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2 28 11 Work Session_SCTF Recommendations Slide PresentationSafe Community Task Force CITY COUNCIL WORKSESSION FEBRUARY28, 2011 SCTF Members Roy BuolSteve Hodge  Claudette Carter-ThomasPat Kelly  Jonathan CheathamJerry Maro  Joyce ConnorsMichelle Mihalakis  Janice CraddiethAdam Moore  Rachel DaackTerry Mozena  Mark DalsingJoe Noll  Gabby DeVegaRalph Potter  Rick DickinsonDoug Stillings  LarieGodinezLynn Sutton  John GronenMichael Van Milligen  Molly GroverDirk Voetberg  Mike Hodge  SCTF Goals To identify and act upon things that most  effectively reduce crime and that most effectively reduce the perception of crime. Recognize people want to feel safe and  identify ways to provide that feeling of safety. http://www.cityofdubuque.org/safecommunity SCTF HISTORY History September 2009: 130 people to public forum  October 2009: 25 appointees to SCTF  November 2009 –January 2010:  Dialogue and deliberation  Monthly meetings  History City Council assigned SCTF to:  Gather facts on the scope of crime and safety  issues in the community; Identify efforts currently underway to improve  and prevent future problems; Review and analyze how other communities have  addressed crime and safety issues; and, Recommend goals and objectives for the  leadership of Dubuque. History The Task Force recruited 50 residents to serve on the following sub- committees: Neighborhood Engagement/ Social Capital  Enforcement  Management of Physical Environment  Research and Facts  History February 2010: First set of recommendations  to City Council February 2010-June 2010:  Continued dialogue and deliberation with Urban  Strategies as facilitator RFP and selection of NIU to perform research  History July 2010: Second set of recommendations to  City Council May 2010 –January 2011: NIU research  January 2011 –February 2011: Review of NIU  results and final set of recommendations Meetings Over the course of 17 months the Task Force and Sub-committees met 35 times February 2, 2011 February 18, 2010 November 20, 2009  January 25, 2011February 17, 2010 November 19, 2009  August 10, 2010February 15, 2010 November 18, 2009  August 5, 2010 February 13, 2010 November 17, 2009  June 12, 2010 February 3, 2010 November 9, 2009  May 13, 2010 January 20, 2010 October 15, 2009  April 17, 2010 January 14, 2010  April 16, 2010 January 9, 2010  April 15, 2010 January 6, 2010  March 12, 2010 January 5, 2010  March 11, 2010 December 28, 2009  March 5, 2010 December 12, 2009  March 3, 2010 December 9, 2009  February 25, 2010 November 30, 2009  Resources & Research February 2010 –Neighborhood  Engagement/Social Capital sub-committee conducted a Neighborhood Survey March 2010 -Urban Strategies out of St.  Louis, MO began to facilitate Task Force meetings ($45,000) March 2010 –SCTF Speaker’s Bureau created  April 2010 Northern Illinois University  contracted to conduct perception, crime & poverty study ($68,000) SCTF RECOMMENDATIONS TO CITY COUNCIL -2010 February 2010 Recommendations Reduce the time between rental inspections for  problem properties Restrict funding assistance to property owners  whose buildings are non-compliant unless the owner is actively working towards compliance Allow the Task Force to act as conduit for  accurate information to the public February 2010 Recommendations Conduct an expanded crime study  Create ways to encourage people to “light up”  their own property and surrounding public property Install surveillance cameras in high crime areas in  public places February 2010 Recommendations Install additional 911 emergency kiosks  Reduce the time allotted for correcting  property violations from the current two years Encourage development of planned  communities through mixed-use zoning July 2010 Recommendations - Enforcement Develop a juvenile curfew ordinance  Provide additional resources for Community  Oriented Policing Direct Police Department to enforce noise  ordinances more aggressively. July 2010 Recommendations - Enforcement Direct Police Department to enforce traffic  ordinances more aggressively. Give the SCTF and Police Department the  opportunity to respond to the crime study. Continue the SCTF in order to monitor the  implementation and progress of recommendations, and consider creation of a Safe Community Commission. July 2010 Recommendations – Housing Code Enforcement Support landlords in evicting problem tenants  for cause. Mandate that landlords conduct renter  background checks, using the City’s free service. Establish a threshold number of complaint calls  that will place a problem property in priority category. July 2010 Recommendations – Housing Code Enforcement Tie the frequency of property inspections to  landlord’s history of cooperation with code compliance. Intensity exterior code enforcement efforts  and encourage City employees across departments to identify and report property code enforcement problems. July 2010 Recommendations – Housing Code Enforcement Create a data clearinghouse limited to  verifiable and factual information that landlords and tenants can share and reference when making rental decisions. Develop and offer frequently a training  program on code enforcement and property management for all landlords and require attendance. July 2010 Recommendations – Section 8 Increase public understanding of the Section 8  program. Increase participation of Section 8 residents in  effective self-sufficiency programs. Provide training to housing commissioners to  increase leadership, public relations, and community building skills. Implement an exception rent program to avoid  concentrated pockets of poverty. July 2010 Recommendations – Section 8 Develop a strong role for the Resident Advisory  Board to encourage feedback and cultivate leadership within low income residential community. Provide community service credits for  participation in effective programs that foster self-sufficiency. Continue to provide resources to the Family Self-  Sufficiency program based upon evidence of success. July 2010 Recommendations – Neighborhood Engagement Create a major, city-wide human relations  effort with the following objectives: Increase tolerance and mutual understanding  among diverse segments of the population. Implement appropriate measures to safeguard the  rights and opportunities of all. July 2010 Recommendations- Neighborhood Engagement Develop a Neighborhood Watch program.  Increase resident participation using such  vehicles as clean-up campaigns, neighborhood picnics, new neighbor welcome events, and other strategies developed by residents. July 2010 Recommendations- Neighborhood Engagement Offer cultural competence training  periodically to businesses and the community at large; mandatory for City staff and Board and Commission members. Continue to support the Human Rights  Department and devote resources to a human relations initiative to promote respect and understanding among residents. July 2010 Recommendations- Neighborhood Engagement Support a welcoming program for all new  renters through community based organizations . July 2010 Recommendations- Physical Environment Install street lights in the middle of the block to  brighten up the streets and night and increase visibility for residents. Create an ordinance prohibiting the boarding of  windows and doors facing the streets. Develop and enforce policies consistent with the  “preservation briefs” to maintain historic properties. July 2010 Recommendations- Physical Environment Improve Dubuque neighborhoods by:  Encouraging home ownership;  Encouraging a mixed income approach to  neighborhood development; Creating (or re-creating) a sense of place through  good design. All buildings using government funds should meet these objectives and sustainability goals. July 2010 Recommendations- Physical Environment Increase the number of trash receptacles on  the street. Increase the number of neighborhood clean-  ups and educate the community on city waste disposal policies to clarify the purpose of neighborhood clean-up programs. IMPLEMENTATION STATUS Implementation –February Recommendations Inspection cycle reduced from seven to five  years Annual inspections on Section 8 units  Code compliance required for funding:  Downtown Housing Incentive Program,  Housing & Community Development Rehab and  Purchase loans Section 8 rental assistance  Implementation –February Recommendations Northern Illinois University Research Study on  Crime and Poverty completed Full study and video of presentation available  online at: www.cityofdubuque.org/safecommunity Implementation –February Recommendations Washington Neighborhood Yard Lighting  Initiative expanded: areas east of the bluffs  low/moderate income neighborhoods  Rebates for installing energy-efficient lighting  front and/or backyards that light portions of the sidewalk or alley Implementation –February Recommendations 38 alley-street lights in the Washington  Neighborhood Research on mid-block lighting costs  Early estimate average cost per light, per year,  $168.90 Upgraded lighting in parking ramps  Implementation –February Recommendations Potential areas for security cameras and 911  kiosks identified Cameras installed:  Construction sites  Riverwalk  Port of Dubuque Parking Ramp  Comiskey  Parking lot near Library  Implementation –February Recommendations Traffic cameras, parking ramp cameras, bus  cameras Cameras and 911 kiosks planned:  Bee Branch trail  New 10Street Parking ramp th  Port of Dubuque Marina  Millwork District (under evaluation)  Implementation –February Recommendations Housing Code amended to reduce time for  compliance to 9 months Uniform Development Code and Building  Code promote mixed-use and mixed income approach to development Implementation –July Recommendations Criminal Background Checks Ordinance  Forms  Contract  Part-time employee  Tenant Database Form  Legal Research  Implementation –July Recommendations Curfew Research  Juvenile Crime Breakdown For Community  Parental Responsibility  Implementation –July Recommendations Housing & Community Development: Priority Category Designation  Property Acquisition Policy  Boarded Up Windows & Doors Ordinance  Implementation –July Recommendations Rental License Ordinance  Crime Free Multi Housing Program 1. Requirement Criminal Background Check 2. Requirement Waiver Amendments 3. Implementation –July Recommendations Property In Need of Assistance On-going meeting with a sub-group of  landlords to develop an effective tool for use by both the City and landlords Comparison to Forcible Entry & Detainer  Standard (Eviction Action) Implementation –July Recommendations Landlord notification on police calls for  service Safe Community Advisory Committee begins  work March 2, 2011 Nuisance ordinance recommendation  forthcoming Implementation –July Recommendations 800 inspections in Washington  Neighborhood, resulting in 760 units brought int0 compliance Advisory inspections of owner-occupied  homes in Washington Neighborhood –90% of 200 homes inspected Implementation –July Recommendations Exterior-only code enforcement  inspections of rental buildings downtown neighborhoods instituted Increased enforcement in vacant and  abandon buildings (VAB) = removal of 29 long-term chronic properties. Implementation –July Recommendations Expanded public education efforts  Second Family Self-Sufficiency Program  coordinator Getting Ahead in a Just Getting-by World  two trainings per year  112 graduates as of December 2010.  Circles Coach hired and five circles formed  Implementation –July Recommendations Reorganization of the Human Rights  Department Increased prevention, outreach, mediation,  intercultural competence Mandatory intercultural training for City Staff  Board & Commission intercultural training  begins in April Implementation –July Recommendations The Multicultural Family Center has the  following programs in place: Welcoming Program  English Language Learner Classes (NICC)  Minimum of one cultural program per month  Implementation –July Recommendations Police Department gauging resident interest  in neighborhood watch City Channel 8 program on proper solid waste  and recycling methods Several neighborhood beautification efforts  initiated by neighborhood groups NIU CRIME AND POVERTY STUDY FINAL SCTFRECOMMENDATIONS TO CITY COUNCIL Final Recommendations - Juveniles Modify the recommendation for a juvenile curfew ordinance and focus instead on creating a parental responsibility ordinance that is modeled after successful programs that includes engaging in parents and teens in prevention efforts. Final Recommendations - Juveniles Encourage and engage parents and youth in out-of-school-time programs and parenting classes by ensuring the programs are designed to matter to the participants. Encourage the Dubuque Community School District to develop a meaningful intercultural competence program for students at all levels. Final Recommendations – Community Education Create a conduit, such as a speakers’ bureau, to continue conveying accurate information to the public on crime and the perception of crime in the community. Include a broad group of informed residents on the panel and focus on reaching a broad cross-section of the community with the information. Final Recommendations – Community Education Use the information from the Crime & Poverty Study to create a formal way to continue tracking data for the community in an ongoing manner, and investigate the potential for using crime mapping software. Encourage the TH to run a series entitled “I’m a Dubuquer.” Final Recommendations – Community Education Raise awareness amongst the general public and develop individual ambassadors through intercultural competence training, the Bridges Initiative, and similar programs, who can then relay to others what they have learned. Final Recommendations – Social Capital/Volunteerism Expand the recommendation for a neighborhood watch program to include efforts to build relationships amongst residents within the neighborhood. Final Recommendations – Social Capital/Volunteerism Expand the emphasis on Community Oriented Policing (COP) and consider expanding the number of non-sworn employees, including interns and volunteers, in the Police Department in an effort to assist with COP efforts and to coordinate with other departments and organizations in the COP effort. Final Recommendations – Social Capital/Volunteerism Engage community volunteers of various races and income levels in a monthly “Days of Caring” initiative by encouraging businesses to allow volunteers to participate on work time. Final Recommendations – Social Capital/Volunteerism As exterior code violations are identified in neighborhoods, identity volunteers who are willing to assist with helping property owners remedy those violations, which will address the property conditions while also building relationships and a sense of community. Final Recommendations – Social Capital/Volunteerism Encourage community-wide support of initiatives that support self-sufficiency (beyond government and public schools), with a particular focus on existing programs: Circles, Project H.O.P.E., Intercultural Competence Training, Every Child/Every Promise, and the work that the Colts are doing with community outreach. Engage colleges, churches and businesses. Final Recommendations – Social Capital/Volunteerism Support economic development efforts to create opportunities. Connect new residents, particularly those who may not be referred by an employer, to the welcoming program at the Greater Dubuque Development Corporation. Final Recommendations – Section 8 Challenge all departments within the City to develop and maintain a model Section 8 program for a city of this size, meeting the needs of the elderly and disabled and also developing self-sufficiency for families. Final Recommendations – Enforcement Expand the lighting recommendation to “Brighten up the streets and alleys at night and increase visibility for residents wherever lights are needed.” Final Recommendations – Enforcement Emphasize hot-spot policing and focus on problem solving within those crime hot- spots. Publicize the owners, numbers and types of complaints/violations in the top problem properties. DISCUSSION