Lakewood City Manager Report (October 2)

Highlights from the weekly report (October 2) from City of Lakewood Manager, Andrew Neiditz to the Mayor and Council Members:

• Abatement Expenditures Tracked: The Community Development and Finance Departments have been working together to track summary abatement expenditures. The following table has been prepared which shows expenditures from 2007 through August 2009. The numbers are not an exact accounting. The data was hard to track given that it involves working with another public agency in sorting out property taxes, liens, etc. Expenditures include direct abatement expenses as well as general expenses for equipment and supplies. Revenues include repayment of abatement liens established prior to the constitution of the 2007 revolving abatement fund account.

The number of summary abatements initiated, beginning in 2006 and running through August, 2009, total 71. During that timeframe, 40 abatements have been completed. Twenty nine abatements (73%) were performed by the property owners. The remainder, 11, or 27% were performed by the City.

• Police receive Federal Grant Equipment: Lakewood PD received an additional 15 sets of SECTOR equipment bringing the total number to 18 from WASPC on a Federal pass-through grant. The equipment consists of a scanner and a printer. The hand scanner, which is similar to the scanner a cashier would use to scan large items at checkout, uses a laser to scan information from bar codes on drivers’ licenses and vehicle registration forms. The printer is a small computer printer designed for use in a vehicle. SECTOR simultaneously transmits ticket or collision data to other agencies. The court, supervisor, DOL, and WSDOT get electronic ticket – or collision report – data and the officer can produce hard copies of ticket or collision reports in their car at the scene.
• Human Resources Director attends Washington Public Employer Labor Relations Association Conference: Human Resources Director Debi Young attended the Washington Public Employer Labor Relations Association (WAPELRA) Fall Conference in Bremerton last week of which she is on the Board of Directors. Staffmembers Mary Pandrea and Stori Sanders also participated in the training, which focused on Values in the Workplace, Workplace Violence, Conducting Workplace Investigations, Four Day Work Weeks and Workplace Revenge. Out of the 85 attendees, Debi’s name was drawn for a free registration ($650 value) to the national conference next spring.
• CSO’s staff YMCA Community Open House: CSO’s Conelly, Miller, Pressel and Stauffer staffed a booth at the YMCA Community Open House on September 26. The CSO’s handed out stickers and coloring books to children and crime prevention information to adults. The event was attended by approximately 200 people.
• Safety Day at Lowe’s: CSO Conelly provided information and Child ID kits to parents, and assisted the kids in building their fire engines at the “Safety Day” at Lowe’s. There were 31 kids in attendance, along with assorted parents and grandparents. Lakewood Fire provided an engine company for entertainment.

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