Minutes_Safe Community Advisory Committee 8 14 13Masterpiece on the Mississippi
MINUTES
CITY OF DUBUQUE SAFE COMMUNITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE
REGULAR SESSION
6:00 p.m.
Wednesday, August 14, 2013
Carnegie -Stout Public Library Board Room
Dubuque
All-Medea City
11111!
2012
Committee Members Present: Chair Doug Stillings; Committee Members Anthony Allen,
Mary Rae Bragg, Adrienne Scott, Shaunel Evans, Chris Welch
Committee Members Absent: Ann Ernst,
Staff Members Present: Kelly Larson, Mark Dalsing
CALL TO ORDER: The meeting was called to order by Chair Doug Stillings at
6:05 p.m.
CERTIFICATE OF COMPLIANCE WITH IOWA OPEN MEETINGS LAW
ADMINISTER OATH OF OFFICE TO APPOINTED COMMITTEE MEMBERS
Chair Stillings administered the oath of office to Chris Welch and Adrienne Scott.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES: Motion by Anthony Allen, seconded by Mary Rae Bragg to
approve the minutes of July 10, 2013, as submitted. All in favor.
ACTION ITEMS
Update on letter to the Dubuque Community School District
Letter to the Dubuque Community School District was to request where they are on
their work on anti - violence and some of those issues. Doug will follow up with Chrissy
Johnson at DCSD to see if letter has been sent.
"I'm A Dubuque" Series Update
Susan Stork is working on this with instructors at NICC but was not able to be here
tonight for an update. Kelly reported another option is for people to write articles for
the new Resources Unite magazine. Doug asked that the group continue to be
updated on the magazine and options
Other Business
Is it time to review some of the points and see what progress has been made? Mark
and Kelly will bring the PowerPoint from the most recent update and go through it with
the committee so that people have a history of what has occurred and is occurring.
Minutes — Safe Community Advisory Committee
August 14, 2013
Page 2
Items for Next Meeting — September 11, 2013
Review PowerPoint presentation - Kelly Larson and Mark Dalsing
Invite Multicultural Family Center Director, Abeni El -Amin, to next meeting
ITEMS FROM COMMITTEE:
It's time to review some of the points and see what progress has been made. Mark and
Kelly will bring the PowerPoint from the most recent update and go through it with the
committee so that people have a history of what has occurred and is occurring.
ITEMS FROM STAFF:
Mark Dalsing provided a chart on crime statistics updated through 2012. UCR is always
about a year and a half behind — 2011 is the most current available at this time for cities
under 100,000. Mark discussed the pie chart on the back, which was created to disprove
the myth that Section 8 was creating all of the crime — it was a way of describing the NIU
findings. Using the language "non Section 8 rental" is misleading and it should say simply
other rental property or owner occupied. The chart also is mixing local arrests with non -
local, etc. The chart is going to remain until a more accurate chart is created that clearly
distinguishes between owner occupied versus rental property, which arrests are actually
Dubuque arrests, etc.
Other updates — cameras ongoing issue. Forty additional downtown cameras have been
approved and staff is budgeting out for at least one camera in every park and it is going to
be a significant cost. 911 kiosks have been suggested by a local business person so staff is
meeting to decide what policy will be to handle citizen requests. Bee Branch trail was
reviewed and a number of cameras and kiosks are planned along the trail. Mark explained
the magnitude of the cost for cameras — it is not just initial purchase cost, it is also the
ongoing maintenance cost, fiber and server costs, and so on. The cameras will go through
the budget process with citizen input and council approval.
The cases related to the shootings are beginning to be resolved. Judges have consistently
sent a very strong message in setting bonds at $10,000 on an aggravated misdemeanor
and making point this cannot happen in our community.
Police will be out and interacting with families for the first week of school next week, with
officers at every school which helps families feel more safe.
Last Tuesday was National Night Out. The Neighborhood Associations were great, they
had carnival games and door prizes. It was the biggest event yet and the most energetic
and enthusiastic crowd. Large numbers of parents and kids coming up and wanting to know
who to thank for the event.
Kelly reported on upcoming programs: Intercultural Competence Courses are being offered
through NICC — a two hour awareness course on September 19, and a four day leadership
course on October 2, 9, 16, and 24. In addition, City Life is currently accepting applications
Minutes — Safe Community Advisory Committee
August 14, 2013
Page 3
and will run on Thursday evenings from September through the first week in November.
Mary Rae mentioned that she has heard realtors badmouthing the downtown area,
disparaging it as a dangerous place to be. Doug responded that he did speak with the
Realtors' Association during the original task force, and he also has been invited into
specific realtor offices. It has not been done more recently. Mark also mentioned
information tours that have been offered with Realtors and Bankers by the Housing
Department to continue raising awareness of the rehabs that have been occurring in the
neighborhood.
September 21 the Dubuque Community Barbecue will be held at the Kehl Center at Clarke
University. This is co- sponsored by the Human Rights Commission and several partners,
including the International Day of Peace committee. It is from 2 -6 p.m.
The Non - Violence Coalition is going to the City Council next week with a proposal to ban
firearms sales out of private homes.
ITEMS FROM PUBLIC:
Doug acknowledged an e-mail from Joe Noll expressing concern about the neighborhood he
and Joe both live in.
ADJOURNMENT: Motion to adjourn by Mary Rae Bragg and second by Anthony Allen. All
in favor. The meeting adjourned at 7:11 p.m.
The next meeting is scheduled for September 11, 2013.
Respectfully submitted,
Kelly Larson Adopted