Citizens’ safety committee says it’s needed to manage police, fire
The Citizens Public Safety Committee, which began studying the city’s public safety departments last October, has concluded that the residents of Benton would be better served if the police, fire and communications departments were managed by a public safety commission.
That recommendation was noted by Dave Mattingly, spokesman for the committee, on Tuesday night when he reviewed the group’s report for the public at Benton Municipal Complex.
Benton City Council, upon the recommendation of Aldermen Steve Lee and Bill Donnor, established the group to review current and future needs of the police and fire departments, emergency medical services and 911 communications support. Lee is chairman of the council’s standing Health and Safety Committee.
In making the recommendation for establishing a public safety commission, Mattingly noted that the commission should be set up along the lines of the Public Utilities Commission and should be given the authority to hire a full-time director.
“We believe that this would help remove public safety from being so politicized both by the city’s administration and the City Council,” Mattingly said.
“It is obvious to us that the current administration and council as well as past officials struggle to resolve the ongoing problems of funding, managing and compensating public safety employees without it developing into a ‘those for’ and ‘those against’ mentality,” he said.
Both of those comments are included in the official report that was presented to the city.
Funding — or rather a lack of it — for public safety departments in the city is a serious problem, the committee determined.
“Benton’s population has grown over 27 percent in the past seven years ... ,” but the funding for the public safety departments has remained static, Mattingly said.
Added to that is a “projected growth of 20 percent in the next five years,” which will further place “a tremendous strain on our public safety resources,” Mattingly said.
In its formal report, the committee “strongly” recommends that 76 percent of the city’s General Fund revenues be dedicated to public safety annually starting with the calendar year 2009.
If the commission is established and the 76 percent funding dedication is set, the panel “will strongly endorse the passage of a half-cent sales tax dedicated to public safety in a special election in the spring of 2009.”
“Lack of funds for public safety departments to sustain and growth their level of service in line with the dynamic population growth has been and remains a serious problem,” Mattingly said.
He pointed out the high turnover rate in the police department, which has averaged 15 percent on a base of 53 sworn officers on roll.
“The worst year for turnover in the past seven years was 2004 at 24 percent while 2005 was only 8 percent,” Mattingly said.
However, he pointed out, six officers have left the department this year along with Chief Gary Sipes.
The fire department has experienced a “different kind of problem,” Mattingly noted. “While real turnover is averaging only 6 percent per year over the past five years, those who leave the department are on average very senior employees.”
As an example, he noted that in 2007 only three employees left, but their cumulative years of experienced totaled 32. “Turnover of this nature adversely affects the experience level of the department,” he said.
The committee’s report notes the following “critical priorities” with the public safety arena that should be addressed immediately:
•Build new fire station on the east side of Benton by 2009/2010 at a cost of $2.2 million.
•Reinstate advanced life support service for the fire department in 2009 at a cost of $335,000.
•Hire and retain at least 60 sworn police officers as soon as possible.
•Institute a salary review program immediately, which would lead to reasonable expectations for annual pay raises of 2.5 to 4 percent.
•Set up escrows to be used to purchase fire trucks, police cars, required safety equipment and improved communications devices.
Conducted in conjunction with the Citizens Public Safety Committee’s review was a survey conducted by four University of Central Arkansas students — Keeley Donnor, April Young, Nikki Strickland and Sydney Estes. The study was done without charge, Lee noted, while pointing out that the city has spent many thousands of dollars on other surveys related to public safety issues.
Donnor attended Tuesday’s meeting and was commended for the service she and her fellow students provided the city.
The students’ survey focused on obtaining local residents’ opinions of Benton’s public safety programs and determining which areas are in need of improvement. A random telephone survey was the methodology used in which the students placed 1,033 calls during a two-week process. The students determined that residents feel that public safety programs should be the city’s first priority with streets and utilities following a close second, according to the report’s executive summary.
The survey included the question: “Would you support any additional revenue source to aid public safety programs?” To that query, 68 percent said “yes,” the report notes.
Earlier public hearings the Citizens Public Safety Committee conducted brought out numerous concerns from area residents, including the following:
•No advanced life support service on fire and rescue trucks.
•No funds being reserved for the city’s next fire truck, which will cost around $400,000.
•No funds being reserved to buy and replace police cars.
•No funds being reserved for required safety equipment.
•No funds being reserved for the next police/fire station.
•No funds available for across-the-board raises. The last across-the-board raises for police and fire personnel were given in 2004.
•No funds available to hire, train and increase public safety personnel.
In addition to Mattingly, other members of the Citizens Public Safety Committee are Carolyn Boone, Don Birdsong, Mary Kay Mooney, Bill Hampton, Robert Edwards and Winifred K. Stamps. Fire Chief Ben Blankenship and former Police Chief Gary Sipes also served on the panel. When he resigned, he was replaced by Capt. Roger Gaither, who is serving as interim police chief.
Dr. Jeff Walker, professor and graduate coordinator of the Department of Criminal Justice at University of Arkansas at Little Rock, served as an adviser for the group for several weeks.
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