Test and test.

All right, here we go.

All right.

We're not going to be real long today.

Basically, Chief, we're gonna go through these agenda items.

Do you have a copy of the agenda?

Okay.

And we're just gonna give some updates.

It does say revised.

All right, then I have the one in front of me, sir.

Okay.

Good job.

All right.

So we're just we have these items here.

Um, and of course, some of these were you provide us some input on these, and so we're gonna start with an update on the RTCC.

I know before you landed here, um there were some questions about staffing uh progress, and I guess one and two can be taken together.

Uh so if you could provide us an update on the RTCC, I guess discussion items one and two, and colleagues will take together.

Thank you.

Thank you for that.

Dr.

Michelle Brackney, Chief of Police.

Um, just a couple of see if your mic is working.

I just need to be a little closer to the case.

You can bring it to you.

Uh there you go.

Thank you, sir.

And I'm making sure that my phones are turned off and that they do not disrupt.

Thank you.

Because 911 does not care whether you're in council or not.

She's a teacher.

She's a teacher, she knows.

Thank you, sir.

So there's a couple of things that are going on.

Um, no pun intended in real time when it comes to the real-time command center, and I also have Deputy Chief uh Buckley here who um oversees that division now.

As you know, um, under the leadership of Assistant Chief Grizzale, we stood up a what would be a real-time command center, um, which should have functioned as a real-time crime center and intelligence center at the exact same time.

As part of that, we engage the community to ask them to support those efforts by um participating in buying fusis boxes.

A fusis box is basically just a conduit which allows us to have access to your cameras with your permission.

A lot of the community member groups have done that um for us throughout neighborhood groups have done that, business groups um also have done that.

And so one of the first things that we did uh, and I believe it was even before I was um actually on site, is we had an assessment of the camera systems and then the contract that we had and what all of the um support systems that we should have received from active solutions along the way.

During our most recent audit um and speaking with them, and then this can also just be um uh supported by Deputy Chief Buckley and some of the work that we've done.

Out of the 700 cameras or so plus that we have done in our audit, we realize that um close to 400 of those cameras are down.

And what does that mean when there's 400 cameras down?

For each of the polls that you set up, they have approximately four cameras on each poll, uh, which means over a hundred are down, and which we still pay the light bill on them as well as the SIM cards on them, the ATT bills.

Um, we have been in contact, and the uh owner of Active Solutions, uh, we asked for a meeting with him here to explain and go through the contract.

Uh Chelsea can support um our conversations because we've been told up until this point that there has been no maintenance agreement and everything has been a gentleperson's agreement around how someone will come and fix our cameras when we said that there is an issue with them.

And we discovered when we got the um contract that there is lines for maintenance and upkeep that we paid for, although the owner has said that that is a a placeholder, and it didn't really mean maintenance and upkeep.

We also found that there um was issues that the um active and they would not give us a schedule to do that.

In fact, they would only come as they were coming through uh Jackson area to then fix our cameras and had learned that probably had not been in the area for over a year uh to do some of our camera work.

Part of that gentle person's agreement is that they were allowed to leave their trailer or their truck on our property and that they would fix these um lights as a uh uh uh agreement, come pick up their truck, go out and service them.

The last time they were here, we asked them to service at least 10 cameras, i.e., which would have given us uh 40 cameras down.

They actually service three.

Um and we've asked when they're coming back through again.

We get no schedule from them, we get no idea of what when they're gonna come back through us again.

In addition to our audit, we found that there's approximately 10 business or communities who have partnered with us with their fusis system, and we have not um their cameras are and we don't have access.

So they may have be able to see their cameras, but we have not been able to do that whatsoever.

So the captain of that division has asked um and put on my desk.

Can we start sending out letters to business persons to let them know that we can't see their cameras or don't have access?

Uh that arrived on my desk this morning, and we will be sending those out to notify the community that they have um been engaged with us, and we have not been able to see uh their cameras.

In addition to the staffing issues that we discovered, we discovered that um the real-time command center was not being manned um in full transparency, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Umce we discovered that uh we changed some of their schedules to be able to cover it more.

And then I gave a directive that each of the precincts um on each of the shifts is to identify a person that could spend some time at the real-time command center so that we could cover it 24 hours a day, seven days a week, but also so our officers could be more engaged with the camera system.

Um as part of all of that staffing, then um, as you know, there is a request that I have that we remove 911 to the real-time command center, so that as calls are coming in for crimes, that we can literally take the call from the call taker, the dispatchers in the same place, and we can see the cameras and locate them and then give that information out immediately to officers so that we can get the work product that we um are looking for.

So until we can fully staff the real-time command center, and that would be an ask.

I don't always want it staffed with officers that we pay a rate when we can do that with professional staff.

I know there are holds on professional staffs throughout, but my understanding is that in some critical positions for public safety, such as police and fire, I can um fill those.

So we are um actively writing and putting together what would those descriptions be.

And HR has been very helpful for us at being able to hire those persons at a different entry level than an officer sitting in those places doing that work.

Um so if that can answer at least the start of the questions or the start of lease to level set where we are and the whatever questions that you have, um I will go back through my notes and be able to say more intentionally about the what those answers are.

Sure, and colleagues are gonna take your questions just a second.

But Chief, if you could just check into, I noticed you said that it that the RTCC should be run as a crime center, but I think the name was changed from crime to command because of some type of grant red tape.

So to be honest, um I've kind of walked since this thing was established.

I even before I got in office, I've been involved with this thing.

And so if you could just check into that.

Yes, it's called a real-time command center, but it should be functioning as what the rest of the intelligence world and what the police world knows as a real-time crime center.

So it is labeled that.

Now, my understanding is based on the grant that they were trying to set this up as an EOC, like emergency response if we had like a FEMA event or something of that nature, and so that's why they put the name command, which would mean anyone um at a at a natural disaster would show up at that location, um, whether it's our Heinz County partners, whether it's FIRE, myself, public works, somebody from the administration, the CAO or the mayor's office, um, would be in that space, people who could make decisions on the ground to respond to a high-level event, and that's why the name is there.

Um the only problem is is it causes real confusion in the intelligence and in the law enforcement world because RTCCs are real-time crime centers, but we will function and have both of that.

Having 911 in there actually meets the grant at a higher level because it does become a command center in which you can dispatch um personnel, public works persons, um, 911, your IT can set up there as well.

Okay.

All right.

Mr.

Parkson, thank you very much.

And I appreciate all that leadership.

I appreciate the audit that you've conducted.

Um notifying the businesses that we they they think we are accessing their cameras, but we can't appreciate all that.

Um as relates to 911.

Um, can you inform me?

Is that something that we can do unilaterally?

Is that something that we need to partner with?

What are the steps to getting the 911 Center 911 or um not narration, that's what we're looking for?

Dispatch.

Getting this.

Communications, EOC communications, yes, sir.

What's the steps to get that into the RTCC?

So actually, we're going through those steps right now where we have to meet with um IT, ATT, who is also one of our partners who uh does that support for us as well, uh, our communications and every one of our partners.

Uh our communications and every one of our partners.

So we are currently having those conversations.

The reason that we uh the thought behind it is we have a huge vulnerability that I don't know if we've assessed.

The 911 Center has currently always been housed atop of our IT center.

So a single point of failure.

If something happens, that that building, we take out all communications in with your infrastructure, uh, IT, as well as any ability to dispatch through public safety.

So why you would have those both co-located in the same location is probably one of the highest risk things I've seen in any organization.

So walking through, um, we are having those partners, and it's not just uh the communications, we have to work with Heinz County.

We are currently um co-located in their space, and there is a meeting set up to work through um with all that, including um our public our other partners internally building, building maintenance.

Do we have the infrastructure to be able to do that?

Um, and um can we use some of the modernization funds for that building to bring it up to code so it can operate at a very high level?

And it actually is one of the best locations that I've been able to determine.

Yeah, it's really it's really great space.

Will it need to be expanded at all, or will will it be able to fit in the existing facility?

And that's what the walkthrough will tell us.

Um we're working with um would it I believe his name is Mr.

Sanders?

Stanley Arnold.

Okay, so we have Stanley Um Arnold involved in that.

Of course, we have uh Nathan Slater involved in that uh with their team, AT.

We also have who are our other partners, Deputy Chief.

If you can step up with our other partners.

Oh, just one.

Hold on, Mr.

Mr.

Foote is next.

And then uh Ms.

Brown Thomas, and then we'll circle back.

Make sure the mic is on to you.

There's a mic, yes.

Thank you, sir.

Good morning.

Tyrone Buckley, Deputy Chief Administration and uh to Chief Point, absolutely, we're working with all our partners.

We're uh in the process, we wanted to internally meet first with uh in-house personnel to see what is what's needed, and uh we work with telecommunication, uh IS with IS is on the telecommunication.

We're working with uh Joey Perkins and all of them to have conversation about what that looks like.

So we're in the early stages, so we don't want to Jcom, uh RevCor, um ATT, and several other entities that's involved in the uh communication process.

So what's the ideal cost associated with this?

We don't have an idea of cost at this point because it's never been done before.

That and we've asked for that too, that if there is modernization funds that we know approximately 300,000 were already um set aside to modernize 911, so that has already been allocated uh to my understanding to fix once the roof apparently had problems there, it came down and changed all of that.

So we already know there are monies available to modern is modernize that we could already use and wouldn't necessarily have to start.

So we at least have a 300,000 plus um, I guess cushion to start.

Um and that I like I said, that money has been approved and allocated through council for the 911 dispatch to renovate and modernize.

All right, let's go to Mr.

Foote, then Brown Thomas, and then Mr.

Hartley.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

Um thanks, Chief, for being here with me with your um some of your key uh key people.

The my question is on this real-time crime center with uh the work that needs to be done.

Who on your staff is gonna be responsible for the real-time crime center command center?

So whatever RTCC.

Okay, yeah, you just met Deputy Chief uh Tyrone Buckley.

That falls underneath his so Chief Buckley is gonna be the one in charge of it.

Okay, thank you.

That is correct.

It he currently is in charge of that.

Okay, he's gonna continue to be in charge of it.

That is correct.

In terms of that being under his portfolio, um, it's one of the areas that's under his portfolio.

Okay, thank you.

That's my question.

All right, Ms.

Brown Thomas.

Can y'all hear me?

Can you hear me?

Yes.

Okay, my question is about um prior to you, Chief comment.

Um they had purchased like some more cameras, and it's supposed to be a list of the camera where they're being put up in.

Do we have an update on that?

Yes, I have an update.

Um we did 22 cameras.

However, we paused the uh process because we looked at the number of cameras that are down.

Some of those cameras, we were advised by uh active solution that they're outdated and they may be they may need to be replaced.

So prior to us uh deploying those cameras, we want to evaluate our current state in an effort to make sure we make smart, wise decisions as we deploy the cameras that we currently have.

Is there a possible is there a uh a way we can get a list of those cameras that they say are outdated?

We just yeah, I was gonna say we've put together um, and again, we just want to be very careful around uh methods and methodologies, time sensitive.

Yes, we have a list of how many are down for the city that the city owns, how many are down individually, and we also have the locations of where they are um whether they're functioning and at what level they're functioning.

So we do have that.

The additional 22 cameras that we're looking to put out, um, they're a combination of two things that we have asked.

We've asked for the precinct commanders to tell us the locations they need them in based on our crime stats and our crime data.

So far, there has not been a strategy of as to where we put cameras.

If you asked for one, regardless of the need, you got one.

Um and then the second part is as you know, or um as it uh was reported, we met with Sound Thinking, also known as uh shot spotter.

Their technology will also require camera support that we have.

So we want to make sure that as they are we're doing all of the the data points for where we want our um shot spotter technology that we marry it with one of our cameras that we already have in place so that we don't have to purchase additional cameras from um uh sound thinking.

So uh to that point, because each council member gave a a list of where we would like cameras, and a lot of that is based on the data that we know.

Um, but if there's a change based on what the captain say versus what the council members say, can you please give us an update and probably you know just a little reason in terms of why there was a change because again, we talked to our constituents, we know where our hot spots are, but if you all are seeing something different and you're gonna make a change, could you at least let us know?

Yes, and if you can supply me with that uh list that each of you had, I'm sure it's somewhere to be found, but I'm sure it's readily it's more remote.

We all gave it to Miss Coleman.

Is that Miss Coleman?

Keisha Coleman.

No, Gilda Coleman.

Gilda Coleman, the PSA that used to be um Chief Grizzell's PSA assistant.

Probably, but it was after he left when I submitted mine, I know.

Uh Ms.

Brown Thomas, who did you give yours to I got to look on the email that uh was sent out because you you remember they sent the email and told us uh referred to that email.

So I think it was Keish.

Is this it would have been maybe Miss Keisha Coleman from uh community engagement, but I've not sent out a list recently requesting anyone to submit um where their cameras were, so I'm not sure who asked what it was prior to um you coming, Chief.

It was under it was prior.

Yeah, it was before you became COVID okay.

So if that was Miss Gilda Coleman, she would have been the PSA for um assistant chief Grizzell.

So she may have asked for that, and we'll get that because she now also reports to Deputy Chief Buckley.

Here's what we're also doing too, and yes, we know that people intuitively know or feel where their crime is.

Um we want to make sure that's supported by data, particularly um going into 911, where are the calls for shots um coming in?

Where are the calls for the homicides coming in or shots fired or those crimes of violence?

So once we also look at where we're looking at placing those, we'll let you know and see where there's overlap and overlay.

Here's the key.

We've been doing things based on um equality.

If we have seven members and we've got 21 cameras each of you, get three.

Um, that's not how I am going to approach that.

I'm just saying I don't know what they I just said I don't know.

Yeah, because even my predecessor, uh, when they put uh Dekita stamps, they put a lot of those cameras in South Jackson, and they will follow in the data then.

And I know Bellhaven and Fundering got a lot more cameras before other areas got cameras.

Right.

So it wasn't three and three and three.

I'm just saying, however, it is it's going to be based on need and not on want.

Um that is a very different response.

Where are they needed?

Not that I want a camera in my community.

Um, and so that will be it.

Again, we're gonna pull the data from CAD or 911 as well as our crime data to see where we get the optimal um numbers of cameras.

Understanding though, that after a certain point there's no return on the investment.

If you have so many cameras in the area, you're not going to get any more um uh uh support from those or data from those than if you have them in the right places.

Right.

Mr.

Hartley.

Thank you, Ms.

President Chief.

Just a few questions here.

Capitol Police, is there an opportunity for us to get any funding from them?

For the positions, you know, the folks that are watching over the camera system.

I think at one time something was mentioned about them adding personnel.

I'm not sure if that's the route to go.

But I would be comfortable if they gave us a contribution.

Yeah, yes.

If they are willing to write checks, we are willing to take them.

But my thoughts on all of this is that we in the city of Jackson, let's just, if we want to talk about there are certain gaps in between what Capitol Police can do and what they can support, and what we can do and support, and maybe this is a perfect segue of where we find that gap.

There are certain um crimes that are based on the city ordinances that capital police cannot enforce.

And so there then means for example.

So for instance, you're sleeping in the parks at night, um, sleeping on the sidewalks, um, the dawn to dusk loitering, your city ordinances where Capitol Police will say they noise that they have no authority because their state, their authority only comes from the state, and that means they can only enforce state statutes and state rules and state laws.

And so when you have things like illegal dumping that you may catch on a camera that is a city ordinance, they can enforce those kinds of things.

And so now you have this huge gap or chasm in the ability to support people in, say, the CCID.

In other words, Capitol Police may get a call that uh that let's say they see somebody on their cameras and the CCID.

They're not going to dispatch capital police to that uh location because they can't enforce it by the same contrast.

We now are not responding to that either.

So now you have citizens of Jackson paying for services from Capitol Police for their state dollars and their city dollars through cameras that they get no support for.

So the plan for me is where we have that gap, we've got to figure out a way that if the capital police are not going to be able to support um things like cameras or uh the legislature is not they can't do that, that we get that funding to be able to do that work ourselves, whether it's officers we put in the CCID who can do those quality of life ordinances and in our RTCC.

Okay.

Uh I finished.

I got a few more questions here.

Uh thank you for participating uh with Ms.

Owens and and others at the uh uh JRA yesterday in a meeting.

There's a real issue there with a lot of the unhoused folks coming in the community.

We're still getting drop-offs, uh, et cetera.

And uh we're going to be working through those issues and and you can expect a report from me today.

Uh I also want to mention I I had a follow-up conversation with uh JRA man, excuse me, the JTRAN manager who stated that uh there are cameras all around there that we can hook into, both inside the building and on the outside.

So I'm not sure who to talk with.

Would that be Mr.

Buckley?

Okay.

If you don't mind, can you get in touch with Ms.

with Ms.

Welch uh over at uh JTRAN and get and and hook up those cameras again?

We already have them in place and and that would that would help us in collecting data uh for the unhoused community and and management of of issues.

Uh there were a number of issues there at JTRAN area.

Uh yes, sir.

And uh if there are camera requests, who does that go to now?

Is that you two?

Yeah, Mr.

Buckler.

And and and the key is let's pull the ones that we first received.

If we receive those, let's check first to see when that was last submitted.

Um we don't want you to have to go back through that again.

Um and we're also trying to um modernize if there are requests from communities.

What does that look like?

If you want a fusis box, um, which is this the thing that allows us to tap into your camera systems, we need to modernize and have those kinds of things on our website.

Request for cameras in your community, requests for fusis box in your community, any kind of services that you would like from us, would that is the thought that I am having that the community should be able to go on the website and do it much more effectively and efficiently.

And if they can't do it that way, of course, leverage their access to their council persons.

Okay, and my final question.

Um do you anticipate anything in this upcoming budget uh budget session?

Do I anticipate camera related issues or um, TCC?

I mean, we're going to need support, and we'll put a a full plan together um about how do we have a full technology um support infrastructure, foundation, and ecosystem um on cameras and camera support.

Yes, we're going to need that.

But the key to all of that is we can keep asking for technology.

If I do not have the people who can do the work, um, and that's going to be the real thing for me, is being able to have the people in place that can support the work and not having officers who are paid at a very high rate to do very specific jobs, and I don't mean at a high rate because there's their salaries are are not uh they're woefully underpaid.

I'm just saying that when you talk about the work that they're being asked to do, look and monitor cameras versus patrolling the streets, answering reports, um answering 911 calls.

I need to be of the support to be in that space.

And then when you're in front of cameras and monitoring them all day, that is a very tedious task.

So not sitting there for eight hours where they get fatigue.

I need enough personnel to be able to rotate them out through our 911, our EOCs and our cameras.

So personnel is going to be really the thing for me, allowing me to have the budget that is not only just um real but supported and real dollars.

How many slots do you have open over there?

They were just giving my last number.

I think I just asked for it yesterday, but we were actually supposedly 275 is what we're budgeted for, but we all know budgeted.

How many slots?

How many open slots?

So they've only had four people to date assigned.

Um that's all they had in that space.

Four people, one that worked one shift, two that worked a second shift, and then one that worked part of into a night shift.

Then they got moved so that they could start at least trying to cover a little bit more space.

Um to be full disclosure, nobody worked nights or nobody worked weekends.

Um, how many space?

I would take four on each.

If you would allow that um four because but my question is so HR says like if these jobs are posted, you have how many slots open.

Technically, if I could post them, I would only have two based on the fact that we're only allotted four.

Because one of the chiefs took those positions to give raises, correct?

Not a word.

I know I know that.

Well, you know, so I would not know if anybody took the phone.

I think it was Chief Wade.

Uh when we gave the raise, there's a lot of the positions over there were cannibalized so that the officers could get raises.

There were more open positions over there.

Well, those are not sworn positions.

So those could if they were changing positions, you have under well, I'm saying if they reduce positions, you actually have the ability for your professional staff where we are staff we are funded at a higher level than we're staffed.

So we would just change those position descriptions to be able to fill them in that space.

If you have professional staff or unsworn or non-sworn, whatever people use, but I prefer the professional support staff that we have.

If we have those, we can convert those positions that are currently not filled, um, that they're funded for to the RTCC.

So I just want to make sure we're on the same page because JPD received two raises, correct, Mr.

Hartley.

Ms.

Brown Thomas, y'all got two raises when you're on there, right?

Yes, all right.

And so during that time we went doing these budget crunches, and this was on the previous administration.

A lot of those positions in JPD, civil, non-certified, but a lot of the civil positions were cannibalized so that they could get raises.

Okay, and I think that was on the chief way.

Do you remember that, Mr.

Foote?

And so I just I just want to be the term cannibalized, um they killed them off so they could move the money and give everybody else give the officers the raise.

They took them out of the the organization out of the budget or whatever so that the money would be available for sworn officers.

Yes.

I I I don't know about that, but that's bothersome if if they don't have to be able to do that.

Well, a lot of the departments a lot of the departments did that over time.

Well, if we don't have the slots budgeted.

Well, that was my question.

And I was trying to get to that answer.

How many budgeted slots do you currently have?

You're talking for you have four budgeted slots.

What is your need?

So we currently have one opening and one that will be coming open.

We need at least two.

Okay.

Have you talked to HR about your need?

Um about not just these positions, other non-sworn detention center, um, detention officers, our bailiffs, our 911, our EOC.

We've been actually um working with uh Director Martin to not only make sure the job descriptions are accurate to get them posted um as well.

So yes, we are talking.

All right, now I got my answer to my question.

You know, Mr.

Fargus.

You asked what was coming.

I'm just saying what's coming is I'm asking for more positions.

Well, I I just wanted to know what I know what your need is.

Yes.

What do you currently have available?

And that's correct.

And people have been under the assumption they could not hire for these detention positions, these 911 positions, um, and these other support ones because of what they keep hearing is this freeze on public safety.

I mean, on everything but public safety.

But they did not think that also applied to the uh non-sworn or um professional.

That just tells me, Chief, leadership needs to pay attention to what happens in these meetings.

I'm here.

Listen, I'm paying attention to it.

But you know, you got folks on you.

Some folks need to pay attention there.

Yes.

Uh Mr.

And I think it's yeah, and just on that point, real quick.

I mean, I've heard Mr.

Taywison say over and over and over.

So I don't know how we get this message to every department across the entire city.

We are in a hiring by necessity phase.

Yes, we do have to be smart about hiring.

We we can't just go out and hire a gazillion of people.

But the the term hiring freeze is inaccurate, and it's frustrating that there are so many people across seemingly every department who s seem to be not getting this when I think you've said it in the most abundantly clear way.

And so I hope that everyone from HR to the police department to every other department, public works, uh fire department, everybody, everybody should know this.

We we we can't be reckless with our hiring, but we are in hiring by necessity, not a hiring freeze.

Absolutely.

We need we need uh public safety and not just sworn officers.

That's crucially important, but lots of people make a public safety.

So you're exactly correct, and thank you.

And that's the message I have been pushing.

If there is a need, we feel the need.

Yes.

Yes, yes.

Um, a couple other quick notes.

Thank you for clarifying uh the partnership with with Capitol Police.

I I agree that there they just by statute they can't do certain things.

Um I would reiterate, I am grateful for their support, and I think it's important to partner with them, knowing that they might not be able to address every possible thing, but I think that collaboration is really important.

Um and then on cameras, uh, three quick things.

One, I think we said this, but just to reiterate between your office and this the city attorney's office, we're looking at some of these things to see if to hear to hear them say that there's maintenance language in the contract, but that maintenance language is a placeholder.

I'm not aware of any placeholder language in a contract that's been signed by both parties.

So um I hope if there's a bunch of cameras down that wouldn't have been down had proper maintenance as agreed upon in a signed contract occurred, that we're not gonna have to just take some of these 22 cameras and and replace those or or purchase new cameras, that there'll be some kind of um restitution made on behalf of of the people of Jackson who have lost out on this opportunity.

I don't know if there's any you don't have to comment.

I mean, and and and we may need to go in the executive session or this that the other, but good morning, Chelsea.

Good morning, Chelsea Chikaski, deputy city attorney.

I would say that uh if you would like further information about what's uh been occurring, that I would suggest that you vote to close to go into executive session for that purpose to discuss potential litigation regarding a contract with active solutions.

Thank you.

Um and active shoot active solutions is not the same company that we colloquially call shot spotter, or they are they're separate separate groups.

Okay.

Um that's great.

Um that's great.

One though, um is the are the cost of cameras coming down?

Because I agree with you, we don't need 17 cameras on the same street, but um I don't want us to get into a scarcity mindset, and and if cameras, if the cost of cameras are cheap enough that we don't have to argue about, well, we only get three and I want one and you want one or whatever.

Let's let's buy way more cameras.

I mean they are coming down significantly, and I think we paid between six and eight thousand dollars per camera for active solution.

Um that is a high price uh for a camera um is what we paid.

And so yes, they are coming down.

We are not in a scarcity mindset, but we are um very clear what is the best product out there for the price, and that if people want to do business in Jackson, they need to be competitive.

Um and that has been my language, even with our vendors who are doing our repair work.

You need to be competitive.

Um, and that's it.

The and again, the importance of going over um not to be off topic are invoices when we're talking about how much we pay.

There's a reason I go over every invoice.

We to make sure that they are being competitive and and that we follow up with phone calls to make sure the work is being done, it's being done correctly and competitively, and are we also getting the back end service that we deserve?

Thank you.

And believe it or not, our um 27 budget is due in about three months.

So uh I would say it might be time to start pulling a lot of these quotes from competitive companies, because if we need to drastically increase the camera budget, we will drastically increase the camera budget.

But we need to we need to know what are we talking about here?

I mean, you know what what are the prices?

Absolutely.

Very last note, I love your suggestion about uh putting on the website, request a camera, and communities can go there and and it's a standardized form.

I mean, it's we're still available to help, but it shouldn't be based on who you know, it should be a fair open process where any community can go and and request a camera.

I think that's brilliant.

I would also add um can we add a field on the 311 app?

Just as we work to centralize 311 is the one spot that that people can go and centralize things.

Uh, you know, you can report a pop hole, you can report a blighted property, you can report there's a track down traffic science, there's so much that you can report there.

It would be wonderful if you can put in the 311 app here, a citizen can say, here's where I think a camera should go.

Ms.

Parkerson, uh I asked the clerk yesterday to request some data on that on the 311 app.

I don't think it's operating as it should.

I'm not sure because I've had constituents recently to say I put this in, you know, five months ago.

We used to get monthly reports.

Well, the is I don't think the report reflects the 311 app, but more in terms of what's reported directly to uh three.

Thank you, Mr.

President, because I campaigned on making sure that that app would be functional.

Absolutely.

And I even have some tickets in the app that have not moved.

So, you know, we need to really look into that.

Ms.

Brown Thomas.

Okay, this is just a suggestion for um CFO, I mean CAO.

Um, we used to have a job fair that we used to do at the Jackson Mall, and it used to be a major turnout.

Are we implementing that again or we currently have no plans?

Peter Taverson, CAO for a job fair, though I have directed public works, that if they wanted to have a job fair, they were certainly welcome to do one because we've publicly talked about the need of beefing up our public works uh folks.

I think Chief Brackney and Chief Thomas are absolutely capable of finding the people they need.

Uh if they would like to participate in some joint job fair, we could certainly make that happen.

But I will say my emphasis has been on public works because I trust Chief Brackney and Chief Thomas to fill out their staff.

Thank you.

And thank you.

There's currently if you uh that just came out across, there is the uh jobs for Jacksonians, Jackson Momentum and Martian are inviting local entrepreneurs that came out on uh Jackson job market pop-up on July 11th, 2026.

So it did come across our global global contact just yesterday.

Um so there are opportunities for us to participate in that space, but um much to the CAO's point, we cannot wait for job fairs.

Um we are actively recruiting in every space that we are in every time you'll you'll literally see me talking to people given application, go come work with us.

There are more opportunities than just a uniform to support public safety.

Okay, Mr.

Hartley and then Mr.

Foote.

Yeah, I would really like to get to some of these other things here.

All right.

Uh business outreaches.

I have a lot of business along Highway 80 and other and other streets that are that need cameras and are willing to pay.

And I think at the one point we had uh uh we had a process where you could get the camera and you could get this little monitoring light, a blue light, and and put it in front of businesses.

I would love to see that go forward.

My business is uh I can pretty much sell them to a a lot of businesses along that line.

And they they really need those.

So if we could have some type of uh advertising packet, if we could have some type of website entry or whatever, but we desperately need to put this tool in people's hands.

So I don't know what plans you have, but the uh the last plan included a camera and uh I guess a little station uh with it, and I think it was less than a thousand dollars.

For the blue light camera systems that are still out there.

Yes, we've not disbanded any system contrary to people saying that we're no longer engaged in that we're no longer doing it.

We are going to do that.

Yeah, that's that's not what I'm saying.

I'm just asking if we what it might cost.

No.

My question is can we promote this?

Can we actively promote this?

Give me some brochures, have some folks go to these businesses and say, hey, this is what we can do for you.

A lot of these crimes in my area, you know, a lot of them they're they're around st stations and businesses, and we can't afford to lose businesses.

If they're willing to pay a thousand dollars, let's make it happen.

So we can reach out and we can start something with our community engagement team.

We do have one that um is also under DC Buckley as we're evaluating that with Sergeant Suttles.

Most of you know him from your community meetings.

Let's start looking, we can start looking at that in terms of getting more information out, what this would look like.

Um and again, if you're going to put that information out, we should be able to tell them the fuses box is what they're gonna need.

This is how much it costs, these are the recommended um persons or vendors that you might want to use that are compatible with our systems.

Okay, thank you, Chief.

And Mr.

Buckley, uh Deputy Chief Buckley.

Uh, if you would get with me, because if they going out to these businesses, or I can take them, I can go out there with them.

But a lot of these folks are complaining about crime a lot.

And we don't want these, we don't want to lose our businesses.

So let's get this in their hands.

Yeah, and we can get that, and I'm I'm guessing we do most of that through our print shop that can help us get those whatever you want done uh there as well.

Thank you.

Yes, sir.

All right, thank you.

Uh, colleagues, we'll go down to uh number three.

Can you provide an update on park rangers?

We've received some um concerns that they're not visible, and I know with shore staff and you know all that stuff, but what is their schedule?

What parks are they in and any other update you may have for us?

So thank you for that.

So the the park rangers um so the park rangers have just been redeployed back from um headquarters to actual precincts.

So they are now in the precincts again.

And what do I mean by redeployed?

Um there were a lot of of our officers reporting to headquarters um and not to like a roll call, so that somebody could see them and physically know they were coming to work and doing the job that they are supposed to be doing.

And you know, they do the dawn to dusk a lot of the time they're supposed to be in those parks.

Um this is a recent change in which I am now um ensuring that they are now out and at roll calls and in the districts.

Um there are four park rangers, if I am correct, um, and they do cover your your parks from dawn to dusk.

But here's what there is there is a shift in mentality.

Um and what do I mean by that is when you label an individual that their only responsibilities are park rangers, um, then either they think they do nothing else around or near the parks, and the officers also start to get the culture mentality that they do nothing in the parks as well.

And so uh the message culturally is we all patrol the parks.

We all patrol those areas and which we get additional support or expertise, making sure that the park rangers are in those park areas as well.

So they are back out and in patrol, so I'm not sure.

I mean, I believe they work that those later shifts, which would go into that Bravo's Charlie shift.

Okay, thank you, Mr.

Uh Harley.

Yes, uh thank you, uh Ms.

President.

Um Dr.

Ragney.

Quick question.

So what we have a lost part rangers status or anything like that.

They're not redefined or job description not redefined or anything is it?

Because I remember that when when it came up, part of their responsibility was uh, you know, the parks, obviously, but also if they are in the local area, they needed to respond.

So that has not been necessarily the approach.

Um they are now that's why they're now standing roll calls.

Um, that they are part of the manpower that is out in the districts, so the districts aren't running um short.

So a redeployment of quite a few of our personnel back out, including the park rangers.

If they're standing roll call, they can hear what else is going on in the community, they know what other crimes are occurring, and there are a lot of things that are occurring in the parks that we all, the entire department need to be paying attention to.

And that so you're exactly right.

That's what they were supposed to be doing.

We're now ensuring that's what they are doing, to your point.

Okay.

And just another question.

We had a discussion um uh concerning reducing some of the uh expenses at the zoo, and one of them was concerning uh security person.

Uh and the conversation went, perhaps we can use the park ranger to periodically come through here and and monitor the situation because it's not a whole lot, you know, other than you know, animals being animals there, but not a whole lot going on.

So it was, but I'm not sure now how to how to approach that issue.

So we actually have a lot of parks.

If we want them to do the parks and and then the zoo, we're gonna have to either think about what that looks like in terms of additional personnel.

But if we need people to to patrol the zoo, right?

At least we can have our officers go through the zoo area, and it doesn't necessarily have to be a park ranger.

Um let's make sure that we have the right people in the right place as well.

Thank you.

Well, just to be clear, the zoo is a park, but you also have Liberty Park.

That's right.

That's Liberty, right?

Yes, if they just go in, it's the same.

It's the same.

But again, there's only four of them for my ear.

Right, but but if you're employing your whole force, then yes, somebody on one shift and one beat can that's correct.

Can uh precinct two can come by and maybe we can eliminate a position pin, say 40,000 just to talk.

That the currently that's at the zoo?

Yeah, they have us, I think a day and a night security person.

And if we could use uh some nighttime just to come there and uh one of your officers on one of the beaches patrol that area doing routine travels.

Absolutely.

That's that's easy to do as well.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Any more questions about park ranges?

Uh I just make a comment.

We've got 54 parks, too many.

So I think that it is um you know, it's a somewhat you know, disingenuous to think that four park rangers can do their, you know, cover those parks.

And they're big and they're all over the place.

I mean, they're far distances from here, so it's not like one park ranger can run around and and hit 15 parks and really do a meaningful job, what we would consider um, you know, providing the kind of service we were thinking about.

So I I think it it's you know, we gotta we're gonna real deal with the the reality of of the massive number of parks we've got and the massive acres we've got that are in parks.

Um we just can't imagine oh, they ever things taken care of because we got four park rangers.

Thank you.

All right.

Colleagues, let's move on to uh fuel man usage and overtime.

See if you got some numbers for us.

It do have numbers.

Um so uh yes, um if we're starting to look at our overtime um budgets and things like that.

The first thing I just need to um differentiate when it comes to our overtime.

Um literally um when I was just speaking um with Miss Bowman, who is our fiscal manager within um within JPD.

And one of the things that um is gonna be extremely difficult to tell you about and how to draw down on overtime.

And let me tell you what I mean by that.

As she just gave me my numbers today, as I I was looking at our overtime numbers, we will see things that um that we'll have an overtime budget of say uh $98,000 with any particular unit versus the entire overtime budget that I'm looking at for um the available budget of uh 600 and say if we've given us a budget of let's say a million dollars in overtime.

Within that overtime budget, we are not pulling out things like but overtime that's supported by a grant.

So it'll be in there as well.

It'll show that the grant gives us 160,000 for overtime.

It'll all go to the general fund, but then it then is drawn down out of the grant account.

So it'll look like 160,000 is coming out of the general fund in overtime in reality, it's coming out of the grant.

So when it says that my overtime budget is 88% depleted, it's not going to tell you that that money is put back in through a grant of overtime.

It also doesn't differentiate.

I've asked for is this overtime reduced based on staffing issues?

Is it over time because they're in court?

Is it overtime because of a special event or a funeral escort that they're being asked to do, a parade that they're being asked to go on, and there it's not being able to be pulled out in the budget.

Now we know that I can now start to look at specific account budgets for specific grants, but it doesn't show up on my overtime budget in general.

Does that make sense?

Sure.

And I'm not sure I I'm not the CFO and that I don't speak CFO complete language to you all, but I do know very clearly when you have a single overtime budget that says 800,000, and we can't pull out that 200,000 of that is coming out of a uh grant and not the general fund.

Does that make sense?

So in short, where are you with respect to overtime?

In state to overtime, depending on um where are we?

And is there enough in the budget to carry you the rest of this fiscal year?

We're going to be so again it's going to be close because it then tells me how can I take this?

For instance, we have an overtime um grant through Mississippi Highway Patrol.

That overtime grant through Mississippi Highway Patrol, um just recently I found out when we looked at it, we had only expended uh 18,000 of the 160,000 on overtime and on enforcement.

So I will be I should be okay, but if I'm not, I'll let you know as soon as I know.

That's what we need to know.

Are you okay?

And we need to know so that you won't go into the red on your overtime budget.

It it it will appear in some spaces that were going into the red, but in reality, the money is coming from somewhere else.

But if we get personnel overtime shortages, that I'll let you know.

Okay, thank you.

Now, in terms of fuel man, how many fuel man cars are assigned to JPD?

Lord have mercy.

Um, I sorry.

Um Lord have mercy.

Yeah.

So when I was looking at uh the fuel man cards, uh report that literally that was just put on my desk about I was asking for uh the fuel man and fuel man usage, and then wound up getting a 20-something page report about um the fuel man's and the numbers of cards that we currently have.

You know, if you give me one second.

If you need time to just give us a memo, that's fine.

I I can give you a memo on where we are, how much we've spent um to date on where our fuel man and our fuel man cards are.

The the it's the problem is our fuel man cards are managed through the fire department.

All of the few men, if I'm correct.

All of our fuel man cards are managed by the fire department.

So I have to try and get information from the fire department about our fuel man cards and our fuel man usage.

Um so what it looks like even just through this this month.

Um this month alone, it says something like 5,684 gallons of fuel that costs us $19,800 approximately uh this month.

We also use our fuel man cards, I don't know if you know for our oil changes as well.

So our oil changes um also um are pretty expensive at this point in time, too.

And so I can give you the exact numbers.

Um Chief Buckley, this was just given to me how many cards we just got in a complete list.

We do not have that number because we didn't request the information from the fire department.

Can we get that first of next week?

Yes, sir.

Okay.

So let me ask you this.

How many personnel certified and none take home a vehicle?

We just did this too as well as to how many take home what vehicle and again I don't want to.

I want you to track where I'm going with this.

Yeah, oh, I know where you're I I know exactly where you're going.

Uh I'm gonna make some notes and we're gonna go to the case.

We need to know how many take-home vehicles.

Gotcha.

How many take-home vehicles go more than 40 miles outside of the city limits?

And I'm gonna tell you why I was coming out of Terry one night and a JPD cruiser came speeding right past me.

And I know we don't answer calls in rural Hines County.

And so I'm trying to figure out, you know, I got pictures.

I take I got a uh dash can in my car and I got clear video of who it was, but I just want to know where we are because gas is high.

And I don't know what our fuel cost is per gallon, but these are things we really need to uh be careful uh about.

And if it's not someone who needs to respond on the fly, we need to start parking some of these vehicles.

Yes, Mr.

Harley.

Yeah, just a quick question.

Uh that's that 30 mile is that I think it's 40.

40.

That's that's a part of an ordinance.

It is an ordinary 40.

Okay.

Yeah, general order policy.

Um, and to your point to even that point.

I don't think they're you got general orders, but you also have a city policy.

And I think nobody should be taking vehicles.

Like I said, I haven't before I I've seen a vehicle in Carthage.

So we don't need yeah, and I and the reason for that question is uh, do we need to revisit that?

If it's 30 miles, 20 miles, you know, I can understand one of our really neighboring cities, okay.

If you have to leave the great city of Jackson, but but if you're gonna be taking it up in the country, if you're gonna be taking a luxury ride with gas prices are being for all the second gallons, then we perhaps we need to look at that a little closer.

Sir, not only we're looking at that a little closer, and I know there's been some pushback on this.

I'm also looking at secondary employment, um, and the fact that a lot of our officers have secondary employment and they wear the uniform, which is what we give them permission to do.

However, we do not give them permission to take their marked units to and from their secondary employment and to use their fuel cards.

But we know that that is occurring um all over the place.

And with the prices of repairs, we pay for the repairs on all the cars, we pay for the fuel, we pay for the maintenance on all the cars.

And do we need to look at that?

So now officers are being required to tell me in their secondary employment applications, are they requesting a vehicle?

Or are you using the vehicle as part of that secondary employment?

Whether it's a traffic detail, um, because you're not just hiring the officer, you're hiring the officer and that vehicle for a reason.

And so really looking at how we're using our monies and how we're using our vehicles because we have extremely high repair bills um on these vehicles.

Question Yeah, I was gonna say the the deterrent effect.

If in fact you can evaluate that having that vehicle at that location may have an impact on crime around there, then that may be something that you can examine on a case by case basis.

Or it can be a combination, and and again, we can look at this and we'll talk with the CAO, we'll talk with legal um and other entities, secondary employment all comes through the city, so that you get um to see that and that you pay the officer first, and then you assign fuel fees and you assign um a basic fuel recovery fee and a auto recovery fee to wherever the secondary employment is, and then that way the city, every whoever it is, they get their officer, we get our stuff um also supported and paid for, and again, almost every place that I know it's run through the entity, so you can still have the vehicle, you can still have the car, you can still have the presence, and you can still have the office.

Do we have trackers on take-home vehicles?

Do we have trackers?

Uh no, no, sir.

We don't have trackers.

But there are radios and everything have a GPS on it, so you can see where they're located.

Okay, nice.

Go ahead and they're radio.

You mean their personal radios?

No, no, no, no, no.

Because you're talking about the marked units.

Yes.

It should have a GPS on it.

The the marked units have some things in them that I think can help us if they are turned on.

Correct.

Um, and I don't know if they are all turned on, but again, a lot of the officers use their the if you see if you're sitting, they're sitting in a parking lot with a unmarked unit with the blue lights on, right?

And so I think we can be intentional about the officers and getting the presence.

There isn't and we're not trying to discourage secondary employment.

Secondary employment is every officer since 1984 across that when I came on across the globe work secondary.

It has nothing to do with their current salary.

A lot of them work secondary employment.

And so we want to encourage them to do that, but we also want to be responsible if they're using the vehicle and the fuel and the maintenance as well.

Can they provide?

I'm sorry, go ahead.

I just wanted to know can they provide, and I already know the answer to this.

Can they take a vehicle and provide secondary services in another city or county?

They are not and this is a legal one, but if uh they're outside their jurisdiction, you have no authority and power outside of your jurisdiction.

We're clear.

Go ahead, Ms.

Brown.

I'm clear.

Okay, just an update.

We used to have cameras inside the car, and they could pinpoint where we were.

Are those cameras still working or they're not?

So when it comes to our fleet, yes, our cameras are working.

Um some are working, not say 100%, like in anything.

When I tell you my repair bills are very high, you know, I'm looking at my budget, my repair barrels are close to 800,000 a year.

And so we are looking for ways to reduce that by our aging fleet, that our fleet is being moved out aging, and marked units only are being purchased from this point forward unless there's an absolute necessity for some other way.

And they wanted to work with JPD, and they found that the process of hiring an off-duty JPD officer was way more cumbersome than the systems that are set up by some of the other agencies.

They use apps now.

I want I want three officers on this time, and then all the capital officers get it a notification and they can say, I'll take that shift, or I don't want that shift, or whatever.

And so for the business or the organization who wants the officer, it's super easy.

They put it in and they know dang well someone's going to take that shift.

And then for the officers, it's fair as well.

So I really like your idea of centralizing this.

I think we're probably behind times.

I think others have caught up a little bit more quickly than we have, but I I think that setting up something like that would be a wonderful idea.

And normally it's at zero cost to the city.

And what does that normally mean is that these organizations that come up and set up the software and the app they handle all the processing, they put everything out, they hand the administrative fees, and then they give you back your your part.

So their administrative fees that they automatically add on, whether it's a dollar or two dollars an hour, that's how they recover their money.

And not only is it cost neutral in terms of the managing of it, it actually is profitable because now you're recovering the rental of your vehicle, the fuel fees.

Um, and it protects not only you, it protects the officers who are wearing the uniform.

We are now currently requiring them to show insurance of indemnification with the app, you pay those friends, you pay those things, and you cover them.

So the officers are actually protected and get better rates than trying to do these cash deals or someone saying I'll pay you cash to show up, which is as we all know, I'm sure there's no 1099s floating around.

But yes, the kids say that's sus.

That's uh the kids they say a whole lot of stuff, but yes, sus is one of them.

Who says that?

He's not about what is suspect.

There's sus.

Yeah, they but that's like three years old, though.

He said sus, not the other one.

All right, so because we gotta get the fire achieve up here.

Uh animal control, Chief.

Animal control?

Yes.

Yes, uh, animal control, as you know, and then I will gladly cede this position to to Chief Thomas.

Um animal control has been apparently an albatross for a very long time.

Uh the building, um, if I understand it is not habitable for humans as well as for animals who need to be sheltered there.

Um, and just um as we are starting to put it out there, um, we are looking at producing and creating um a space um to um have it funded either privately or with partners um to change and create what we're calling angels place, which would be um a habitable um no-kill shelter where we can have animal control, but also we have a lot of people who are victims of domestic violence or intimate partner violence, are unsheltered who have pets, that we might be able to create a community center um where they can bring their pets so that they can also get services and treated um and creating a very high-level one.

Uh, we're looking to put together um, and the reason we're calling it Angel's Place, Angel is a uh one of our dogs who was looking at being retired, our canine, but instead we're thinking of making angel a community dog so that we can have angels in the community.

And our motto is that Angel has a good home, but not many animals do.

And how might we create that kind of space?

So we're looking to partner, and we've not reached out to them with quite a few people who have said that they're interested, and including uh councilman uh foot's wife is very much part of that project.

Um, and could we use partners like Habitat for Humanity to help design and build for free?

We have a lot of architects in the city that might want to help us.

And could we do a gala and fundraiser to get this all started so that we can create a space that is humane?

Um but also there are a lot of reports of feral cats and dogs and dogs running through um the city that we really have no place to take them.

So who do they call when you have a dog that they they still um are we still have somebody that we deploy again?

Guess who that person falls under?

Deputy Chief Buckley, as you can see, is a very vast portfolio that don't necessarily connect with each other, so we are um evaluating what those duties and responsibilities could look like.

But they call the the non-emergency uh numbers that are on our uh Facebook everywhere.

But oftentimes I get a text and then or email, and then I uh make sure that I get a touch, but that's not effective or efficient.

Call the non-emergency.

Is there a preferred non-emergency number?

You've still got folks, and I would talk about this the other day at West.

I tell stop calling one, two, three, four.

It isn't just to put in a decade.

But then y'all put out what seven numbers.

And folks love options, but we need consistency too.

If I'm correct, it's the 601.

960180.

That's the preferred 1800.

The 1800 number is the preferred number.

All right, we'll go to Mr.

Foote and then Mr.

Parkinson.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

Thank you, Chief, for for um spending some time and effort on uh this animal controls issue.

The the mayor set up a task force with the help of Nick Lott way back in last July, I think it was, with a group of these folks that are really, really this is their life cause for a lot of them.

Uh the animals and dogs and cats, particularly.

And I've got this letter they sent out.

They got they gave it to me so I could pass it out.

I've got copies for everybody.

I'll read it pretty short.

That this organization, they go by J C A R E S cares, and it says it's requesting that animal control be reevaluated from an essentially a non-functioning service to an actual service provided by our city, which is part of every city's government responsibilities.

One, before Jackson can have a functioning animal control, it has to have a facility.

The existing facility needs extensive repairs and improvements.

This is one of the primary reasons it was closed five years ago.

The other significant factors leading to the closing, we're dealing with animal control staff and lack of appropriate budget for AC to hire train support, educate staff for the shelter.

This feels like the exact battle we have fought with the city for the last 20 years over the shelter as both the shelter facility and the care, the poor animals and the shelter received deteriorated at a fast pace.

And he goes on to say, we want to partner with the city of Jackson, and we're waiting for action, so please advise.

So you have a lot of citizens that are anxious to be part of the solution, and and please see them as a resource for the city, Chief Buckley, and in approaching this thing.

They're they get frustrated very easily.

They allowed to do this stuff on their own, well, on their own expenses and all, but they want to see it handled at you know from the top down in a way that that is good for the animals and and presents Jackson as a more humane uh city than sometimes we appear to be.

And thank you.

And we reached out to the um head of that task force as well out of the mayor's office to be part of that partnership um so that we are not doing things in isolation.

Thank you.

All right, thank you.

Mr.

Parkinson's yeah, and uh I know this is preaching the choir on this one.

Uh we even during confirmation, this was one of the items that we discussed.

Um again, I know you know this, but I I'll just sort of underscore it.

The the state of animal control in Jackson is is really, really abysmal on on every level.

And I've actually had the opportunity to tour the existing facility.

And um a few officers and I were getting into a friendly debate because some thought that it could be rehabbed.

I I think that building needs to be burned to the ground.

It is awful, it is terrible.

It is uh it is it is very, very bad, and it's it's not in a great location.

That is correct.

It's very far.

I mean, and there's not much else around there.

And you know, you want something that's that's located in a place where you know high school kids can go volunteer in the air, and and if someone's thinking about adopting a dog, it's it's or a cat, it's it's pretty easy to get to.

Where is it?

It's um it's near where we're gonna put the new place where you bring hazardous waste, yeah.

It when I say it's in the cut, as they used to say it's in the cut.

Um I still don't know where it is.

Um behind Kirst Gym.

Right.

Yeah, exactly.

Where it's located over there by the air base.

Yeah, it's up there.

And we still pay like well, that may be stokes, but it's right over there.

If you know where Kurtz is in the street is on the street.

Okay.

Then it's the side street of Kirch that would go back towards Michael Avalon.

That's where it is.

And while I agree, because I was there with Councilman Parkinson, yeah.

Okay, it's important to note that building is only about 22 years old.

Right.

I was shocked to learn that.

I I went there, I thought it was from easily the 80s or the 70s, or and then I found out we just opened the thing thing.

And so I think for a long time our city has underinvested in animal control.

And so you have groups like this, and you know, you know, they're they're they're very loud, and and and sometimes I you know we can feel some kind of way, but the reality is they've done this because the city has it.

They have stepped up and and really, really did it.

So I think Angel's place could be a really good one, but I I would highly recommend before we move forward with any plan, getting their expertise, having a meeting with them to see their yeah, definitely choir um that you're preaching to because my vision is even if if you're on housing, you drop your your animal there to help or be sheltered or taken care of, and you want to come pet the child or the child, the you want to pet the animal or walk the animal, and can we have a running track and a walking where people can volunteer um and help um participate?

So, yes, we are we're not moving forward with anything except big ideas right now, and um who we need to bring into to help us get there.

Where is the money we budgeted for animal control?

So we still um have an animal control officer, and I guess part of the and they will come out, they will take the uh the animal.

I don't know what happens once that animal gets into their care.

Um, but I can guarantee you, based on the fact that the other places that we use are also at capacity.

My guess is they're all going to be euthanized.

Um and then there's also two um this is the first time that animal control is the one who um retrieves um decaying or dying animal or a dead animal.

Um and the other agencies that I work for, those are typically like your public works, like people who clean up debris, but for some reason we're doing that as well.

Okay, well, I know we we have not had a public works director in quite some time, and I know we got one now, so maybe that's a a conversation the administration can get with him about.

Yeah, it would be the same if one was out in the street.

We are, I think the ones doing that at this time.

Okay.

Thank you.

Chief, I'm gonna let you go now.

I appreciate you, sir.

I'm sorry, Chief.

Uh but can we take a look at whether it's gonna be economically feasible for us to you know use that building, or there's a number of buildings all around the city now, and that may be uh an easy way out.

Yeah, well, the building from my understanding also has some foundation issues by the way where it sits, it kind of is sliding um as well.

And it so the soil may not be able to support that as well.

Um, and again, we do have a lot of buildings around the city, but also um we are also looking at some of those buildings for actual operations that we need um in uh police as well.

Um yes, we are looking at all the facilities.

We just don't know if we have one that would work at that level.

Make sure you tell you what's was the I know you were probably around then.

Was the condition of the building horrible when we got it?

So that building was completed right before I started service with the city of Jackson.

I understand the building was completed in 2003 or four.

I became I began full-time representation of the city in 2005.

Okay, so it was new when I was first.

It was a new build.

It was a new build.

Yes, yeah, uh, but there's a couple of things.

Uh the foundation actually isn't the worst problem.

We've had an architect look at that.

Uh councilman Parkinson was there.

Foundation looks bad, it's it's not really the issue.

Here are the issues.

One, the location itself.

You've heard that it is not a location that is welcoming for anybody to retrieve an animal, let alone volunteer there.

Uh secondly, whoever designed that building had no natural ventilation in the building.

So if the HVAC goes out, we know we've had these issues all over the city with HVAC.

There's no ventilation.

Well, any of us who are pet owners know that pets have an odor, they don't shower daily, and you need some ventilation.

And so probably the bigger challenge with that location, location first is a problem.

Secondly, no natural ventilation.

If we were to maintain that building, we would actually need to do some uh redesign of the roof area because you've got to have who in Mississippi doesn't put something with attic fans in.

And so new building that was probably not designed the best sound like the Heinz County Jail, uh, or put in the best location, sounds like the Heinz County Jail.

And we've got the result of it, even though it's 23 years old.

I fully support looking for another location that is um more conducive for the public and finding a facility to make sense.

We're gonna have to put some money somewhere.

I don't think it makes much sense to put money into the existing facility, even though it's relatively new.

Okay, thank you.

Um Chief Thomas, you would deserve a respectable amount of time.

No, no, no, I'm not.

To that end, I'm gonna adjourn this meeting and we're gonna reschedule another one for next week.

Okay.

Uh, because we have we may add some more to you next time.

All right.

All right, but thank you so much.

We are adjourned.

Thank you, Mr.

President.