6.24.2025 City Council - Ordinances and Legislation

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Committee on ordinance and legislation.

Cler call the role.

Here here. Pursuant to the open meeting law, any person may make an audio or video recording of this public meeting or may transmit the meeting through any medium.

Attendees are therefore advised that such recordings and transmissions are being made whether perceived or unpersceived by those present and deemed acknowledged and permissible. Item one on the agenda is citizen input. There's no citizen input. Item two, minutes of the May motion to approve.

There's a second. All in favor? I uh item three, proposed ordinance. This is traffic handicap parking Cambridge Street, Do Street, Locust Street, Raymond Street. Motion for emergency preamble. Second. Roll call on the emergency preamble. Council, yes.

Councelor Hart, yes. Councelor, yes.

Council, yes. Yes. Motion to pass through all readings. Second. All in favor?

Item number four is miscellaneous traffic. 30 minute parking. This is a strikeout on 6th Street East, 172 ft south of Bedford Street from 7 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Section two on item four handicap strikeouts Eastern Avenue west 75 and 79 feet to Bad Street East Main Street west 44 ft north of Dwelli Florence Street north 140 ft west of Ray Irving Street west 71 ft north of Pleasant Street.

Motion to pass the first reading second.

All in favor? I.

Item number five is the amended uh regarding the salary of the animal control officer and we do have Thank you um Miss McGatha. Uh we do have Nick and we also police department is also here.

We're going to need a motion to lift from the table. What's that's the next one? That's the next one. Isn't it the animal control officer? Oh, no. the um ordinance. I saw the police officer.

If you could just state your name and position for the public. Good afternoon.

Nick Molini, director of human resources. Good afternoon, Baron Castro, deputy chief of police.

So, we were just before you. Um the salary right now is capped at 39,000 and change. Um that was just something that set was set um back in July 1st of 22.

Um and really it was escalators at that point. So I mean that salary was a lot lower and then the cost of living adjustments had kind of brought it to that level when we came down before you last time. Um the position it's a it's a difficult position. Um I will say we don't get any shortage of applicants for this position even at this salary. We just uh did have to advertise this

position and we're in the process of filling it. Um in a little over two weeks we had 27 applicants. So we we are getting applicants but it's a difficult line of work. Um there is turnover with this. Uh you know we get a lot of people who love animals that want to do this job but then they come in and it's there's more to it than just liking animals. I mean it is dangerous. They're

dealing with um you know conditions that most people don't want to deal with. So um we are just proposing at this point to to raise the cap to 45,000. That doesn't mean that we're going to increase, you know, everyone directly to the top of that cap, but um this kind of puts us in line. It's it's a non-UN position, but this does put us in a range similar to um you know, a lot of

our 10, 11, 12s, um and our laborers.

So, it just gives us a little bit more room to work with. Um but again, we're not looking to increase anyone, you know, the day this goes through. Um but yes, councelor, thank you. Um, Deputy Chief Castro, as far as training for the position, what does it involve? Uh, animal control officers go to a 10-week, I'm sorry, a Yes, a 10-week academy.

It's on Mondays. Um, so for 10 consecutive Mondays, they attend training um towards the western part of the state. Okay. And is there a cost to the city for the for the training? Uh, there is. We checked. Um, I was told it was $600 if you're an actual uh accomp.

Okay. And then there's two positions currently in the budget. They do they just switch off days? Is that how that works? So there's one working supervisor who's a civilian and then there are two animal control officers. Um supervisor works Monday through Friday and then someone works Tuesday through Sunday. Um if that lines up correctly. Rotating holidays. Rotating holidays. And they

take uh the three of them take turns being on call if there's any emergencies, you know, nights, weekends, whatever it may be. Okay, awesome. I yield. Thank you. Uh, Council Kadim, thank you, Nick. Uh, did we do comps for the ACL's? We So, we did internal comps.

The deputy did bring comps today. Um, and we can share those with you. Pass that around.

Admittedly, we're still a little bit low compared to surrounding communities at that $45,000 mark. Um, but again, the internal comps and just our ability to still solicit uh you know, interest in the position, I think we're okay at that $45,000 mark. Okay. Then my I guess my second question is kind of similar to um council proposal in terms of the So, we've got three positions. So, are they

all classified as animal control officers or is there two and then we have a a director or the the supervisor of animal control? So, two two ACOs and then uh supervisor. So, is the supervisor listed separately in ordinance separately? Yes. Okay. So, we're not that's a contract position.

Okay. So, we're not touching that. We're just touching the ACOS. Correct. All right. I yield. Thank you. Wow. Edgar Town 90,000 over 90,000. Yeah. Pretty nice. Wow.

It it is a difficult job. Uh they do get called out um constantly uh for things after hours. They do assist the police officers. Uh many times they're going out with the SWAT team uh when they're doing raids uh you know to protect the animals. Um make sure that you know no tragedy happens there. Uh so there is a little bit of danger involved in the job. Um and as uh Mr. Mein said, we do

get a lot of animal lovers and there's the flip side of where they do have to youth euthanize some animals. Um, so it becomes emotional for some of those people. It's it's some difficult work.

Um, the people that we have right now do a fantastic job. Um, if it's within the city's budget, I just like to see them be compensated a little bit better.

Is there is there with this particular job is it um do they get the opportunity to work overtime? They do. They get overtime. Okay. So 39 is the base and then whatever set like what are they averaging on overtime? Do you know? Do you know average on overtime?

I could I could pull a report and get back to you on that. What would guesstimate? I mean, it it fluctuates um because it's on call over time. Yeah. Um about four to eight hours, maybe a week.

Okay. And you you're looking to boost it to 45. Yes. Yeah. Okay. Thank you. Thank you.

Look at Chief Castro when you said that it fluctuates on the overtime. Do they have like a 4hour window in overtime that if they go and do something and it only takes them an hour or two, they have a 4 hour block or is it that that's part of their job that they do on call on call? Are we paying them? If they're called council, there is a 4-hour minimum. If someone calls after hours,

uh obviously the communication center would get that call. They'll talk to one of the staff sergeants assigned to communications and they'll vet the call on whether or not it actually needs someone to come out after hours. If it meets the threshold, then they'll be called out and they'll take care of whatever they have to take care of.

Because one of the calls that I received was someone had found a dog. And when they called the animal control, they said, "We'll pick him up in the morning, let him stay there." And they were like, "I don't really feel comfortable having this dog in my house that I don't know with kids and stuff." Um, has that ever happened that you're aware of? is there.

I know that we have asked people if they have the capability of housing the dog overnight until animal control comes in.

That could be for a couple different reasons. Um, obviously there's a financial uh impact if we're calling people in on overtime and there could also be a housing impact on where we're going to put that animal for the night.

Um, if someone can uh take care of the animal after hours and we can come out in the morning, that's fantastic. Um, but if there needs to be a response, we certainly have that capability. So, if the person says, "I don't feel comfortable. I don't know if this animal has rabies. I have children. I can't keep them." You would send someone else.

Yes. Okay.

I motion to approve. Second. Second.

There's a motion to approve first reading and a second. All in favor? I.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

Item number five on the agenda. No. Six.

Six. Motion lift. Motion to lift. Is second. All in favor? I um there was um an amendment to this because the position of the library, the the museum security, that's the only thing that we have. The other issue was resolved during budget time. Uh Felicia Demaris, who is head of the library now, said when they came before us and they wanted police officers or they wanted to hire two people at a certain pay plus

overtime and um they decided that they weren't going to do that because we'd have to have a benefit package. They are using um police officers. Motion grantly withdraw. So seconded. All in favor? I motion to motion to adjurnn. Second. All in favor? I. Thank you. Meeting adjourned.