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| Part-time police officers will be hired in Wyoming |
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| Wednesday, 14 October 2009 | |
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Alice Pickering Wyoming Reporter The Wyoming City Council on Tuesday, Oct. 6 authorized the police department to begin the process of hiring part-time licensed officers. Police Chief Paul Hoppe made the request. One officer will be on limited duty beginning in October and continuing for eight months. This will reduce the number of officers available to patrol from six to five. Hoppe estimated a minimum 900 hours of overtime to cover the minimum schedule. Average overtime pay is $48 an hour with benefits. He estimated the cost of overtime to be $43,200 for the time period. Hoppe proposed covering the schedule gap by the creation of a position of part-time police officer in the Wyoming Police Department. He explained this will save the department and the city money in overtime pay and allow better coverage during scheduled vacations and sick leave, without burning out officers. Rather than relying on over-time for the department Hoppe proposed the alternative of hiring a part-time officer to cover the schedule gap. He estimated the pay for a part-time officer to be just under $21 an hour. Savings to the city will be about $24,000 a year. Funding for the position will come from the city’s share of administrative fines. In answer to questions about the city hiring freeze, City Administrator Craig Mattson, said this is not a full-time position. The city will have an additional licensed officer, but will not be paying benefits. Hoppe told the council that the department has a current eligibility list and will seek the best possible candidate. Council approved the position by a 5-0 vote. In another police matter, acting on the recommendation of Hoppe, council approved the appointment of four individuals as the first members of the Wyoming Volunteer Police Reserve. Candidates were selected from a pool of eight applicants who were screened by a panel, which included a police officer, supervisor, city council member and Chief Hoppe. Background checks were conducted on the four selected. Hoppe presented the recommendations and appointments were approved at the Tuesday council meeting. The reserve officers are Thomas Cockburn, Rolland Menzel, Bart Mollet, and Scott Thomas. Approval was unanimous. 2 Hearings Council scheduled two public hearings for 7 p.m., Monday, Nov. 2. Both are related to public works projects now nearing completion. The first is related to constructions and improvements on 257th Street. City Engineer Mark Erichson said its purpose is to declare the costs to be assessed for the street and utilities work; then to grant permission to draft related documents. Erichson said the project cost is likely to be $250,000 below the projected cost which was slightly less than $2,325,000. Also to be held the same evening, is a public hearing to consider the proposed assessments of the CR-22, Goodview Ave., and Fallbrook Ave. improvements. This is the street and utility work being completed in the downtown area of Wyoming. Council awarded a bid to Thein Well to complete routine maintenance on well No. 2. Jason Windingstad, public works superintendent, recommended accepting the low bid, of $13,705. Three bids were made for the job, which includes dismantling, cleaning, and reassembling the pump. While apart, the pump will receive new packing, new head shaft, new top, intermediate and bottom columns, new stainless steel couplings and line-shaft, new drop-in retainers, and new bearings. Cameras will inspect the well and the interior is to be wire-brushed and cleaned. In his request, Windingstad explained that all this is to keep the well running efficiently and the work should be good for ten years. Work was approved by a 5-0 vote. The city is changing the way it replaces vehicles in the public works department. Action taken by the council authorized the buy-out of the state lease on the 2005 Chevrolet pickup at a cost of for $6408.50. The money for the purchase is to come from the rentals budget and the lease vehicle budget, according to Windingstad. The plan is to begin rotating purchase of vehicles to replace the current fleet, with the vehicles to last 10 years. This is to be adopted with the 2010 budget. Reports In his report, Councilman Russ Goudge told the meeting that the temporary odor control for the sewer main to the Chisago Lakes regional treatment plant will remain for the time being. The joint sewer commission approved temporary sheds to shelter the chemical addition equipment. Goudge also attended the LS Power agreement session. His impression is that the draft agreement is a little one-sided, in favor of LS Power. Councilwoman Linda Yeager reported that the Rush Line Committee has placed the St. Paul bus project back on track. There are items being considered are bus lines and light rail for parts of the routes to the twin cities. The watershed district has approved the North Lakes Academy plans. Other business In other business, the city council: •On the recommendation of Engineer Mark Erichson, adopted a resolution authorizing pay a voucher on the city’s share of CR-22 to Chisago County in the amount of $230,157.48. Erichson has inspected and approved the work completed on this project. The vote was 5-0. •Adopted a resolution declaring two impounded vehicles as surplus property and authorized the police department to dispose of them through online auction www.CrashedToys.com. Net profits from the sale are to be split between the city and the Chisago County attorney’s office. •Approved payment of the bills. •Learned city staff members are to continue investigating possible options to provide televised city council meetings. Social Bookmarking ...       |
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