HomeMy WebLinkAboutCommittee of the Whole Minutes 02.19.2002 MINUTES
CITY COUNCIL COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE
FEBRUARY 19, 2002 6:30 P.M.
COUNCIL CHAMBERS
MEMBERS PRESENT:
Chairman Bud Johnson
Lauren Van Roekel
Ken Olson
Gay Easton
Dan Mears
Doug Poehls
Mark Mace
Daniel Dart
John Oakes
OTHERS PRESENT:
Matt Erekson
Cai Cumin
R/ck Musson
Jay Hatton
Mayor Johnson gave a brief explanation of the school resource officer program. After a three-year
process of grant applications for a school resource officer, the Laurel School Board and the Laurel City
Council decided last summer that the true value of having a school resource officer should not necessarily
be tied to a funding process, namely the grant process. With that decision, a commitment was made to the
youth of this community.
Jay Hatton, the SRO, gave a report on the program. Jay was appointed to that position in August 2001 in
order to begin on the first day of the 2001-2001 school year. He worked for the Sheriff's Department and
was a reserve deputy for six years before beginning employment with the City of Laurel about three years
ago.
Jay stated that having a school resource officer allows the high school and the middle school the latitude
to pursue situations as either a school matter or a law enforcement matter. As the SRO, he is involved in
teaching safety classes, counseling sessions, drug investigations, traffic control and investigations. Jay is
no longer a nameless face that might show up at the high school to investigate a situation. Instead, he has
built an excellent rapport with the administration, the faculty, and the students and can deal with
situations with the positive support of each group. At a recent school board meeting, many positive
comments were made regarding the school resource program. Officer Hatton will serve as the SRO for a
minimum of three years.
The council discussed the positive effects of the SRO program and community policing. Mayor Johnson
thanked Officer Hatton.
Cai Cumin spoke regarding the zone change for Little Dude Ranchettes. Cai asked that council approval
of the zone change would be subject to the county commissioners approving the preliminary plat subject
to the conditions that the Planning Board forwarded to the commission. One of the conditions included
requires a two-acre park to be flood irrigated weekly from surface water rights available to the developer.
The developer would be responsible to obtain the water rights.
The meeting adjourned at 6:54 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Cindy
Council Secretary