AN ORDINANCE relating to staffing shortages in the Community Safety Communications Center and the Seattle Police Department; retroactively authorizing a one-month hiring bonus incentive program for hiring 911 dispatchers and police officers; and ratifying and confirming certain prior acts.
Agenda item to the Council Bill one 2272 Relating to staffing shortages in the Community Safety Communication Center and the Seattle Police Department retroactively authorizing a one month Irene bonus incentive program for Harry 911 dispatchers and police officers and ratifying confirming certain prior acts. Thank you. I move to pass council bill 120272. Is there a second second? It's been moved and seconded and let's move forward. Casper Herbert, this is yours. It's all you. He said it's council bill 1202 72 provides retroactive approval for $220,000 in bonuses for five police officers in 14 901 dispatchers who are hired during the month of January 20, 22. Last October, former mayor issued an emergency order to provide for hiring bonuses for officers and dispatchers. Council allowed that emergency order to go forward, but voted to modify the emergency order to limit on his program the end of 2021. No funding was included in the 2022 budget. There were proposals for for funding a bonus program, including one that I co-sponsored. Council adopted a request for a report. Mark would be due on March 1st on a potential citywide bonus program and voted and the emergency order again at the end of 2021. Spoke to the mayor's office about yesterday and we are carefully examining this issue and have let us know that we can expect receive a report on a city wide program in mid-March. To the saga of the n uary extension. Contrary to the council's action. I just want to note that for the for the public record that the departments continued the bonuses after receiving a directive from the former mayor on December 30th, 6 p.m., claiming that the council's action limit executive order was not accurate . And the U.S. Attorney's Office has noted that they provided no such advice and we may not know what more can mean. We wrote based on consultations with legal counsel, it has been concluded the city council's action to limit the emergency order were not effective. I discovered in late January that is incentive was still being offered. I really sincerely appreciate that. Seattle Police Department, with Diaz's direction, provided Mayor Durk and Senator direct of us exactly as soon as I inquired about the situation of the bonuses. And I thank the Herald administration immediately in both departments to cease offering the bonuses as soon as they found out about this. We are committed to working together to ensure the officers and partners for the bonus are provided with it and this legislation is the result. I'm very grateful the administration is taking a collaborative approach to governing is a relief. Have a mayor and an administration that recognizes council support as we work to resolve together. If you cancel a rehearsal, are there any comments or concerns before? If I do need to suspend the rules, which I don't see that happening yet, are there any comments or questions or concerns for cast member her? Okay. I see none. So with that, I no need to suspend the rules. Will the clerk please call the role of the passage of the bill? That's my brother. Is there still a debate happening here? Yeah. You came in a little late. Do you want to speak? You can. I just wasn't quite sure if we were asking questions of central stuff first. Well, I was I got a move to suspend the rules to do that, but I didn't see anyone raise their hand. Okay, now we got to. Okay. So do you have questions for Councilmember Herbold or do you have questions for Ali Petrucci. And some questions for Central satisfy me. Okay. So let me move to suspend the rules so we can allow Ms.. Pinochet to respond. If there's no objection, the council rules will be suspended to allow the new acting director for central staff to address any questions or concerns council any council member may have. All right. See? No objections. The rules are suspended. Go ahead, Casper Mosqueda. Thank you very much. And I did see Councilmember Morales's hand up first before me. I'm happy to wait my turn as well. Okay. Thank you very much, Councilmember Herbold, for the summary of this legislation either. The important thing here, I think, to underscore is that this legislation is not something that was council driven. This is the council trying to be responsive to a situation that's been forced upon this council yet again by the previous mayor. The mayor, former Mayor Durkan, who adopted an emergency order on October 29 of last year, offered dance and bonuses as counts, as Councilmember Herbal noted. But I think what's important to note is that it's very clear that council had expressed that we would be voting to modify that ordinance on November 22nd. In addition to that, I want to just ask Ali Punchy a question about the specific provisos that were placed not on the Community Safety Communications Center, but on the Seattle Police Department. Ali, can you please from excuse me, Deputy Director Fiduciary, could you please remind me about how the letter that was sent on December 31st by the mayor violates what the council had put in place regarding provisos on Seattle Police Department spending. Thank you. Good afternoon. Council President whereas chair mosquito council members and the I don't have the letter in front of me, but in general, when the Council adopted the 2022 budget, they also adopted a resolution modifying the emergency order that former Mayor Durkan had issued authorizing the hiring incentives. The modification to that emergency order only provided authorization to provide hiring incentives to speed officers, as well as DCC dispatchers through the end of 2021. And the assumption was that they would use 2021 salary savings to cover those costs. It did not provide any authorization to offer hiring incentives beyond that date. In addition, the budget adoption ordinance imposed a proviso on Spd's 2022 budget prohibiting the use or the spending of any salary savings that they might achieve in 2022 on any for any purpose without authorization from the Council. So what that means is there was a budget provided for the assumed staffing plan for SPD for 2022. Any sort of delay in hiring or not filling positions results in some salary savings. SPD does not have authorization to spend any of those salary savings unless specific authority is provided by the Council. So that means when Mayor Former Mayor Durkan issued a letter to the Seattle Police Department and the Community Safety and Communication Center, directing them to continue giving the hiring incentives, it was both in violation of the emergency order that the Council had modified, as well as the proviso, because there was no budget authority for SPD to provide those the payments of hiring incentives in it. So so in this bill, what it does is it says that it provides retroactive authority only for those offers made in January of 2022 and allows provides the authority to spend $50,000 of spd's salary savings to make those payments. The CSC does not need that same authority because the Council did not restrict the use of salary savings as long as they are generally using the funds consistent with the intent of the budget summary level that those funds were appropriated to the CSU. So you can just make the payments for speedy needed authority from the council. Thank you. Energy customers are Moscow. Did you have any follow up before I go to Cast Member Morales? Well, I did have one follow up, if I might, Madam President. You know, when I looked at this legislation and again, I want to I want to note the unfortunate situation that we're in. I don't think it's fair to the employees who've been offered employment or a hiring bonus. And it's not fair to this council who was very clear about our intent, both related to policy and the specific provisions placed on the provisos within Seattle Police Department. And I'm thankful to those who've accepted employment offers and want to serve as public servants to the city of Seattle. But wanted to be clear that we had provisions in place expressly trying to have a policy conversation around hiring bonuses for this year that Councilmember Herbold had noted and also on budgetary, had intentionally had a proviso that was in scope intending to really keep an eye on Spd's funding. So as we look at Seattle Police Department specifically in recognizing that's only about $50,000 of the total amount here. I did ask central staff it was possible to amend the legislation to recoup the specific amount that is being offered for individuals to a city. From the author of that letter, being the former mayor is correct that the existing title does not allow for me to make that type of amendment this and this ordinance here today. So did you have a question of Miss Bonacci, or are those your general comments in regards. Know that that last sentence was a question? Deputy Director If an issue, is that correct, that I cannot amend today's legislation given the current title? That is correct. The title doesn't account for that scenario, and we would need to do additional work to understand if that is legislatively possible to do. That's my questions, Councilperson. Okay, good. Thank you. Councilman Morales. Thank you. Council president, I. I think. Councilmember points covered what I wanted to ask and just want to state that I look forward to working with the mayor who understands and respects the separation of powers and brings some management experience to the executive branch. Thank you. Okay. So now that we have suspended the rules, allowed council members to ask questions of the acting director, Ali Panaji, are there any other general comments before I call? Ask the clerk to call the roll or the vote. Oh, healthcare mosquito. Thank you very much. Again, I want to thank the chair of finance as his vice chair of finance, chair public safety for the work that she's doing here. And the senior deputy mayor, along with the Herald administration for quickly calling attention and a stop to this practice, echoed Councilmember Morales's sentiment of the importance of equally important but separate branches of government working together on these issues moving forward. I will continue calling to see what we can do to look for other ways to recoup the expenses specific to SVT. But in this legislation, it doesn't sound like it's possible to do that. I do think it's in on the factors that led us to this decision today are really unacceptable and look forward to addressing those with your colleagues and the current mayor in a different venue. Not supportive of how we got here, but due to the position that we're in, I will be supporting this in this moment, but we'll be looking forward to having greater reconciliation on both the finances and the policy that led us here after today. Member Herbold, is there anything else you want to add before we go to the vote? Over to you. Okay. Thank you. So will the clerk please call rule on the passage of the bill? Councilmember Lewis? Yeah. Councilmember Morales. As Councilmember Mosqueda Councilmember Nelson. I. Councilmember Peterson. I. Councilmember Strouse. Yes. Councilmember Herbold. Yes. And Council President Suarez. I n favor and unopposed. Thank you. The motion carries. The bill passes. The chair will sign it. And will the clerk please affix my signature to the bill? Let's move on to item number three for Councilmember Nelson. Madam Clerk, will you please read item number three into the record?