MINUTES OF THE JOINT INFORMAL MEETING OF JOHNSON COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS AND JUSTICE CENTER COORDINATING COMMITTEE:
SEPTEMBER 2, 2009
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
Decisions of the Board of Supervisors Regarding Committee Name, Membership, Meetings, and Contract with the Justice Center Coordinating Committee Coordinator...................................................... 1
Cost Comparison Study........................................................................................................ 6
Subcommittee Assignments.................................................................................................. 6
Set Next Meeting Date.......................................................................................................... 8
Chairperson Neuzil called the Johnson County Board of Supervisors to order in the Johnson County Health and Human Services Building at 4:33 p.m. Members present were: Larry Meyers, Terrence Neuzil, Sally Stutsman, and Rod Sullivan; absent: Pat Harney.
Justice Center Coordinating Committee (JCCC) Coordinator Bob Elliott said it is his understanding that at the last meeting the JCCC had with the Board of Supervisors, the Board decided that the committee name be changed to the Criminal Justice Coordinating Committee (CJCC). County Sheriff Lonny Pulkrabek said the committee has been named the Criminal Justice Coordinating Committee for the last four or five years and sometime during the summer of 2008, there must have been some discussion narrowing the focus to a justice Center. Pulkrabek said he does not support the name Justice Center Coordinating Committee because this committee's charge is to look at the whole criminal justice system. It just so happens that now, the focus is on a justice center, and if and when a justice center comes about, the Criminal Justice Coordinating Committee will still need to meet. A primary focus of the committee is to continue to make policy decisions affecting the criminal justice system. Pulkrabek said the name should be the Criminal Justice Coordinating Committee.
Neuzil said earlier in 2009, the CJCC decided to refer to themselves as the Justice Center Coordinating Committee without a formal Board vote but with the consensus of the CJCC. Now the question is whether to change the name back to the CJCC. Johnson County Bar Association Chair Jim McCarragher said he is vehemently opposed to changing the name back because it will send the wrong public message. If at this time, the committee is just conducting a study to determine whether a possibility exists to do something different, changing the name sends the message that it is a fait accompli. Elliott said personally he prefers the name JCCC but at the same time he understands Pulkrabek's rationale. However, he thinks the name does not really make much difference.
Iowa City Public Library Adult Services Coordinator Kara Logsden said in referencing her personal notes from CJCC meetings up until February 2009, the committee was called the Criminal Justice Coordinating Committee. Neuzil said his notes indicates a desire to delete the words "criminal justice" because it carried a negative tone and that "justice center" sounded more positive. Pulkrabek asked Logsden if she was originally appointed to this committee or whether she simply attends the meetings. He said he thought when the Iowa Policy Project Report was complete and the Board created this committee he thought they added a few citizen members including Professor Emeritus John Stratton and Logsden. Logsden said initially she was a resource person, but she doesn't know if she ever was officially appointed but thinks she might have been. County Attorney Janet Lyness said she thinks Dorothy Whiston and Mobile Crisis Team Leader Jessica Peckover were both members of the CJCC. Stutsman said this is so confusing because she just saw Whiston downtown and she said Whiston thanked her for un-appointing her to the committee. Neuzil said Whiston requested to be removed. Lyness said Whiston requested to be removed from the Alternatives and Treatments Subcommittee because it had completed its work, but Whiston did not ask to be removed from the entire committee. Stutsman said either way the Board needs to clarify the committee membership.
Neuzil refocused the discussion on the naming of the committee. Stratton said that changing the name seems to change the focus. Changing the name to the JCCC narrows the committee's focus. He recalls a discussion which concluded with the need for ongoing conversations between various agencies in the criminal justice system such as the courts, the Sheriff's Office, the County Attorney, and that this committee was supposed to facilitate those conversations. If and when the focus is changed, that may suggest that when the building is complete the committee will no longer be needed because the Justice Center would be complete. Neuzil asked him if he prefers the name Criminal Justice Coordinating Committee or Justice Center Coordinating Committee. Stratton said he prefers the name Criminal Justice Coordinating Committee because of the broader concept. Pulkrabek said the focus of the committee now has narrowed to look at a justice center, but that doesn't mean the name of the committee should change. If and when a justice center is built, this committee is still vital to the criminal justice policy making within Johnson County.
Neuzil said that consensus from last week's Key Issues Meeting was to change the name back to Criminal Justice Coordinating Committee and that this committee serves a greater need than just a justice center. Neuzil said the committee's focus is on financing, facilities planning, alternatives and treatments, and public information and outreach, and all this falls under the umbrella name of criminal justice. McCarragher said the public perception will change again and this will send an unclear message. He said he polled some lawyers and judges today to ask their opinions because he wanted to make sure he was not solely representing his views. He said it gives the impression that something is afoot to divide the two facilities.
Lyness said the focus is on a justice center now. She said the Treatment and Alternatives Subcommittee concluded that until more space was available, other options for alternatives and treatment were not viable. Neuzil said the Board never officially voted on a name for the committee, they just agreed by consensus. Now they are ready to name the committee by taking an impromptu vote, but first Neuzil said he wants to discuss committee membership.
Elliott said the committee process has been fluid since his involvement. Elliott said he was comfortable with that until recent events dictated the need for votes and therefore the need for an official committee. Neuzil asked Executive Assistant Andy Johnson to review the preliminary list of members the Board proposed at last week's Key Issue's Meeting. Executive Assistant Andy Johnson said the Board appointed the Criminal Justice Coordinating Committee in 2003. At the beginning of 2009, the Board appointed two Supervisors to serve on the committee but never formally replaced the Sheriff and County Attorney when those positions changed. The Board reached a consensus to include all five Supervisors, the County Attorney, the County Sheriff, MECCA CEO and President, Iowa City City Council Member Connie Champion, Department of Correctional Services Representative Jerri Allen, McCarragher as Chair of the Public Information Subcommittee, a Public Defender Representative, and John Stratton. Neuzil said the last time the Board voted on committee membership was when former County Sheriff Bob Carpenter was still in office and it is time to update the records.
Lyness said that Whiston was one of the original people appointed to the committee. Lyness advised in favor of having a member from Jail Alternatives on the committee or a subcommittee. She also said John Neff was on the original committee but no longer wishes to be on the committee. Elliott confirmed that Neff asked to be removed from the committee.
McCarragher said he thinks he should be identified as Bar Association Chair rather than chair of the Public Information Subcommittee since the views he presents are those of the Bar Association. Stutsman said McCarragher was listed that way because the chairs of all the subcommittees are on the JCCC. She said Lyness is Chair of the Alternatives and Treatments Subcommittee. McCarragher said Lyness is listed as County Attorney. McCarragher said it makes a difference how members are identified because that determines how he can make his views known at the meetings. He simply wants to clarify whose views he should consider when presenting to the committee and he wants that to be clear to the public. Neuzil asked whether a person from the Bar Association should be on the committee, and how many representatives from the public should be included. Lyness said it is important to have a representative from the Bar Association and the Public Defenders, both for input and for community outreach. Elliott asked if the Bar Association represents all attorneys and judges. Lyness said judges are members of the Bar Association. Elliott asked if the Public Defenders Office would be represented as part of the Bar Association. Lyness said she does not know which individual attorneys are members of the Bar Association.
Elliott asked if representatives from Coralville and North Liberty should be on the committee. Stutsman asked if someone from the police department and the Department of Human Services should be included. Lyness said there are attorneys involved in virtually every procedure at the Courthouse, which is different from Human Services involvement. MECCA is included because of Treatment and Alternatives. Stutsman said her concern is to keep an open mind in determining where the Criminal Justice Center and the Jail will be located. It has been made very clear to her that the Bar Association's view is to keep the combined services downtown. Stutsman is in favor of a committee with an open mind that will weigh all the pros and cons before making a decision. She said she does not sense that this is the sentiment of some members. She said she thought they were appointing a Chair of the Outreach Committee, who just happened to be McCarragher who is represented on that committee by the Bar Association.
Neuzil said that now, since all five Board members serve on the committee, technically one of the Supervisors could again serve as chair of the Public Information/Outreach Subcommittee. Stutsman said the committee should be determined after the function of the committee is determined. She asked if the committee is a Criminal Justice Coordinating Committee or if it is a Justice Center Coordinating Committee.
Pulkrabek said McCarragher is a valuable member of the committee because he is a liaison to the Bar Association and can affect the justice system in that role. What will remain to be seen is if the Bar Association continues its involvement after a justice center is complete. Sullivan said the Board has been at it for 35 minutes without accomplishing very much. His opinion is that it doesn't really matter who is on the committee because ultimately, three of the five Supervisors have to agree to any action. Frankly he doesn't value the input from anyone more or less depending on whether they are on the committee or in the audience. He wants to hear from anyone who has something to add and he doesn't care who is on the committee. He thinks too much time is being spent on defining the committee's membership.
Department of Correctional Services Supervisor Jerri Allen said she agrees that the committee should be named Criminal Justice Coordinating Committee to address the overall goal to have a safer community in Johnson County. She suggested that the existing committee decide which members to add, and then make that recommendation to the Board at a future meeting, rather than take more time defining the membership at today's meeting. She then asked if a mission or value statement exists noting that she has not seen one in the three years she has been involved.
McCarragher said the only reason he broached the subject of his title in relation to this committee was to clarify who he should be representing. He did not intend to drag out the conversation, but was just concerned with how he should present his views as a member on the committee. Neuzil asked whether the membership spot for the Iowa City City Council representative should be changed to a representative of local government instead. In the future, a member of Coralville or North Liberty might be asked to serve. Sullivan said the representation has been from Iowa City because the focus is to build something in Iowa City. Sullivan said that Interim City Manager Dale Helling would be a great asset to the committee. Neuzil continued with listing which groups should be represented on the coordinating committee: MECCA, and the Bar Association. Stratton said the Bar Association is a key player in the criminal justice system and it should be represented. He disagreed with Sullivan and said committee membership does matter because it will do more than just recommend a decision to the Board of Supervisors. After the decision by the Board is made, it has to be sold to the community and Stratton says one reason the Bar Association is involved is because they offered help with public outreach.
Lyness said it would be good to have a judge on the committee. McCarragher said it is wise to note that judges feel they really can't publicly advocate on issues like this and therefore should first be asked if they want to serve. Pulkrabek said judges can give valuable input on policymaking decisions within the justice system. McCarragher agreed. Lyness said she will ask the judges opinion on committee membership.
Neuzil asked about having a representative from the Public Defenders Office and members of the public Stratton and Logsden. Lyness added she would be comfortable with adding Whiston also and Neuzil agreed. Neuzil and Stutsman said they are comfortable with keeping the Alternatives and Treatments individuals as a subcommittee resource.
Stutsman asked why a police department representative is not on the committee. Neuzil said that Iowa City Police Chief Sam Hargadine is on the Public Information/Outreach Subcommittee. Stutsman said he is also listed on the Facilities Subcommittee. Elliott said that he spoke with Hargadine who said he would like to be part of the committee when it is further along in its substantive planning. Stutsman reiterated that if the committee is the Criminal Justice Coordinating Committee, then the police department needs to be at the table. She asked again what the committee is trying to accomplish. Sullivan said he wants to call the question if there is a way to do so.
Elliott asked Neuzil to confirm the committee membership as follows: the five Johnson County Supervisors, Department of Correctional Services Supervisor Jerri Allen, Iowa City City Council Member Connie Champion, MECCA CEO and President Steven Estes, County Attorney Janet Lyness, Jim McCarragher, County Sheriff Lonny Pulkrabek, Public Defender John Robertson, Dorothy Whiston, Iowa City Public Library Adult Services Coordinator Kara Logsden, and Professor Emeritus John Stratton. Neuzil confirmed the list and said that potentially a judge might be added to the committee. Elliott then asked if he is a member of the committee, or serving as a volunteer staff member. Neuzil replied Elliott is a volunteer staff member. Elliott said that is fine, he wanted to know only to understand whether he is a voting member, and that now it is clarified that he will not have a vote. Johnson reported that the committee decided to have the monthly meeting on the first Wednesday of the month at 4:30 p.m. Elliott's contract expired in June 2009, but he has continued to volunteer.
Facilities Manager David Kempf said his impression was that the Board will vote to proceed with the cost comparison study and so Kempf has had some preliminary discussions with an entity on what it will take to finalize the study. When the Board formally requests the cost comparison, then Kempf will suggest his recommendations. The general concept is to develop a matrix to show the difference in operational costs between the Press-Citizen site for the Jail and the combined site downtown. Kempf said he is not quite sure how a dollar value can be assigned to the intangible variables, presented by McCarragher, for keeping the combined structure downtown. Neuzil summarized the three options to place in consideration as the Justice Center downtown utilizing the Courthouse, using the Press-Citizen building as a Justice Center, or the possibility of using the existing Courthouse for courthouse functions and a jail at the Press-Citizen site. Kempf confirmed that those are the three options.
Neuzil asked Kempf how long it will take to complete the cost comparison study. Kempf said the study could be complete in two to three months, depending on how soon the Board gives him direction to proceed. Neuzil suggested that as part of the comparison process, the committee conduct site visits of all three facilities as a group. Kempf agreed. He said if Novak Design is selected, he would like Architect Jim Novak to meet with the committee prior to preparing the cost study in order to address any unanswered questions. Neuzil said should they decide to move forward with Novak, he would like Johnson to coordinate that meeting. Pulkrabek asked if this would be part of the Board's regular Thursday meetings and Kempf said yes. Neuzil said the Board first needs to vote whether to move forward. Sullivan said the Board will not vote this week because Harney is not present. Elliott summarized that the sole purpose for recommending this cost comparison study is to determine if significant savings are available at the Press-Citizen site.
Stratton said that comments relating to errors in the original Durrant Report prompt him to ask if a review of the functional space needs will be conducted. He said this is essential to the cost comparison. Neuzil said this will be addressed in the subcommittee meetings.
Neuzil said the Alternatives and Treatment Subcommittee needs to communicate with the consultants regarding space needs and the Durrant Report will need refining. He said the Grants and Funding Subcommittee really needs to get the conversation with the Government Service Association (GSA) back on track. He also said that if the Press-Citizen building is an option, the Grants and Funding Subcommittee will need to determine exactly how to pay for it. This is a time sensitive issue, which at some point will go to the voters, most likely at the end of 2010, 2011, or 2012. If the Press-Citizen site is selected, Neuzil said he presumes they are going to want a buyer long before the County is ready to put the request to the voters. The County does not have the ability to write a check for $3.5 million to secure the site. Neuzil said the Information and Outreach Subcommittee can address the advantages and disadvantages of a combined versus separate Justice Center.
Pulkrabek said he would like to step up communications with the GSA representative and invite them to the table for a discussion. He asked if the Facilities Subcommittee should try to coordinate such a meeting. Stutsman said it is unfortunate Harney is absent today because he is the Board's liaison with the GSA people and so she said they should wait until Harney returns. Neuzil said he doubts the GSA decision makers will come to a meeting, though he agrees they should be part of the conversation.
Sullivan said he has an issue with the GSA negotiations. He would like to know who is negotiating and on behalf of whom. During his four and a half year term on the Board, Sullivan said he has never had the opportunity to personally hear from any GSA representatives. All information is routed to him second or third hand. If someone is negotiating on Sullivan's behalf, he is frustrated that no one has ever asked him for his opinion. Pulkrabek acknowledged the frustration and indicated that is why he would like to bring the GSA people to the table. Sullivan said he hears there are ongoing negotiations with the GSA, with the City of Iowa City, and with the Iowa City School District, yet he is unaware of any details, which leaves him uninformed despite his decision-making position. Neuzil redirected the discussion back to the subcommittee work and asked if this conversation with the GSA should fall under the Facilities Subcommittee. Lyness said it should be put there for now, and that she and Pulkrabek will make it happen at the subcommittee.
Stutsman said she recalls someone saying the GSA people did not wish to address the County regarding the Jail issue until the County had a definite plan, and the County does not yet have a plan. Pulkrabek said the work for the Public Outreach Committee could include preparing a list of why people voted no, and it would be good to refresh everyone's memories, developing a strategy to compile a list of potential voters for a get out the vote campaign, and compile a list of service groups that is ready to go when the time is right.
Stutsman said there are no representatives from either Coralville or North Liberty on the committee. She asked if this contributes to the public perception that the Justice Center is a County issue. She thinks Coralville and North Liberty should be included. Pulkrabek agreed with Stutsman and added that the Mayor of Swisher has told him he is willing to attend committee meetings and to help with public outreach.
Neuzil said he would like to find the mission statement to get a better feel for the committee's goal. He said each subcommittee should meet before the next joint meeting on October 7, 2009.
Lyness gave the Treatment and Alternatives report. She said 38 assessments were requested and completed, and 15 on them were on the weekend. One was a Spanish evaluation completed with an interpreter. Of the 38 assessments, 25 were recommended to participate in treatment services. One referral was already in treatment. Ten MECCA counselors are trained to provide assessments at the Jail to ensure daily coverage.
Neuzil said the next meeting is scheduled for October 7, 2009 at 4:30 p.m. in the Health and Human Services Building Conference Room B.
Adjourned at 5:47 p.m.
______________________________________________________________________
Attest: Tom Slockett, Auditor
By:
On the _______ day of _____________________, 2009
By Nancy Tomkovicz, Recording Secretary
Sent to the Board of Supervisors on September 21, 2009 at 9:30 a.m.