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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPublic Protection 01-06-04 PUBLIC PROTECTION COMMITTEE January 6, 2004, 9:00 A.M. Amended CALL TO ORDER /ROLL CALL ADOPTION OF AGENDA DATE OF NEXT MEETING: February 12, 2004, 9:00 A.M. MINUTES FROM THE DECEMBER 10, 2003 MEETING UNFINISHED BUSINESS: 1. Web Browser /Computer Services [Visions] 2. Traffic Tickets Collections Update /ATM Machine 3. Video Conferencing, Tom Boron NEW BUSINESS: 1. Bills and Vouchers ** 2. Medical Examiner 3. Child Support Administrator 4. District Attorney /Victim Witness a. Drug grant b. VW Annual Report 5. Sheriff, Chief Deputy, Patrol Captain, Jail Captain and Office Manager a. Expenditures: Drug Fund /Confiscated Account b. Inmate Debts c. Huber Facility Report d. Jail Accounting Software /Michelle Pietrick* e. DMV Program * ANNOUNCEMENTS & CORRESPONDENCE: ADJOURNMENT {Agenda not necessarily presented in this order.} SUBMITTED BY: Julie C. Speer DATE: December 17, 2003 & December 29, 2003 COPIES TO: Respective Department Heads, County Board Chair, Administrator Coordinator, County Clerk, Public Protection Committee, News Media and News Board. * *These items will be presented by each department. * New Items added to the agenda PUBLIC PROTECTION COMMITTEE MEETING January 6, 2004 MEMBERS PRESENT: Julie Speer, Chuck Mehls, Mary Louise Olson, Denise Gunderson and Dan Raebel. STAFF PRESENT: Sheriff Dennis Hillstead, Administrative Assistant Mary Martell, Jail Captain Karen Humphrey, District Attorney Eric Johnson, Computer Services Director Tom Boron, Finance Director Michelle Pietrick and Renee Carufel. Meeting called to order at 9:00 a.m. by Chairperson Speer. Motion by Raebel /Gunderson to approve the agenda. Carried. Date of the next meeting will be Feb. 12th at 9:00 a.m. and the March meeting is scheduled for the 5th at 8:30 a.m. Motion to approve the minutes of Dec. 10th by Gunderson /Raebel. Carried. MEDICAL EXAMINER'S REPORT No report at this time. Committee would like to have a report for every meeting. DISTRICT ATTORNEY'S REPORT Johnson explained the Victim Witness Coordinator will not have a report for this meeting. He reviewed the bills as presented. Some of the bills are still from the 2003 budget. His department will no longer be able to assist other counties with certain cases as we have in the past due to the budget cuts from the State. The grant for the Drug Investigators position was approved. This will cover the drug prosecutor for three counties. Senator Kohl is trying to procure $50,000 from the Federal budget to fight drugs in St. Croix County. Johnson suggested we should put this towards drug education or a deferred program for the jail. Motion by Mehls /Olson to approve the bills of $8426.30 for the District Attorney's office. Carried. CHILD SUPPORT REPORT Kapaun told Speer there is nothing to report at this time. Motion to approve the bills of $250.30 by Gunderson / Mehls. Carried. JAIL ACCOUNTING SOFTWARE & VIDEO CONFERENCING SYSTEM: Michelle Pietrick and Tom Boron came before the committee. Pietrick reported the Finance committee approved a new system called Cactas, which will be used for the monetary bookkeeping in the Jail. Humphrey reported the Jail bookkeeper went to Wood Co. to observe the Cactas system and was very impressed with it. Cactas will work with Visions and will replace the monetary part of the Visions program. Total package will cost around $10,000. This amount will be taken from the money owed to Visions. Boron reported the capabilities of video conferencing have been in place for 8 months and is now ready. He explained the uses of video conferences in the court system. The problem is to get the Public Defenders and Judges to use this system. The right of the individual to confront their accusers is also an issue. There is considerable saving of expenses using video conferencing. Consensus of the committee would be to have a demonstration for the Judges and public defenders to see if they would like to use this system. The committee recommended a room be wired in the Jail for video conferencing. SHERIFF'S REPORT The inmates were using beard remover creams to shave but now are using razors. The inmates are also able to call their attorneys without being recorded. Hillstead reported on raising the heat in the jail to warm the cells and deflectors to direct the air off the beds. There have been no traffic fatalities yet this year. A Risk Management team will be here next week to review Jail and Sheriff policy procedures. DMV: Hillstead explained the issuance of vehicle tabs in the Sheriff's Department. Mr. Hegdal has contacted the Sheriff requesting the department use his program to issue tabs for a cost savings. Hillstead has decided to stay with Tri -Vin at the present time. If Mr. Hegdal's program proves to be better than the one we are using he will consider changing next year. Hillstead reported on the drug problems in schools. For the Sheriff's department the drug problem is very time consuming. JAIL CAPTAIN'S Humphrey reported the Jail is switching to a new pharmacy company next week. There will some training issues involved with the new company. Cactus bookkeeping system will be installed the last week in January. All letters to former inmates with outstanding medical bills have been sent. Any monies received will go into a special fund to help pay for future collection efforts. The committee will take a tour of the new Huber facility after the meeting. BILLS & VOUCHERS: Hillstead explained the bills. Motion by Gunderson /Speer to approve $37,484.86 for these vouchers. Carried. Motion by Mehls /Raebel to approve the Jail bills of $27,913.01. Carried. Discussion of inmate's haircuts. The present person doing the cuts wants an increase in fees, which will be a decision of the Sheriff. Committee indicated a raise should be considered. The MJNO program, a Minnesota based web browser, is no longer in service. The Sheriff's Department will be working with our Computer Services Department to create a web browser. Hillstead reported on traffic ticket collections with the credit card machines. Adjourned at 11:30 a.m.