16-0701_ORANGE, COUNTY OF_Correspondence - Wontrobski, StephenJune 14, 2016
Mission Viejo City Council Members
200 Civic Center
Mission Viejo, CA 92691
Stephen Wontrobski
Mission Viejo, CA 92692
Ref: 2016/2017 Proposed Police Services Contract
Dear Council Members,
The Police Services Contract is the largest expenditure item of our city budget. At a budgeted amount of over $18
million, it equates to over 30% of our city budget. As such, it demands the largest amount of staff study and scrutiny to
insure that all of our city's taxpayer dollars are being expended in the most productive fashion.
With this in mind, I would have expected that staff had done a thorough study of what other California cities had done
to control and actually lower police services cost without any impact to public safety. Unfortunately, I could not find
any mention in the staff report that it had even conducted such a needed management study.
I find no mention that it had:
1. Requested a research report from the California League of Cities detailing what police cost savings measures
were adopted over the last five years by other California cities.
2. Contacted other Orange County cities that had implemented police cost saving measures over the last five
years to gain valuable feedback on their own cost saving measures.
3. Secured and reviewed other California City and county police cost saving reports and the names of any such
reports, so that they could be reviewed by Council members and the public.
4. Conducted any behind the scenes police services activities and any mention of written staff reports associated
with those activities.
5. Requested our own research librarian staff to research police cost saving measures that had been successfully
implemented in other parts of the country.
6. Met with our neighboring cities and conducted a roundtable discussion on controlling police costs and
evaluating proposed cost saving ideas. These cities include: a) Rancho Santa Margarita; b) Laguna Niguel; c)
San Juan Capistrano; d) Dana Point; e) Lake Forest; f) Aliso Viejo; and g) San Clemente.
There is need for assembling cost saving measures that successfully resulted in actual reduced police costs without
sacrificing any aspect of public safety. The compilation of these measures is a necessary first step before meaningful
police cost reduction discussions can take place. Then there is a follow-up need to hold a roundtable discussion with
other South Orange County cities to discuss and share their own police services cost saving ideas.
These are basic elementary management steps that do not appear to have been completed from a reading of the staff
report. However, they need to be completed before any consideration can be given to approving any proposed police
services contract. As it stands, you are lacking needed backup information to make an informed decision on this
matter.
Sincerely,
Stephen M. Wontrobski E:mvpol icecontract6-14-16
Cc: Rancho Santa Margarita City Council; Laguna Niguel City Council; San Juan Capistrano City Council; Dana Point
City Council; Lake Forest City Council; Aliso Viejo City Council; San Clemente City Council; Orange County Board
of Supervisors
6/21/2016
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