2026-09-23 - Ad Hoc Budget Advisory Committee

00:00I mean

00:03>> Follow me.

00:05>> Follow me.

00:07>> We are

00:09good to go.

00:12>> Amy, we're going to go ahead and share

00:13our screen with you right now.

00:15>> Okay, we're Hold on 1 second. Okay, I'm

00:17going to start with a moment of silence.

00:19>> Oh.

00:20All right.

00:29>> Okay, as you all know, um police will be

00:31presenting today and go ahead Cassandra,

00:34share whenever you're ready.

00:54Can you all see that?

00:58There we go.

00:59>> Uh yes, okay.

01:05All right, thank y'all just for

01:08reference who I got in the room.

01:11EDC Weese,

01:13Deputy Chief Cottrell, Deputy Chief

01:15Jenkins, Cassandra

01:17McSwain and Captain Brian Saulkiel and

01:21David Homer

01:23will be a part of the presentation.

01:25So, Cassandra, we can go ahead and get

01:27started.

01:29Uh the first one.

01:32All right, first slide.

01:34This FY27 budget

01:37and we've been talking about this for a

01:38little while is includes 18 new

01:41positions and the three conversions of

01:44three existing positions. It's just part

01:46of the overall growth to try to

01:48strategically address some of the

01:51livability things that we're seeing just

01:53with the population boom that we're

01:55experiencing.

01:57Um all those are broken down

01:59individually where you can see what

02:00we're asking for with from the 18

02:02positions.

02:04Um the first one is special

02:05investigations which includes four

02:07officers.

02:09Um that's dedicated personnel that's

02:11needed because a patrol must also

02:17Got some technical difficulties here.

02:19Hold on 1 second.

02:22>> Sorry about that.

02:24All right, Chief.

02:24>> Um

02:25Special investigations, that that's our

02:27vice and um narcotics unit. Um that

02:31personnel is pretty much augment for our

02:34patrol officers

02:36whose primary responsibility is is calls

02:38for service.

02:40Um the increase the department capacity

02:42for special investigations, that's that

02:44ask.

02:45Um the next one up is mounted patrol

02:47with the sergeant.

02:49Um our current position um has four. We

02:53now we're running to a span control

02:55which we have to have a supervisor

02:58assigned to that unit.

03:00Um that's the ask for the sergeant.

03:03Our number one complaint in the city

03:05right now is traffic.

03:08So, the three additional officers and

03:10two supervisors will address some of the

03:13gaps that we currently experience. We're

03:15just trying to cover um the five major

03:18patrol teams.

03:20Um that's our largest staff in addition

03:22for this group.

03:24Um

03:26The next is uh school resource officer

03:28program. Um currently we we received a

03:31grant from the state which include those

03:35billets and infringe. This is the

03:38backfill the vacancies that we're

03:40currently experiencing cuz we literally

03:42have to pull from our allotted patrol to

03:45actually cover the positions that were

03:47granted.

03:49Um and that includes the one sworn

03:51position.

03:53Um the community service program

03:56that's really

03:58a non-sworn position to address some of

04:02the the low-level needs that don't

04:04require us a sworn officer responded to.

04:07Um that can be anything from locked car

04:10doors to assisting with traffic to flood

04:13mitigation. Um those are the two

04:15community service officers that we're

04:17asking for additionally for there.

04:19Um the the digital forensics

04:22that support the growing role of

04:24electronics and digital evidence in our

04:27criminal investigation.

04:29And the last three positions are record

04:31division conversions. It's really just

04:33adding a different level of

04:35responsibility to the couple positions

04:37that we already have.

04:40So any questions on this line?

04:46Okay, if not

04:48um let me move to the next

04:52This is the salary compress

04:54compression adjustment. This the main

04:56request here addresses not only

04:58recruiting new employees but also

05:00retaining experienced officers we

05:02already have. Um just for a point of

05:05references, we haven't had any major

05:08adjustments to our current

05:12pay scale in over 10 years other than

05:15what the city gives us with the

05:17um

05:18cola each year.

05:20So this is really

05:22addressing some of those gaps that we've

05:24experienced just with with inflation and

05:27everything during that time period. The

05:29compensation should appropriately

05:31recognize the tenure and rank and

05:33experience of leadership

05:34responsibilities. Um the salary

05:37compression occurs when the pay

05:38difference between employees with

05:40different levels of experience or

05:41responsibility becomes too narrow and

05:44that's what we're seeing.

05:45And the adjustment support more

05:47competitive and equitable compensation

05:50and recognize additional supervisor

05:52responsibility with this adjustment.

05:56So,

05:57any questions, any any feedback needed

06:00on this particular slide?

06:04Anyone

06:06All right.

06:10All right, technology and items. The

06:12technology request support personnel and

06:14programs for ask and counsel to fund and

06:16maintain

06:17um the infrastructure necessary for

06:19modern policing.

06:21Um some examples of this, this is just

06:23basic purchases like work workstation

06:25laptops, computer monitors, printers,

06:29etc.

06:30Um

06:32this does not include any new like with

06:36the camera systems. This is not Flock or

06:39any any type of thing. This is current

06:41infrastructure with city cameras and

06:43maintenance. So, I think it's very

06:45important for

06:47that to be pointed out in the current

06:48environment. Um

06:51the replacement of the the fingerprint

06:53machine um that we currently use, the

06:55live scan, is included in this ask.

06:59Um

07:00we also got the documented record

07:02archive project. That's um a continued

07:05second year of the department's record

07:06archives and digital projects and it

07:09focuses on digitizing existing paperwork

07:11to reduce and ultimately eliminate some

07:14of the reliance on the paper-based

07:15records.

07:17Um any any questions on this particular

07:20slide?

07:25>> If no one

07:25>> Chief Chief, let me ask a question if I

07:27can. Uh

07:29Councilman Waring, uh

07:31and uh sometime ago, this may be in

07:33another slide, but if it is, just check

07:35me.

07:36>> Yes, sir.

07:36>> On the greenway and the bikeway, this

07:40goes back to Chief Mullen. We we talked

07:42about sometimes getting some

07:43surveillance and cameras on those. Does

07:46this include any of that?

07:47>> No, this is the maintain. It's not

07:49adding.

07:50Um that's something that we definitely

07:52need to talk about maybe at public

07:54safety.

07:55Um it's not just the greenway. It's

07:57really all our parks.

07:59Um and I know we getting um a new IT

08:01director to really automate

08:04large gaps across the city.

08:07Um

08:08for Pine Bluff, we did put in for a

08:10flood mitigation grant that we haven't

08:12heard back on yet. But to try to cover

08:15like um White Point Gardens,

08:18um some of those other areas that we

08:20just got gaps with with cameras. It's

08:22city infrastructure cameras. So that

08:25that's going to require another

08:27conversation.

08:29Um

08:29>> Thank you.

08:30>> That's all.

08:31>> Thank you.

08:33>> Yes, sir.

08:35All right.

08:37Uh I think we're good.

08:40And this is the base budget's um summary

08:43for the most part.

08:45Um the current FY26 operating budget

08:48excluding personnel and overtime, um

08:51we're talking 10.

08:537 million. Department is requesting 1.3

08:57in operating budget increases, which

09:00would bring the proposed operating

09:02budget up to 12 um million. Um these are

09:05not new programs. These are fresh

09:07primarily address increases in cost of

09:10maintenance existing to the current

09:12police operating budget. And it's pretty

09:15much listed out. You can kind of look at

09:17each individual line item there and

09:20spell out where those those increases

09:22are actually coming from.

09:24Um and I'll open the floor to if you

09:26have any questions on any of those um

09:29line items.

09:36>> Any questions for anyone?

09:41All right, Chief. Keep going.

09:45>> Um this is the main capital

09:48projects.

09:50This request

09:51address facilities that support CPD

09:5424-hour operation 7 days a week. Um

09:57bottom line is you know,

09:59we got a lot of work to do with some of

10:01these facilities.

10:02Um

10:03We are maintaining

10:05pretty much 19 facilities. This increase

10:08is really to address some of the

10:09concerns. One being like the

10:11headquarters at

10:13the locker room renovation. This was the

10:17bottom line the locker rooms is still

10:19the original locker room from when the

10:21building was actually built in 1972.

10:25Um

10:26The HV system

10:28um it is pretty much spells it out. We

10:30we got it's 19 years old. We currently

10:33have an issues with with that on a

10:36regular basis be it in the winter when

10:38it start to check the weather start to

10:39change and then in the summer during the

10:42excessive heat.

10:43Um

10:45And the team offers refreshment project.

10:48And like I say 19 facilities consist of

10:50both leased and city-owned is really

10:52just the maintenance and maintain what

10:54we currently have.

10:56Um that's what that price actually

10:58reflects.

11:00So

11:02Any questions on any of that? Any

11:10details?

11:19That's pretty much it. That's pretty

11:21much it. You know, if you got any

11:23questions relative We're trying to keep

11:25it kind of conservative and only

11:27present, you know, as basic needs from

11:30the police standpoint.

11:32But we're we open the floor to

11:33questions, concerns,

11:36feedback.

11:41>> The only question I have, Chief, is on

11:44some of that, you know, maintenance on

11:47the last slide.

11:48>> Yes, sir.

11:49>> Are those good numbers? It seems I got

11:51to be frank, they look kind of low.

11:53What are you going to do for that?

11:56>> That's that's just maintenance. That's

11:57not new improvement and I I

11:59I use the analogy and excuse my French,

12:01we're putting makeup on a pig.

12:04That's that's really what we're doing,

12:06but that those numbers reflect what we

12:08need to kind of maintain current

12:10services. So,

12:13>> I got you.

12:14>> That's not anything new, but that those

12:16are just basic maintenance with the the

12:19old facilities that we have.

12:21>> Okay, thank you.

12:30>> Any other questions for the Chief?

12:37Nobody? Anyone?

12:39Pretty good presentation.

12:42Um well thought through, Chief.

12:44Appreciate all the hard work on that.

12:47Um sorry I was a little late getting on.

12:50Few things going on in the city right

12:52now.

12:55Um but

12:57uh but again, appreciate the uh the

12:59effort there. Again, any any further

13:02questions from any of the council

13:04members?

13:08Um all right, well look guys, I

13:10appreciate everything. That was probably

13:12the fastest budget go through I think

13:14we've had, so congratulations. I mean,

13:17all of that was prepared, I'll say. Get

13:19a gold star.

13:20>> Um if there's nothing Amy, we don't have

13:22any other or Andrew?

13:24>> No. No, sir, we have That was it.

13:27>> Okay. Well, I appreciate everybody

13:30signing on and we can

13:33cut out a little early then. Again,

13:34appreciate Chief and CPD.

13:36>> Thank you, sir. Thank you all.

13:38>> Thank you.

13:38>> Thanks, guys.

13:39>> Keep up the good