Update: Morgan Hill Police Analyst Margarita Belagso sent the following statement to the Times, in response to comments reported in this story on city animal control services: “On behalf of Captain Shane Palsgrove and the Morgan Hill Police Department I’d like to take this opportunity to address the comments made in the May 27 edition of the Morgan Hill Times regarding the conditions of MHPD’s temporary animal shelter. The temporary shelter does not consist of a crate located behind the Police Department. Stray dogs are temporarily housed in safe and sanitary accommodations off-site. It is fully shaded, well ventilated and the dogs have sufficient room in the kennel to move about. They have access to water and food as needed. The shelter’s location is confidential in order to ensure the safety and security of the animals housed there. It is only used as a temporary shelter and we make every effort to reunite dogs with their owners. If we are unable to do that after a few days, the dogs are moved to either the San Martin Animal Shelter or the City of San Jose Animal Care Center. Our intent in keeping the animals for a few days is to give their owners time and the opportunity to locate their pets and take them home. We take the health and safety of the animals we take-in very seriously and are committed to reuniting animals and owners as soon as possible.”
The Morgan Hill City Council spent the day May 20 hearing staff presentations and public comments, asking questions and providing input on the proposed city budget for the two upcoming fiscal years.
City Manager Steve Rymer and other city department leaders started the seven-hour workshop session with an overview of the proposed budget for fiscal years 2016-17 and 2017-18.
The city budget as currently proposed is about $126.5 million for 2016-17, and about $125.9 million for 2017-18. The general fund budget—which is financed by sales, property and hotel taxes and pays for basic city services—is proposed at $37.3 million for 2016-17 and $38.7 million for 2017-18. These figures are up from $34.7 million for the current fiscal year, which ends June 30.
The highest category of expenses in the general fund is public safety, which accounts for 75 percent of those annual discretionary expenses.
Public safety enhancements proposed
City staff also presented the council with a series of “decision packages” that they could opt to include in the two-year operating and capital budget when the elected body approves the spending and revenue plan.
A public safety package, if approved by the council, would add a full-time public safety dispatch supervisor to the police department staff, MHPD Chief David Swing noted in his presentation on the item. This position was eliminated during the Great Recession that started in 2009. Bringing back the position would add $158,000 to the general fund budget.
The public safety package would also purchase new patrol rifles, so that each officer would have his or her own weapon instead of sharing them as they do now. That purchase would cost about $65,000. The public safety decision package also requests $10,800 for flashlights and “start-up supplies” for the traffic division’s motorcycles; a $35,000 used reserve fire engine to serve as a backup to the city’s existing fleet; and a $12,000 replacement of garage door openers for the El Toro and Dunne Hill fire stations.
Swing’s department is also requesting $28,500 annually to upgrade officers’ body-worn cameras. The cameras have been in use at MHPD since 2010. As their use has increased, the officers’ time in processing the videos and filing them for evidence has become more time consuming. The proposed upgrade would improve and streamline that process, Swing said.
The council did not make any decisions on the proposed budget May 20. A public hearing on the two-year budget is scheduled for June 1 and June 15 at council chambers, 17555 Peak Ave. The council is expected to adopt a final draft of the two-year budget June 15, and has to do so by June 30.
How much for parks?
Proposals in the CIP include a total of $550,000 to assist with the planning of an inclusive playground in the Community Park. That park is projected to cost up to $4 million, but a group of community members led by Parks and Recreation Commissioner Ron Locicero plan to raise most of those funds from private sources and grants.
Councilmembers disagreed on whether the city can afford to put that much funding into the planning process, considering they are also committed to developing three new downtown parks at a cost of about $4.1 million. Plus, the mayor noted that the Morgan Hill Historical Society has requested $1.2 million to upgrade the Villa Mira Monte site, which would also fall within parks and recreation expenses if approved. The council has been considering these expenses since before the inclusive playground idea was hatched.
“We’re very thrilled about (the inclusive park) but it’s very expensive,” Mayor Steve Tate said by teleconference from Nashville, Tenn. “There is no way we can pay for the whole thing. We seem to be incrementally putting in more and more.” He suggested the council should put a “ceiling” on how much the city should spend on the park.
Other councilmembers said the $550,000 four-year expense should remain in the CIP.
Improving animal services
During a discussion of animal services at the May 20 meeting, Swing added that the city can increase its funding for housing lost, domesticated cats and dogs from $1,500 to $11,000 annually. This increase, for the first time, would allow the city to temporarily house cats that end up in MHPD care. The funding can also pay for temporary shelter services at the county’s animal shelter in San Martin.
Councilmember Marilyn Librers asked staff to look into upgrading the MHPD’s current temporary housing arrangements for dogs and cats. She said this housing currently consists of a crate outdoors behind the police station.
“The conditions at the police department are not good for animals, especially in inclement weather,” Librers said.
During public comment, Morgan Hill resident Jenifer Lepow agreed the conditions for temporary pet housing are not healthy. “There’s no power out there, for heating or misters” on cold nights or hot days, she said.
Lepow and a group of residents known as Tail Waggers Group has also offered to volunteer to regularly wash the blankets used by the temporary shelter.
