05/24/2016 - MinutesCity of Port Orchard
Council Finance Committee
A meeting of the Council Finance Committee was held at City Hall on May 24, 2016 at 7:30
a.m.
PRESENT:
Finance Report
Sales Tax Revenue Report: The sales tax revenue report was presented and discussed. The trend
is in line with the statewide result and continues at a healthy pace.
Travel per diem: Treasurer Martin presented a change to the method city employees calculate
their meal reimbursements when traveling on City business. The newer method would be by
using the travel per diem rate. He explained that this change streamlines the process to be very
similar to how mileage is calculated. This change was effective January 1, 2016.
Administration
Furnishings: Mayor Putaansuu presented a quote from Ducky’s in Seattle for new chairs for the
Council members and staff during meetings. A total of 15 chairs are needed, and Mayor
Putaansuu stated the need for balancing quality versus cost in order to find the most effective
solution.
Interlocal Agreement South Kitsap Fire & Rescue: Mayor Putaansuu discussed the interlocal
agreement with South Kitsap Fire & Rescue (SK&R) information in relation to what the City’s
responsibilities are and what was initially agreed upon. SKF&R has requested the City to help
cover the cost for the employee wages that are related to the services provided to the City. A
review of the pros and cons of hiring another employee to do the requested work versus helpin g
to pay the cost for SKF&R was discussed. The Mayor would like to pay them based on a fe e
base instead of an annual lump sum, provided that an agreement can be reached.
Care and Custody of Prisoners
The jail bill being over budget and the factors for why was a point of discussion. Chief Marti
explained the standards for booking arrests and his evaluation of how well the Police Department
does in following those standards. He reviewed numbers that show the Police Department took
9% fewer reported crimes for 2015 than prior years as well as a higher clearing crime rate in
comparison to neighboring cities. Court Administrator, Debbie Hunt contributed to the
conversation in relation to the court process. She explained that the bill is calculated in terms of
bed days, and the court is attempting to save the city money by sending people to the Forks jail
instead of the county jail despite it creating more work for the court. It was determined that there
are numerous factors that should be considered in preparing future budgets.
The meeting was adjourned at 9:10 a.m.
Next meeting
7:30 am Council Chambers meeting room