10C Action 2007 0604 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Fire Services Ad Hoc Report Page 2 of5 May 24, 2007 Stephens. The Fire Committee met four times, on December 21, 2006, February 20, March 27 and May 21,2007, to discuss issues and review detailed analysis on AlCo Fire. December 21. 2006 Meeting: Councilmember Stephens stated his objective for the Fire Committee, which is to ensure that the community is receiving an appropriate level of fire service at a reasonable cost. The December Fire Committee agenda and select information distributed at or prior to the meeting are attached as Exhibit 2. Consolidation Savings The Fire Committee reviewed a 2005 study, which compared the FY 2005-06 cost of AlCo Fire to the proposed cost for the City of San Leandro to provide similar services in house. The study estimates consolidation saved the City an estimated $1.5 million in FY 2005-06 mainly due to personnel savings attributable to cost sharing of management positions, as well as the need for fewer firefighters. These savings are consistent with the savings projections included in the initial consolidation study findings. Department Cost Increases - Comparative information on the Fire and Police Department cost increases between FY 1999-00 and FY 2006-07 were also analyzed. Over a six-year period, the cost of Fire services increased 47% while the cost of Police services increased 54%, as detailed below. Fire 1999-00 Actual 10,414,253 17,287,524 2000-0 Actual 10,505,001 27,653,309 2005-06 Actual 15,273,206 26,584,069 5-year Increase 45% 18% 6- year Increase 47% 54% Police Salaries - The cost of living adjustment (COLA) data applied to Police and Fire salaries between 1995 and 2006 was also reviewed. The average annual COLA for the Police Department was 3.68%. The average annual COLA. for the Fire Department, with consideration of Fire personnel's contribution to PERS starting in 2002, was 3.6%. Direction - The Fire Committee discussed the possibility of hiring a consultant to perform a study to compare AlCo Fire's costs and services to other cities and project the cost to bring fire services back to the City of San Leandro. The Committee agreed to forego the cost of the study and directed staff to conduct a comparative analysis with similar Bay Area fire departments. The Fire Committee also directed staff to contact the Alameda County Administrator to obtain information regarding Alameda County's oversight of AlCo Fire. Februarv 20. 2007 Meeting: The agenda and select information distributed at or prior to the meeting are attached as Exhibit 3. Comparative Cost and Services - At the February 20, 2007 meeting, the Fire Committee reviewed comparative cost and services information. The analysis provided information on nine cities' population, budget, number of calls for service, number of stations and engine companies. An evaluation of the cost factors revealed that the City of San Leandro's cost per