City Council - Regular Meeting

Members Hugh Leslie absent. Molly present. Man present. Vice Mayor Vice Chairman Chris present. Mayor Chairman Paris absent. We have a quorum. Move to excuse. Councilwoman Lauren Lesley Hughes and Mayor Paris. Second. We have a motion second. All in favor signify by saying I. I. I. I. Motion passes unanimously. Um, Ken, you want to do the pledge for us? Sure.

You would stand, put your right hand over your heart, face the flag, and repeat with me. I aliance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for it stands nation for all. Okay, new business. NB1. Good afternoon, Vice Mayor and council members. Uh we come to you today. Uh we uh are bringing a joint powers agreement and back on July 8th, 2025, the city and Westside Union School District entered into a school law enforcement services agreement uh providing them with school resource officers. Since that time, the district has decided that they would like to have us police all the schools, uh, including the ones that are not within the city of Lancaster, which is why we need you to approve this joint powers agreement or are going into a joint powers agreement with the uh, school district. Uh, that's the end of my presentation. I'd be happy to answer any questions you may have.

So, that just gives us the authority to do it. Correct, sir. gives us the authority to work on their campuses but not outside their campuses and that's all their campuses. Okay, stick around because Sean might have some more questions. Yes, sir. Sean Canon,

they kick you out of your meeting so you come to ours.

Mine is actually in an hour. Um and I and this is what I'm speaking on uh today. Um I it I really do support this agreement because I think it will start a trend um throughout the valley. I appreciate the chief um he's answered my questions already and I really wanted to let you guys know that he has been working with our superintendent um to try to come to a resolve of what I I as a board member can only um examine and explain as an uptick in violence on campus on our campuses on in the East Side Union School District. just today. Um this is one of the many events where we have reports of a student um bringing a weapon onto campus or um threatening to bring a weapon onto can onto campus. Um and these things and these instances along with along with finding contraband on campus, illicit drugs on campus. Um having a resource deputy on the in our east side schools is something that me as a board member um you have my support for. Um I know that's something that we're looking to do. Um and I want to let you know that as of today there is a growing appetite amongst our staff who have also been assaulted at work um to have someone there who can take those reports. Um because a lot of times you know if there's an incident the rep if there's no one there to take the report all we can do is call it in um and then oftent times by the time law enforcement or which is usually the sheriff department starts investigating it there's nowhere to find there's nothing to find. Um, and so I really do appreciate what you guys are doing here today with Westside because again I think it will start a trend and you will find support amongst the East Side community for the same thing.

Thank you. Sean Rod, will you come back up there? I just want to put a couple things in the record.

We're not doing this because the sheriff's department is not doing their job. We're doing this because we can do it more affordable for Westside. Uh that's correct, sir. Uh and the requests also, and by the way, Superintendent Regina Roso was here today. Um the request came to us because they were interested in what we could provide and uh we we talked about how we can bring uh probably bring a different type of school resource officer. Uh, so it has nothing to do with a lack of performance from the sheriff's department

and it's it's also the the actual cost that's there. They'll be able to spend more money on their students by doing this. Correct. I believe so, sir. I'm not exactly sure what the uh the numbers are compared to what they would have paid the sheriff's department, but I do believe we came in at a lesser amount. Okay. I just want to put that in.

Yes, sir. Okay. Anyone in the audience like to speak? Okay. Seeing none, we'll move on. I'll entertain a motion. I'll make a motion to uh approve MB1 approving the joint powers agreement for Westside School District's police services authority. And number two, authorize the city manager in consultation with the city attorney to negotiate and finalize terms and execute the final joint powers agreement for Westside School District Police Services Authority. And I second that.

Okay, we have a motion, a second. Let's vote. Passes with three yes votes. Congratulations. Okay, nothing on the finance, nothing on the housing, nothing on the or nothing on this. Successor city clerk. This is a time to address the city council agency authority on non-aggendaized matters. Speaker cards can be found on the back table of the council chambers. Individual speakers are limited to three minutes each unless a different time limit is announced. State law prohibits the city council from taking action on items not on the agenda and your matter may be referred to the city manager. Thank you.

Okay, we have no speaker cards again. Anyone like to speak? Okay, seeing none. Raj, you have anything? Ken, nothing. Okay, with that we stand adjourned till