jecsa letter

8/8/2019 Jecsa Letter

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BOARD OF SUPERVISORS

City of Iowa City City Council,

Mayor and City Manager

c/o City Clerk

410 East Washington StreetIowa City, IA 52240

Johnson County Emergency Management Commission

c/o Emergency Management Coordinator

P.O. Box 2540Iowa City, IA 52244

December 16, 2010

To the City Councils of Iowa City, Coralville and North Liberty, the Johnson County Emergency

Management Commission,

As signatories to the 28E agreement that created the Joint Emergency Communication Services

Association (JECSA) and governs the operations of the Joint Emergency Communications

Center (JECC), we have a responsibility to ensure that the JECC operates in the most efficient

and cost-effective manner possible.

Each member entity has appointed one or more individuals to represent its interests on the

JECSA Policy Board. We appreciate the time and effort that these representatives contribute tothe JECSA on behalf of the residents of Johnson County. We believe that it is important that

signatory members give direction to their representatives and ensure that issues of mutual

concern are addressed.

In preparation for the joint meeting that was held on May 28th, 2010 between the JECSA Policy

Board and the JECSA member entities, the Johnson County Board of Supervisors sent a letteroutlining issues that it felt should be addressed either at that meeting or by the JECSA Policy

Board. That meeting served as a good first step in opening communication between all the

913 SOUTH DUBUQUE STREET, SUITE 201 IOWA CITY, IOWA 52240-4207 PHONE: (319) 356-6000 FAX: (319) 3

Sally Stutsman, ChairpersonPat Harney

Terrence Neuzil

Janelle Rettig

Rod Sullivan

City of Coralville City Council,

Mayor and City Administratorc/o City Clerk

1505 5th Street

Coralville, IA 52241

City of North Liberty City Council,

Mayor and City Manager

c/o City Clerk5 E. Cherry Street

North Liberty, IA 52317


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member entities. We have seen some improvement in communication. However, the Board of

Supervisors is not satisfied with what has been done to address the concerns.

Therefore, the Board of Supervisors shares the following list of issues with you and formallyasks that your Council/Board to address these issues and give direction to your representative(s)

on the Policy Board.

We remain concerned that the number of management and administrative staff is in excess of

what is necessary to effectively operate the JECC. For instance, it seems that the IT positions

duplicate the work covered by maintenance and service contracts. We ask you to requestinformation from your JECSA representatives or JECC staff and direct your representatives and

make a formal recommendation to the JECSA Policy Board to control these costs.

As we stated in our letter of May 20, 2010, the Board of Supervisors would like to see JECSAgradually build up modest reserves but rely on bonding for major purchases. This allows the

properties located in TIF districts to participate in sharing the costs of these expenses and

reduces the burden on other taxpayers. We request that you direct your representatives and make

a formal recommendation to the JECSA Policy Board to follow this strategy.

The Policy Board relies heavily on the expertise of the members of the User Advisory Group insetting policy and addressing issues and concerns at the JECC. Therefore, it is the Board of

Supervisors position that agendas for the meetings of the User Advisory Group must be posted,

the meetings open to the public and the minutes produced and posted for the public to read. Weask that your Council discuss this issue and make a formal recommendation to the JECSA Policy

Board.

The JECC is funded by taxpayers across Johnson County and all of the member entities have aninterest in being well informed about JECSA funding and ensuring that taxpayer funding is

managed responsibly. The Board of Supervisors recommends implementing a more formalizedbudget process that would include each member entity taking a formal but non-binding vote onthe proposed JECC budget before January 15th of each year. The Board requests that your

council discuss this process and work with the Policy Board and all of the member entities for

implementation.

Finally, the Board of Supervisors supports amending the 28E agreement to provide that an

elected official from one of the communities not otherwise represented on the Policy Board who

also serves on the Emergency Management Commission serve as a JECSA Policy Boardmember instead of the Emergency Management Coordinator. The proximity of the offices and

the day to day presence of the Coordinator at the JECC has the potential to lead to confusion

regarding the Coordinators role as Policy Board member. The authority of the Commission inthe management and policy of the JECC should be limited to its representation on the Policy

Board.

Any amendment of the 28E agreement requires a written agreement executed by four of the five

signatory members. The Board of Supervisors requests that your Council consider this

amendment and formally respond to this request.


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Thank you for your consideration of these recommendations. We would respectfully request that

you notify the Board of Supervisors when your Council will be deliberating these items.

Representatives of County Government will make every attempt to attend and offer input.

Yours truly,

Sally Stutsman

Chair, Board of Supervisors

Cc: Joint Emergency Communications Services Association Policy Board

c/o Interim Director4529 Melrose Avenue

Iowa City, Iowa 52246

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