVE YOU EXAMPLES OF HOW TO... YOU KNOW, AI IS A BIG DEAL RIGHT NOW, AND SO I KNOW THAT THERE ARE STRATEGIES ASSOCIATED WITH THAT. TO IMPROVE OUR REPORT WRITING THAT WILL IMPROVE OUR COLLECTION RATE.

AND THEY WILL BE THE ONES TO KNOW KIND OF WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE. ALL RIGHT, AND THEN YOU MADE THE COMMENT, WE DON'T DO EXIT INTERVIEWS.

YOU DON'T DO WHAT? YOU DON'T DO EXIT INTERVIEWS? NO, WE HAVE NOT HAD THAT AS A… BRING UP PRACTICE TO MY KNOWLEDGE. SOME FOLKS WILL SHARE WITH US WHAT'S HAPPENING, AND I GUESS AGAIN, SOME OF THEM HAVE BEEN PERFORMERS.

WE'VE TERMINATED PEOPLE OR THEY'VE RESIGNED IN LIEU OF RIGHT? THEY HAD THEIR INTERVIEW. SO SO WE KNOW WHY THOSE FOLKS ARE NOT HERE ANYMORE. THEY JUST WERE NOT MEETING THE STANDARD. AND UNFORTUNATELY, MY MIND, WE DO OURSELVES AND THE COMMUNITY OF THE SERVICE IF WE START WAVING THE STANDARDS. THEY'RE THERE FOR A REASON. AND WHAT I COULD SEE FROM THE EXIT INTERVIEWS, ESPECIALLY LIKE WHEN WE TALK ABOUT PAY, IF WE'VE GOT TEN PEOPLE LEFT AND YOU'VE GOT NINE OF THEM, THAT SAID, THEY LEFT BECAUSE OF PAY, THAT'S MORE INFORMATION FOR US TO CONSIDER WHEN WE GO INTO THE BUDGET PROCESS. YES.

AND THEN THE LAST THING I'VE GOT, I DON'T SEE ANYTHING IN YOUR REQUEST, BUT HAVE YOU THOUGHT ABOUT PUTTING ANYTHING IN ABOUT THE RENOVATION OF STATION 8? THIS IS THE FIRST I'VE HEARD OF IT. WE PRESENTED TO THE CIP BOARD ON THAT. WE WERE PRIORITIZING STATION 6, BUT STATION 8 NEEDS A LOT OF ATTENTION. WE HAVE WORKED WITH GENERAL SERVICES TO TRY TO COORDINATE SOMETHING, AND I'M TRYING TO FIND THE MONEY IN MY CURRENT BUDGET RIGHT NOW.

AS A MATTER OF FACT, I SPENT... A COUPLE WEEKS AGO, I SPENT SOME TIME AT STATION 8 TO SOME MEASUREMENTS, WENT HOME, USED MY OWN AUTOCAD SOFTWARE AT HOME, AND I LAID OUT TWO BATHROOMS OUT OF THE ONE SPACE. I BELIEVE GENERAL SERVICES MET WITH THEM YESTERDAY, OR THEY'RE GOING TO MEET TOMORROW. I CAN'T REMEMBER.

THESE LAST COUPLE WEEKS HAVE MIXED INTO ONE. ANYWAY, I HAVE... DESIGN TWO BATHROOMS IN THAT ONE SPACE, WE'RE TRYING TO SEE WHAT THE COST IS GOING TO BE TO ACCOMPLISH THAT. AND THEN, BECAUSE ONE OF THE OPTIONS WAS JUST TO MAKE A SHOWER ROOM OUT OF THE LAUNDRY FACILITY. BUT IN ADDITION TO THESE RENOVATIONS FOR THE BATHROOMS, WE HAVE TO ADD AN ADDITIONAL WASHER AND DRYER. BECAUSE RIGHT NOW, YOU KNOW, YOU GOT EIGHT PEOPLE THERE, YOU KNOW, SEVEN PEOPLE THERE. EVERYBODY HAS TO DO LAUNDRY AT SOME POINT. AND IT GETS PRETTY, UH, COMPETITIVE. LET'S JUST SAY THAT TO TRY TO GET INTO THE WASHER AND DRYER, ALL RIGHT, WELL,

[02:50:01]

YEAH, OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD, I WILL TELL YOU THAT, UM, THE KITCHEN, UH, OBVIOUSLY NEEDS TO. I MEAN, THE WHOLE STATION WAS IT USED TO BE THE CREW STATION. I'M SURE YOU GUYS, A LOT OF, YOU KNOW, KIND OF THE STORY THAT WAS REPURPOSED. AND, YOU KNOW, IN TYPICAL FIREFIGHTER FASHION, THEY JUST KIND OF MADE IT WORK. IT DOES NOT MEET FIRE CODE, DOES NOT MEET NFPA IN A LOT OF WAYS. IT DOESN'T MEET THE BUILDING CODE. IT DOESN'T MEET ADA CODES. THE STAIRS ARE PRETTY DANGEROUS, TO BE HONEST. THE RISE TO...

THE RATIO FOR THE STAIRS ARE PRETTY TRICKY. YOU KNOW, AN UPGRADED KITCHEN, THE BATHROOMS DOWNSTAIRS, YOU KNOW, IT IS A PUBLIC BUILDING.

YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO MEET ADA.

RIGHT NOW, YOU'VE GOT TO STEP UP INTO THE STATION AND THEN GO THROUGH THESE WEIRD DOORS THAT OPEN INTO EACH OTHER. NONE OF THAT MEETS ADA. AND THEN, OF COURSE, THE BEDROOM FACILITIES ARE NOT QUITE WHAT YOU WOULD EXPECT, LIKE, STATION 7 IS SORT OF THE STANDARD, RIGHT? INDIVIDUAL BUNK ROOMS, INDIVIDUAL BATHROOMS GIVES YOU MORE FLEXIBILITY FOR YOUR STAFFING. YOU KNOW, MALE AND FEMALE ACCOMMODATIONS, BUT IF YOU HAVE THOSE INDIVIDUAL RESTROOMS, IT EASES A LOT OF THAT. IT ALLOWS YOU COMPLIANCE WITH SOME OF THE TITLE VII CONCERNS AND ALL THOSE THINGS.

OKAY. ALL RIGHT. I CAN GIVE YOU A LIST. OKAY. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. AND THE LAST THING I'VE GOT, ECHO, WHAT, MR. WEBB AND MR. HAMILL SAID. AGAIN, THANKS TO EVERYBODY, WHAT THEY'VE DONE. WE CAME UP FULL LAST. I KNOW THAT WAS SOMETHING VERY, VERY UNIQUE TO PRINCE JOE, WHICH STILL IS BECAUSE WE STILL GOT ICE ON THE GROUND. BUT AGAIN, HATS OFF TO EVERYBODY THAT WAS INVOLVED IN THAT. MR. BEAR, YOU CAN PASS THAT ON. I WAS ASSURED WHEN I CAME HERE THAT HAVING SNOW ON THE GROUND WAS A RARITY.

AND I AM BEGINNING TO QUESTION THOSE ASSESSMENTS BECAUSE THIS IS MY SECOND WINTER HERE, AND I HAVE SEEN SNOW SIGNIFICANT AMOUNTS ON BOTH WINTERS. SO MAYBE IT WAS A, YOU KNOW.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY.

TO TELL ME THAT AND TO GET ME TO COME OVER HERE. BUT IT DOES CERTAINLY HAS NOT BEEN THE CASE NOW. I WILL SAY THAT IT WAS A TRUE TEAM EFFORT. IT A LOT OF PRE-PLANNING DONE BY MR. BEAR AS YOU SAID, MISS PABLO WAS FANTASTIC, FACILITATOR OF A LOT OF THINGS AND I APPRECIATED EVERYONE INVOLVED.

I DIDN'T KNOW THE DEPARTMENTS IN IN THE SUPPORT OF THE BOARD. SO WE DO THANK YOU FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP AND YOUR SUPPORT AND BELIEVING THAT WE COULD DO IT. AND NOW WE KNOW WHERE THE SNOW COMES. YOU BROUGHT IT WITH YOU. WELL, YEAH, I PROBABLY SHOULDN'T HAVE SAID ANYTHING. THANK YOU, SIR. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. I APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY. LOOK FORWARD TO CONTINUING THE DIALOGUE.

THANKS, SIR. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. SO WE HAVE NOTHING ELSE ON THE AGENDA, NO MORE BUSINESS BEFORE US. SO I'M GOING TO ASK FOR A MOTION FOR ADJOURNMENT. SO MOVED.

SECOND. SECOND. I GOT IT.

THERE YOU GO. IT'S DONE. ALL RIGHT. MULTIPLE PEOPLE. SO YOU CAN TAKE, MR. WEBB WILL BE FINE FOR THE MOTION, MR. HAMILL FOR THE SECOND. OKAY, YOU'VE HEARD THE MOTION AND THE SECOND. ROLL CALL, VOTE, PLEASE. MR. WEBB. YES. MR. COX. YES. MR. PHILLIP PUGH.

YES. MR. HAMILL. YES. MR. FORD PUGH. YES. OKAY, WE STAND IN ADJOURNMENT.

* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.