MEMORANDUM:

To: Mayor, City of Madera

FROM: Jaron McAlister

RE: Implementation of the Homeless Outreach Team

DATE: 11/04/2018

The purpose of this memorandum is to discuss the implementation of the Homeless Outreach

Team (HOT) to address our current issues with the homeless population.

A current and major problem in the city of Madera is the growing homeless population.

Citizen complaints are plentiful and frequent at the city council meetings regarding the

homeless and their negative impact of the community. Many homeless, setup encampments

along the river which runs through the heart of the city as well as the downtown area. Both are

problematic areas as those who pass through the city on our major highways can see the river

encampments which sheds negative light on the city. Madera citizens don’t want to shop

downtown due to smell and sight of many of these homeless, adversely effecting businesses.

In continuing the great and productive working relationship with the City Council the

department will create a Homeless Outreach Team without requesting additional funding from

the city. The mission of the HOT Team will be to maintain continual contact with the homeless

and working with them for placement into two of the facilities operated in the County of

Madera, The Rescue Mission and The Pomona Ranch. The HOT Team will also address all
criminal elements associated with the homeless to include drug arrests, trespassing and all

municipal code violations.

The HOT Team will consist of a sergeant and six officers. The annual cost of the team will

be $700,000.00. Many initial cost estimates do not reflect actual cost and to mitigate these

unforeseen expenditures the department will utilize equipment already purchased and

deployed as well as current personnel will be reassigned from other assignments. Funds

necessary to operate the team will be found in the current budget and reallocated to the HOT

Team.

The HOT Team will be deployed on bicycles with one patrol vehicle for transportation

purposes. The team will work four, ten-hour work days, Thursday-Friday and will patrol areas of

high homeless population. Overtime will be closely monitored by the supervising sergeant.

A comprehensive evaluation of the departments current budget was completed and as a

result the following areas were targeted for reallocation to the HOT Team:

 $247,015 in Other Supplies- The department had to allocate significant funds to

supplying and equipping new officers after hiring fifteen last fiscal year. The

department is currently fully staffed and equipped. The department will still budget

$17,645 to this item for Other Supplies.

 $205,000 in Measure K revenue- The department is projecting an increase in

Measure K revenue which is a half cent increase to the cities sales tax for public

safety. The measure will generate $205,000 more than last year creating the

surplus. Total projected revenue for Measure K is $2,100,000.00.

 164,432 in Vehicle Replacement- This budgeted item is intended to replace patrol

vehicles nearing end of serviceability. The department has made extensive

improvements in the fleet and currently all vehicles are updated.

 $38,142 in Conferences/Training/Education- This budgeted item is intended to

better prepare officers and administration for leadership positions and career

advancement. The department allocates $101,051 to training and career

development and will only be reallocating $38,142. These items do not include

funds allocated for in-house departmental training which is completed on a

quarterly basis by department range staff. In instances where California P.O.S.T.

requires specific training for an officer then the department will ensure completion.

 $25,411 in Facility Maintenance- The Department is projecting a surplus of $25,411

in facility maintenance due to recent improvements made at the facility as well as

more reliance on city public works and not outside contractors. The Madera Unified

School District has provided offices at each High School to house the department’s

Motor Unit which will reduce use of PD’s facilities.

 $20,000 in Employment Recruitment Costs- This budgeted item is intended to

promote the recruitment of quality applicant in order to maintain a safe staffing

level. The department has received an increase of $55,846 in funds from the COPS
 Hiring Program Grant. The additional funds received will cover the need for the

initial budgeted item.

The $700,000.00 carve out from the budget will be allocated to the HOT Team to serve

and address the citizen’s complaints about the homeless population. Department

Administrators will frequently evaluate the team’s success in addressing and formulating

solutions for the homeless issue. Administration will also closely monitor the affected areas in

which funds were taken and reallocated to the HOT Team. If adverse effects are noted solutions

will be formulated to address the issue and find other potential targets in the budget to

continue to fund the HOT Team.

It is the Departments mission to continually serve the needs of the residents of the City

of Madera in the best and most fiscally responsible manner. It is the Departments belief that

the creation and implementation of the HOT Team will bring vibrant business aspirations back

to the downtown area and drastically improve the overall outlook of the city.