Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - March 28, 2017 SSLODI CITY COUNCIL SHIRTSLEEVE SESSION CARNEGIE FORUM, 305 WEST PINE STREET TUESDAY, MARCH 28, 2017 A. Roll Call by City Clerk An Informal Informational Meeting ("Shirtsleeve" Session) of the Lodi City Council was held Tuesday, March 28, 2017, commencing at 7:00 a.m. Present: Council Member Chandler, Council Member Johnson, Council Member Mounce, Mayor Pro Tempore Nakanishi, and Mayor Kuehne Absent: None Also Present: City Manager Schwabauer, City Attorney Magdich, and City Clerk Ferraiolo B. Topic(s) B-1 Staff Presentation on Emergency Notification System (Reverse 911) (FD) Deputy Fire Chief Gene Stoddart and Information Systems Manager Benjamin Buecher provided a PowerPoint presentation on the Emergency Notification Systems (ENS). Specific topics of discussion included history, basic versus premium services, systems impact, cost breakdown, other California cities using ENS, and pros and cons. Council Member Johnson questioned if it was possible to dovetail onto the Lodi Unified School District's emergency notification system, to which Mr. Buecher responded that staff could ask the District what system it uses, the details of its contract, and if it would be willing to expand the number of subscribers on its system. Council Member Johnson further suggested that citizens signing up for new utility services could be mandatorily required to enroll in an ENS, similar to how the University of Pacific required all students to enroll. City Manager Schwabauer confirmed the City could implement that. Council Member Mounce stated she was opposed to the City making blanket telephone calls to home phones without prior authorization or some sort of subscription service because it may appear to some as a "phishing" tactic. She further stated that an ENS is expensive and she doubted the City would realize the desired result or citizen response if people are required to sign up for the system. In response to Mayor Kuehne, Mr. Schwabauer stated that the City currently relies on the San Joaquin County Office of Emergency Services to alert residents of emergencies, and City Attorney Magdich added that the City has its own radio band to announce road conditions and similar notifications but it is a little-known resource throughout the community. In response to Mayor Kuehne, Mr. Buecher explained that the Amber Alert system is a pre -loaded application on smartphones and is used by State police for statewide emergencies. Further, Mr. Buecher stated that the ENS is as accurate as a standard global positioning system (GPS) when attempting to locate an individual's position during an emergency. In his experience in utilizing an ENS, Mr. Buecher stated he believed the manufacturer, Nixel, has less -refined features and capabilities than Everbridge. Deputy Chief Stoddart followed-up that Everbridge can more accurately narrow down a GPS location and is capable of setting a specific notification area in response to an event instead of a larger, broader area based solely on zip code. He added that the premium package deals are more costly. Mayor Pro Tempore Nakanishi stated he believes Lodi has experienced few emergencies during the time he has lived here and that employees can get the word out to residents regarding an event. He stated an ENS is expensive and felt it was unnecessary at this time, adding that if it were solely for software, he could support it; however, a successful system requires personnel to 1 maintain and test it regularly and he was hesitant about adding to the City's personnel costs. Mr. Schwabauer explained that this issue was first brought up following shootings near St. Anne's Catholic Church and Leroy Nichols School when neighbors complained they were not notified about where to shelter during the incidents. He stated that an active shooting incident is an example of an event when the City can target a specific neighborhood for notification. Council Member Chandler questioned if there is a legal requirement to have an ENS in place, to which Ms. Magdich stated she has not researched it, but she was unaware of any obligation for a city to put in a Reverse 911 system. Council Member Mounce stressed that the City needs to fix the inadequate utility billing software system first before venturing into any other software, program, or online contract because the Tyler system is negatively effecting citizens on a regular basis and has outraged residents of the community. She expressed appreciation to staff for its efforts in researching this and providing information, but she stated she believes the City has too many pressing issues to resolve before taking on a new system. Mr. Schwabauer stated that staff is finalizing its research for a tack -on product to the Tyler utility billing system to correct the current issues instead of replacing it entirely because it is too massive a system to do away with. He stated that staff has found a product it is pleased with in terms of cost and functionality and is currently contacting other cities that have added this product to Tyler to ensure the correction worked seamlessly with Tyler for them. Council Member Mounce expressed disappointment and frustration with the Tyler product because its representatives assured the City it could write its own code and be specific with the program to customize its needs, yet the million dollar program is unable to meet that promise. Council Member Johnson questioned the possibility of negotiating a credit or refund from Tyler for the City's costs associated with fixing the problems it cannot handle. Mr. Schwabauer stated staff is currently discussing that very issue to ascertain the amount of damages, which he will discuss further with Council in a future closed session. Council Member Johnson further commented that he sees limited scenarios in which an ENS would be beneficial, adding that the floods that threatened the Rivergate area were known in advance of when water levels would rise too dangerously, earthquakes rarely hit the Lodi area, and often times damage is already done as a result of an emergency for which a Reverse 911 system would no longer be helpful. He suggested there are many long-time City employees who could offer their level of expertise and historical knowledge on when such an event last occurred that would have benefitted from such a system. He agreed that situations such as toxic fumes heading toward a certain location or a school lockdown could benefit from an ENS; however, he stated he also believes a horn on top of the water tank would suffice as a warning mechanism to direct residents to the City's website, which also needs major improvements, for information regarding an emergency. Council Member Mounce agreed that the timing is not right to invest in an ENS and reiterated that the City must first repair the poor Tyler utility billing system and update the website before adding new systems and technologies. Mayor Kuehne suggested the least -expensive option would be to educate the public to tune into the City's radio station, which is currently being underutilized, in case of emergency. Mayor Pro Tempore Nakanishi agreed with using "old-style" methods as Council Member Johnson suggested, along with the City's radio station and current technology like FaceBook, to direct the public to the City's website or radio channel for information during an emergency, which can be accomplished without adding further technology or personnel. Myrna Wetzel expressed concern with receiving unsolicited phone calls on her unlisted home phone number, which she felt would be an invasion of privacy, and pointed out there is a high population of residents who do not use online features to do business or access information. With regard to cellphones, she stated that many individuals have a set amount of pre -paid minutes and 2 would likely be opposed to receiving emergency notifications against those minutes. She suggested there be an "opt -out" feature and expressed support for the City's radio system, which should be promoted more heavily. C. Comments by Public on Non -Agenda Items None. D. Adjournment No action was taken by the City Council. The meeting was adjourned at 7:41 a.m. ATTEST: Jennifer M. Ferraiolo City Clerk 3 TM CITY OF LODI COUNCIL COMMUNICATION AGENDA ITEM AGENDA TITLE: Staff Presentation on Emergency Notification Systems (Reverse 911) MEETING DATE: March 28, 2017 PREPARED BY: Fire Chief RECOMMENDED ACTION: Provide direction to staff regarding purchase of Reverse 911 software and discuss a recommended level of service. BACKGROUND INFORMATION: Council requested staff to research reverse Emergency Notification systems and placed it on their Council priority list. The City Manager tasked the Fire Chief along with the IT Manager to research this subject. This presentation is the result of research compiled. FISCAL IMPACT: $9,875 to $17,500 annual fee, depending on level of service, plus set-up fees from certain vendors. FUNDING AVAILABLE: Funding is not currently budgeted for this item. LR/Ih APPROVED: Lar Rooney, F e C ief c wabauem Manager EIVIE CY TIFIC • U lYstarallIVINST11-14MIERINGTat*L9SENIMISSR- Fire Chief, Larry Rooney Information Technology Division Manager, Benjamin Buecher HISTORY As part of the City's last Emergency Operations Center drill wrap up, a recommendation by attendees was that we look into a reverse 911 system. Council requested staff to research reverse 911 systems and then made it one of their Council priorities. City Manager tasked the Fire Chief and the IT Manager to look into different systems that could possibly provide this service for the city with the goal of making this presentation to council. These systems could be utilized by city officials to make mass notifications to the citizens of Lodi when there is a natural disaster or a manmade hazardous situation. EMERGENCY NOTIFICATION SYSTEMS (ENS) ■ Also known as reverse 911 systems. ■ Software -driven product that can deliver thousands of voice or text messages simultaneously to a variety of devices and media including mobile phones, email, text messages, pagers, etc. • Examples of companies: • Everbridge • Nixel • WENS (Wireless Emergency Notification System) BASIC VS. P'I.EMTUM SE VICES Many of the services offer multiple services besides emergency notifications Basic services Resident Zip Code & Opt -In SMS, Email, and Web Publishing Premium services Communicate with various social media accounts Target recipients by GIS or geographical area Allow the recipient to subscribe multiple devices and contact points Analytics and reporting to measure notification effectiveness Polling of recipients to target recipients at high risk situations Targeted messaging for groups Open platform for notification deployment from any mobile device SYSTEMS IMPACT The whole system would be a web based software package as a service. The system would have minimum impact on current IT services. The largest resource impact to the city would be to assign an administrative assistant the workload. Someone who will enter names, manage accounts, create system defaults. (Nothing really all that technical) Training would have to be conducted with our Police dispatchers and other authorized individuals who would be making the notifications when needed. COST BREAKDOWN All services are based on a subscription fee. The fee is based on population and/or device subscriptions Looking at three examples of ENS providers the cost ranges from $9,800 to $17,500 annually. The quotes were based on an approximation of Lodi's population at 64,000 residents. The prices reflect basic Reverse 911 to the home with select grouping and mobile phone options. Vendor Annual Fee Setup Fee Everbridge $17,500 8% setup fee Nixel $11,500 8% setup fee WENS $9,875 N/A OTIIER CALIFORNIA CITIES 'USING ENS Everbridge/Nixle Alameda County City of Torrance Inland Regional Center City of Vernon WENS Marine Corps Base Camp Pendelton PROS CONS PROS Improves city's ability to communicate with the community in times of emergencies. Can be used on large scale incidents all the way down to neighborhood notifications when needed. Gives the Emergency Operations Center a useful tool to use when time is of the essence. CONS Some people have eliminated the use of their land line in their homes. Public relations & education can be very time consuming. Systems maintenance and testing. To make it work takes practice. : • . - J �'.• t2\'1Zlai" •.c:.;L •ryI'3�p. ir.',\.r;•�4 i. �t,J'• l�.Lt •,44 'SP.,. ��•.•.M.•_7. .�f '� '�%` �♦' �. v.1t •'j.I.�y rS i•� �?�`f�•I • �ii�C.�.�'- • ..s=Z31tfelZIIT !JEST '217+^1'72 L ti ,C r". ltait 1L"� u { •• .