Public Safety Standing Committee
Council Chamber, 2nd Floor – City Hall
Agenda — 69 items
- 1 This meeting will be open to in-person participation; however, the public will have the option to provide their comments by teleconference/videoconference via Microsoft Teams. Interested individuals who wish to take advantage of this option, must do so prior to 10:00 a.m., on Tuesday September 24, 2024, by calling the Office of the City Clerk at (804) 646-7955 and selecting option 3.
- 1 Committee Members and other Councilmembers in Attendance
- 2 Call to Order
- 2 The Honorable Reva Trammell – Chair The Honorable Nicole Jones – Vice Chair The Honorable Kristen Nye – Member
- 3 Chamber Emergency Evacuation Plan Announcement and Public Speaker Guidelines
- 3 Staff and Others in Attendance
- 4 Public Comment Period
- 4 Greg Lukanuski, Deputy City Attorney Nahdiyah Muhammad, Assistant City Clerk Candice Reid, City Clerk Steve Taylor, Council Policy Analyst RJ Warren, Deputy City Clerk
- 5 Approval of Minutes
- 6 July 23, 2024 - Public Safety Standing Committee Meeting Minutes
- 6 Chair Reva Trammell called the meeting to order at 1:03 p.m., and presided.
- 7 Presentation(s)
- 8 Fire Department Update
- 8 Assistant City Clerk Nahdiyah Muhammad provided information on the appropriate manner in which the Council Chamber is to be evacuated in the event of an emergency along with public speaker guidelines.
- 9 September 24, 2024 - Fire Department Update
- 10 Richmond Ambulance Authority (RAA) 2024 Quarterly Report
- 10 Tracy Sigmond addressed the committee and stated her concerns about receiving parking tickets from Richmond Police Department Special Operations for her trailer that was parked in front of her property. She also stated that she has been given parking tickets based on an ordinance that states a vehicle weighing more than 6,500 pounds is not allowed to be parked on property, and that her trailer does not exceed the stated weight limit.
- 11 September 24, 2024 - RAA Quarterly Report Presentation
- 11 Chair Reva Trammell provided Ms. Sigmond with contact information to address her concerns.
- 12 Civilian Review Board Update
- 12 Sarah Ramsey addressed the committee and stated her concerns regarding her recent public comments and public comment handouts she provided during the July 23, 2024, Public Safety Standing Committee meeting.
- 13 September 24, 2024 - Civilian Review Board Update Presentation
- 13 Member Kristen Nye stated the handout that was provided by Ms. Ramsey during the July 23, 2024, Public Safety Standing Committee meeting, was uploaded properly to the City's legislative website and available for public viewing.
- 14 Paper(s) for Consideration
- 1. To authorize the Chief Administrative Officer, for and on behalf of the City of Richmond, to accept a donation of personal property including the Richmond Police Memorial Statue, capstones, and plaque, located at 1410 Ingram Avenue in the city of Richmond, valued at approximately $35,000, from the Richmond Police Foundation. (6th District)
- 15 There were no amendments or corrections to the meeting minutes of July 23, 2024 and the committee approved the minutes as presented.
- 2. To amend and reordain City Code § 4-96, concerning cruelty to animals, for the purpose of imposing additional punishments for those convicted of animal cruelty crimes authorized by Va. Code § 3.2-6570.
- 17 Board Vacancies
- 18 There were no board vacancies.
- 18 The following ordinance was considered:
- 19 Discussion Item(s)
- 20 There were no discussion items.
- 20 Deputy Chief Sydney Collier provided an introduction and additional background information regarding the proposed ordinance.
- 21 Staff Report
- 21 Public Hearing
- 22 September 24, 2024 - Public Safety Staff Report
- 22 Andrew Goddard, President of the Friends of Byrd Park, spoke in support of the proposed ordinance, and he stated that the he would like the statue to be displayed where the public can view it. Mr. Goodard also stated residents who live in the Byrd Park area would like the statue returned to Byrd Park.
- 23 Member Kristen Nye thanked the Richmond Police Department (RPD) and members of the community for their work regarding the police statue.
- 24 Chair Reva Trammell stated that she has received support from members of the community regarding the location of the statue. Chair Trammell also stated that the best place for the statue is at the police academy, where there is more security.
- 25 There were no comments or discussions and Member Kristen Nye moved to forward ORD. 2024-239 to Council with recommendation to approve, which was seconded and unanimously approved.
- 26 The following ordinance was considered:
- 28 Rob Leinberger, Deputy Director of Animal Care and Control, provided an introduction and additional background information regarding the proposed ordinance.
- 29 Chair Reva Trammell requested to be added as co-patron of ORD. 2024-240.
- 30 Public Hearing
- 31 There were no public hearing speakers.
- 32 Member Kristen Nye thanked the Department of Animal Care and Control for their work to have city code reflect changes in Virginia code. Member Nye requested to be added as co-patron to ORD. 2024-240.
- 33 Vice Chair Nicole Jones requested to be added as co-patron to ORD. 2024-240.
- 34 There were no comments or discussions and Member Kristen Nye moved to forward ORD. 2024-240 to Council with the recommendation to approve, which was seconded and unanimously approved.
- 37 Melvin Carter, Chief of Fire and Emergency Services, provided the committee with a Fire Department Update presentation.
- 38 September 24, 2024 - Fire Department Update
- 39 A copy of the material provided has been filed.
- 40 Member Kristen Nye thanked Chief Melvin Carter and the Fire Department for providing the committee with a presentation. Member Nye stated that she wants to see more outreach between the Richmond Fire Department (RFD) and Richmond Public Schools (RPS) regarding water safety.
- 41 Chair Reva Trammell inquired about the rescue and fire coverage of the Port of Richmond.
- 42 Chief Carter stated that the Port of Richmond has construction that will cause delays in rescue responses. Chief Carter further stated that RFD is working with the Port of Richmond and the Coast Guard to gain access to the Port of Richmond safely.
- 44 Chip Decker, RAA Chief Executive Officer (CEO), provided the committee a RAA 2024 Quarterly Report presentation.
- 46 A copy of the material provided has been filed.
- 47 Member Kristen Nye inquired about $2.3 million that was collected due to an increase in billing. Member Nye also inquired if the company that was outsourced to conduct billing, costs more compared to internal billing services. Member Nye stated she does not want the Richmond Ambulance Authority (RAA) to submit their funding requests through the same system that is used for non-profits.
- 48 Chip Decker stated the billing was higher due to an increase in calls for service and an increase in rates. Mr. Decker also stated more analysis will be conducted to see potential savings due to increased revenue.
- 49 Chair Reva Trammell inquired about the calls per service received for each zip code.
- 50 Mr. Decker stated that he can provide a heat map for the requested information to the committee at a later date.
- 51 Mr. Decker provided the committee with additional information regarding the RAA quarterly report.
- 52 page break
- 54 Joseph Lowery, Manager of the Richmond Civilian Review Board, provided the committee with a Civilian Review Board Update presentation.
- 56 A copy of the material provided has been filed.
- 57 Chair Reva Trammell thanked Mr. Lowery for providing the committee with a presentation regarding the Civilian Review Board.
- 63 Council staff provided the committee with the September Public Safety Standing Committee staff report.
- 65 A copy of the material provided has been filed.
- 66 Adjournment
- 67 There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 2:24 p.m.