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Home My WebLink About6/18/2003 - STAFF REPORTS (5) DATE: June 18, 2003 TO: City Council FROM: Police Chief Gary Jeandron AUTHORIZING THE CITY MANAGER TO RENEW THE EXISTING CONTRACT WITH PHILIP C. STRAUCH, AN INDIVIDUAL, TO PROVIDE COURT LIAISON SERVICES, AT THE RATE OF $26.00 (TWENTY-SIX DOLLARS) PER HOUR, NOT TO EXCEED $800.00 (EIGHT HUNDRED DOLLARS) IN ANY TWO-WEEK PERIOD, NOT TO EXCEED $20,800 (TWENTY THOUSAND, EIGHT HUNDRED DOLLARS) OVER THE TERM OF THE CONTRACT. RECOMMENDATION: It is recommended that the City Council authorize the City Manager to renew the existing contract with Philip C. Strauch, an individual, to provide court liaison services at the rate of $26.00 (twenty-six dollars) per hour, not to exceed $800.00 (eight hundred dollars) in any two-week period, not to exceed $20,800 (twenty thousand, eight hundred dollars) over the term of the contract. SUMMARY: Since January of 2001, the City of Palm Springs has contracted with Philip C. Strauch to provide liaison services with Indio Superior Court. The liaison notifies officers of pending court appearances, resulting in substantial savings in overtime salary costs. The $20,000 contract is shared by four local police agencies. The annual cost to the City of Palm Springs is $5,000. It is recommended that the City of Palm Springs renew this annual contract agreement, which expires on June 30, 2003. BACKGROUND: For several years the Palm Springs Police Department has participated in a court liaison program jointly with other police agencies in the Coachella Valley. In addition to Palm Springs, the Cathedral City, Desert Hot Springs, and Indio Police Departments currently participate in this program that is designed to notify off-duty officers of case dispositions in time to avoid unnecessary court overtime. Court is in session four days a week, Monday through Thursday. Previously, the police agencies took turns sending one of their employees to court one day per week. This system required each agency to pay one person to sit in court as the liaison, and another person at the agency to handle calls from the liaison and to notify officers of the disposition of their cases. The current program allows an off-duty officer to remain "on-call', without overtime, until the court liaison calls them with a disposition on their case. When the liaison calls the officer before the subpoena appearance time, and tells them not to come to court, the officer receives $25.00 (twenty-five) dollars. When the officer is not notified before the 3A subpoena appearance time, the officer receives a minimum of four hours overtime, with or without a court appearance, in accordance with the Police Officers' Association Memorandum of Understanding. Often the liaison has a case disposition before the appearance time and the officer is contacted, saving the participating agency money by avoiding unnecessary court overtime. This system works well and saves money. On January 17, 2001, in an effort to improve efficiency in the court liaison program and save staff time that is currently committed to the court liaison program, the City Manager, acting on behalf of City Council, entered into an agreement with Philip C. Strauch to perform the services of the court liaison. The contract was for an annual amount not to exceed $20,000 (twenty thousand dollars). The Cathedral City, Desert Hot Springs, and Indio Police Departments all share the cost of Mr. Strauch's services equally. For fiscal Year 2003-2004, each agency will pay $5,000 (five thousand dollars) for a total of $20,000 (twenty thousand dollars). The initial contract called for renewal on an annual basis, beginning July 1 of each year. The current contract agreement expires on June 30, 2003. By contracting with Mr. Strauch for court liaison services, the Palm Springs Police Department will be relieved of assigning an employee to the court one day per week, while also requiring another employee to be available at the police department to accept calls from the court liaison on case dispositions. FISCAL IMPACT: The cost to the City of Palm Springs for FY 2003-2004 will be $5,000 (five thousand dollars) and will be programmed into the FY 2003-2004 Budget, account number 301043200. In the current FY to date, the court liaison diverted Palm Springs Police officers from court 436 times, at an estimated cost savings to the City of $63,591 (sixty- three thousand, five hundred and ninety-one dollars). It is anticipated that cost savings for FY 2003-2004 will be similar. >r cxr- Gary Je,v dr n/Chief of Police Approved: 1�n�9v� Thomas M. Kanarr, Director of Finance � � Approved:—�. City Manager Attachment: 1. Contract 2. Minute Order EXHIBIT "A" SCOPE OF SERVICES Contractor shall provide court liaison services to City in accordance with this Agreement and terms and conditions below: A. General. Contractor shall generally assist and consult with the Police Chief or his designee(s) in matters related to court liaison services as outlined below. The Palm Springs Police Department shall provide training to Contractor regarding same. B. Duties. Contractor's duties shall include, but are not limited to, the following: 1. Retrieve faxes for all of the agencies of the City participating in the court liaison program (individually referred to herein as a "Participating Agency") at locations to be designated at a future date. 2. Report to Indio Superior Court, located at 46200 Oasis, Indio, California, by 8:15am on any day on which a Participating Agency has a matter to be determined at said court, and listen for each such disposition, until all dispositions for that day have been made. 3. Report each such disposition to the relevant Participating Agency at the earliest possible time after the disposition has been made. 4. Consult with and provide assistance to the District Attorney, as necessary, regarding his or her requests that one or more officer appear on a case and assist in coordinating same. C. Hours of Work. Contractor shall generally be available to perform the services required by this Agreement approximately twenty four (24) hours per week, during the hours of 8:15am and 12:OOpm on Monday through Thursday, and occasionally during the hours of 8:15am and 5:OOpm. 31t3 EXHIBIT "B" SCHEDULE OF COMPENSATION 1. Compensation. Provided Contractor is not in default under the terms of this Agreement and has provided an invoice to City, as described in Section 2.2 herein, Contractor shall be compensated at a rate of Twenty Six Dollars ($26.00) per hours for services performed pursuant to this Agreement, provided, however, that in no event shall Contractor's compensation for any two-week period during the term of this Agreement exceed Eight Hundred Dollars ($800.00). This shall constitute the total compensation to Contractor under this Agreement, and no vacation, retirement, leave, or other benefits shall accrue to Contractor, nor shall there be any reimbursement for costs (e.g. transportation, telephone, etc.) under this Agreement. 2. Contract Sum. The annual amount authorized by this Agreement shall not exceed Twenty Thousand Eight Hundred Dollars ($20,800.00). MINUTE ORDER NO. APPROVING AN AGREEMENT WITH PHILIP C. STRAUCH FOR COURT LIAISON SERVICES AT $26 PER HOUR, NOT TO EXCEED $800 IN ANY TWO- WEEK PERIOD NOR $20,800, FOR THE TERM OF ONE YEAR. ------------------ I HEREBY CERTIFY that this Minute Order, approving an agreement with Philip C. Strauch for Court Liaison Services at $26 per hour, not to exceed $800 in an two-week period, nor $20,800 for the term of one year, was adopted by the City Council of the City of Palm Springs, California, in a meeting thereof held on the 18`hday of June, 2003. PATRICIA A. SANDERS City Clerk 3613