Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier
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COURIER EDITORIAL
January 12, 2000
New C.F. council acts on safety agency, but devil will be in details
With die-hard defenders of the Cedar Falls Public Safety Department in short supply, the combined police and fire department venture was doomed Monday night when a new City Council too office.
The big surprise in the 6-1 vote to separate the departments were the margin of the vote and, perhaps , not handing the issue off to a consultant.
Once, then again and now current Mayor Jon Crews - the political embodiment of the phoenix rising from the ashes - pushed for action at the outset of the meeting, although some of the holdover council had wanted a third party to present options on the reorganization. And that eventually may come to pass.
But the new council disdained a deliberate approach.
Vern Kolpek, a former policeman, and Joe Turner were elected primarily on a pledge to disband the department. Although defeated in his bid for mayor, Councilman Stan Smith had been a lonely voice of opposition on the past council. Bob Murphy, Mike Havenstrite and Elaine Pfalzgraf got the message from the voters, leaving Axe Haugen as the lone dissenter.
Pfalzgraf called it "the hardest decision I have made in the last 20 years on the council," putting employee morale over perpetuating a divisive issue. Smith called it "one of the easiest decisions in my 18 years on the council."
When the Public Safety Department was created 13 years ago, city officials contended it would save money through efficiencies, although firefighters, in particular, had troubles with it from the outset.
The level of tension heightened two years ago when longtime police chief and later Public Safety Director Paul Hoffey retired. His successor, Jay Kohl, who had instituted a short-lived public safety department in Meridian Township in Michigan, made more radical changes - with the blessing of Mayor Ed Stachovic and the council. More emphasis was put on volunteers complimenting the professionals. Police and fire employees complained their safety and the public trust were jeopardized. City officials insinuating the real concern was reduced overtime. Respected longtime officers and firefighters left. Morale plummeted.
It is possible city officials could have worked through the problem with compromises. However, following Kohl's arrival - and he was a lightening rod for criticism even before his first day on the job - it became a grudge match. It was inevitable the City Council position would erode because it is nearly impossible to galvanize a constituency for a concept such as public safety department.
While the person on the street may not have been passionate about it, the rank-and-file in the department was outspoken in its opposition in letters to the editor, discussions with citizens, and assorted grievances.
Our concern has been with the contentiousness with which this has played out. Neither side is without fault. The deteriorating morale should have been addressed earlier; more than lip service at a public forum was required.
Separating the departments is only the beginning of the process. Minimum staffing requirements on shifts and the role of volunteers still must be resolved. While police and fire departments by nature have a militaristic chain of command, one lesson learned should be getting more feedback from employees about possible efficiencies in any new structure.
Some scenarios show the change back to separate departments will save money. We hope so. If personnel costs can't be kept in check and taxes are subsequently raised, we suspect a lot of residents sitting on the sidelines - weary of the divisiveness of the issue - would suddenly have a vested interest commensurate with any increase in their property tax bill.
