7:35 - 9:25 PM
Rockville City Hall | Members Present: | | Sarah Duffy | Sarah Mahin | Eric Wang | Cindy Griffiths | Agnes Saenz | | David L’Heureux | Tim Stranges | | | 
| | | Members Absent: | | Shari Cohen | Kim Dawkins | Tom Lawrey | |
| | | Staff Present: | | Mary Lou Jacobs | | Sarah Gicale | |
| | | Guest: | | Terry Treschuk, Chief of Police |
Re: Call Meeting to Order/ Introductions Sarah Duffy called the meeting to order at 7:35 p.m. She introduced Chief Terry Treschuk to members of the Commission. Re: Guest Presentation: Terry Treschuk, Chief of Police Chief Treschuk began his presentation with an overview of the city from a police perspective. He said that Rockville has approximately 62,000 residents with 78,000 people in the city during daytime hours. Altogether the city has 21 different schools including 5 high schools. In addition Montgomery College alone has a daytime population of 15,000 and a nighttime population of 15,000. There are a lot of young people within the city limits. It used to be that no one was allowed to use the word “gang” but the last 15-18 years have seen a difference in the transference of gangs coming from D.C. The gang MS 13 has the most presence in the area including many offshoots. Apparently some people locally are also involved with the Bloods and Crips. A gang can be a local neighborhood group as, for example, the Lincoln Park Crew (now based in Germantown as the Rockville Police drove them out of Rockville). Generally, the Chief believes that Rockville is gang-free. He said it is rare that Rockville has any real gang activity although, on occasion, there are gang “wannabes.” The real gang activity in Montgomery County is located in Germantown/Gaithersburg and downcounty. Rockville does have some issues with graffiti, not specifically gang-related, but has not experienced any serious gang incidents. The recent shooting at the Twinbrook Safeway was first believed to be gang-related. It turned out to be a boy-girl dispute. The City’s police department takes the threat of gang activity very seriously. It is part of a network with all public safety organizations. During the last 4-5 years, there have been significant issues between people of different backgrounds and cultures. The world has changed. There is a level of violence that can be alarming. Schools work diligently to prevent it. The police work hard at it. In his opinion, families need to do more. He sees a disconnect at the family level. He also thinks the religious community needs to try harder in the community. Everyone should be working on the problem, not just the police. There needs to be a higher level of communication with one or two people who possess energy and charisma taking the lead. Sarah Duffy said that although Rockville doesn’t have any gang activity, it sounds as though the police are acting “as if….” Chief Treschuk said that his department worked on drug activity in Lincoln Park and that neighborhood has changed totally. Now meetings of the Lincoln Park Civic Association deal with topics like gutter guards. Sarah Mahin asked what the police are doing in the area of prevention. Chief Treschuk said their work in this area is minimal. With 62,000 residents in Rockville and 55 officers, there isn’t sufficient staff. They do make presentations to community groups and share information. He sees the City Recreation and Parks Department as outstanding in the area of prevention including programs provided by the Community Services Division. The City Police Department asked to be a part of the Education Facility Officer Program in the schools but was turned down. In the past his department has had some excellent Community Service Officers who are wonderful at working with people although currently he does not have sufficient staff. The Rockville Police continue to do the Every 15 Minutes Program at a different high school in the city every year. This is a prevention program for alcohol and drug use. Tim Stranges thanked Chief Treschuk for his “straight talk.” He inquired as to the number of Spanish-speaking officers currently on staff. The Chief responded that currently there are nine officers who speak Spanish, two others who are proficient with Sign Language, one who speaks Mandarin and others who speak many other languages. The City Police Department also subscribes to a language line. Tim then asked if there is tuition assistance for recreation programs. Mary Lou Jacobs said that last year the Recreation Fund provided $80,000 in scholarships. The department is now doing a lot of fundraising to replenish the fund. The Recreation Fund relies completely on community donations. Currently, the Department is looking at adding a small surcharge to each activity fee, which would go toward funding scholarships. Eric Wang said he agreed with Chief Treschuk on the need for a higher level of communication. He thought that the Commission should recommend a summit where people could come together to address the increasing level of violence in the community. Sarah Duffy said she liked Eric’s idea; although there may not be a gang problem in Rockville now, there are plenty of examples in the surrounding areas. Sarah Mahin commented that a summit is a one-time thing and asked the Chief if he had other suggestions. Chief Treschuk said there needs to be someone with a passion who could organize a community response which would include resource and educational outreach to parents. If one or two people become interested, they bring in others. He sees many young people who don’t think they will live that long and, as a result, have nothing to lose. He gave his commitment on providing any resources the Commission would find helpful in organizing a community response. The Gang Task Force Coordinator, Jeff Kramer, is also available to assist. Sarah Duffy suggested that the idea of a summit or forum or some other response to the problem of gang activity be discussed at the next meeting. Re: Approve April 8, 2008 Meeting Minutes Tim asked that the work “enforced” be changed to “pursued” in the second paragraph on page 4. David L’Heureux moved that the minutes be approved as amended; Cindy Griffiths seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. Re: Old Business Appointment of Commission Chair
Mary Lou reported that the Mayor and Council approved the appointment of Sarah Duffy to the position of Chairperson of the Human Services Advisory Commission at their meeting on
April 21, 2008. April 14 Mayor and Council Budget Hearing
Sarah Duffy reported that her testimony had gone well; she had managed to cover most of the issues discussed by Commission members. She said this had been an interesting budget hearing. Subsequently she was contacted by a Councilmember concerning the Commission’s priorities for funding. Apparently the Mayor and Council were considering increasing the budgeted amount for human services. Sarah Duffy said she thought it important that the Commission continue to tell them how valuable City staff are; and that, if Human Services Advisory Commission members keep providing good information, there is a possibility the Mayor and Council would take action. Mary Lou said that this is not the first time funding recommendations have included cuts. Every year, in reviewing the applications from outside agencies, the panel looks at the number of Rockville residents being served. She wants Commission members to understand that they are the voice of Rockville residents. If they see a program that is serving only two residents of the city, they need to grapple with that issue. The grants process is based on the applications, the number of residents being served and what each program plans to do. The grants program is merit-based; not politically based. Tim commented that these were funds that were “restored” not new money being put into human services. Mary Lou said that the City’s position is that these grants are not entitlements. Every year should be considered as starting from scratch. Sarah Duffy said she thinks inflation is important. Mary Lou said that more than half of the programs did not ask for an increase. Commission members might want to discuss what a fair process would be. Human service needs change in any community and the City needs to be able to respond appropriately. Sarah Duffy said that the City might want to add to the application something related to increased costs, perhaps as a pilot project. Agnes Saenz asked why human services shouldn’t be expected to receive the same cost of living increase as the entire city budget. Sarah Duffy said she sees this as a topic for the Outreach Subcommittee to work on. They would need to look at data on the County and State budgets to see if the level of funding for human services was decreasing. Sarah Mahin pointed out that if nonprofits were not able to provide human services, the City would have to. She suggested that the Commission send a letter of thanks to the Mayor and Council. Sarah Duffy said she had already taken care of this. Community Services Division Monthly Report
Sarah Mahin asked how costs for the Rockville Emergency Assistance Program (REAP) in March compared with those during the winter. Mary Lou responded that utility bills have increased. Recently, people have been applying for REAP who are unable to show that they have ever paid their utility bill. Alfred Thompson looks at whether these applicants have a workable plan. They have very low income and have relied on public agencies. Also, recently, there have been inquiries regarding foreclosures. Alfred has several programs at the state level that he can refer to. Many of these applicants owe too much money to qualify for assistance. This is a very complicated issue. Tim said he had learned today that there are 15,000 people on the HOC waiting list. Re: New Business Report on recent Site Visits Chinese Culture and Community Service Center (CCACC) English Classes: Eric said he had accompanied Mary Lou to a class at the Lincoln Park Community Center. There were seven students with an American instructor (which Eric thinks is helpful.) He liked the material being used and thought the class was very good. The enrollment is greater than the attendance. Mary Lou said that the exciting news was that people were appropriately placed. This was an advanced class and the students were actually speaking English! Mary Lou and Eric attended a second class at Bethany House with an instructor who is 90 years old. This was also an advanced class but the instructor spoke in Chinese. It seemed more like a class in socialization than in English. Mary Lou and Eric spoke with Vincent Tang who oversees the classes for CCACC. He agreed to include some specific questions on the year-end satisfaction survey. Mary Lou also commented that CCACC receives $10,000. Their instructors are paid only out-of-pocket expenses. The organization is senior-focused. Latino Outreach Program (LOP): Tim said he had been very impressed with this site visit. Before the visit Mary Lou had some concerns regarding curriculum issues and class structure but these were all addressed by LOP staff. LOP pays their teachers and charges tuition, although if someone is unable to pay, they will work with them. They also provide babysitting. He and Mary Lou visited the Crusader Lutheran and Rockville United locations and sat in on an advanced class with 15 students. He said the instructor knew every person’s name. The class spoke only English in a discussion of the differences between vegetables and fruit. Agnes said that the money LOP received in 2008 helped them with a program on naturalization. They offered one program in the fall and will offer it again in the summer. About six people who went through the program last year are waiting to be called for citizenship. Some of last year’s money was used for a consultant. As a result, LOP now has oral and written exams at the end of the semester to see if students can move on to the next level. Recently, LOP surveyed their students on how they liked the program. The results confirmed that the current structure is satisfactory so no changes have been made. Recreation Fund: Tim asked if it would be possible to have the computerized system for enrolling in recreation activities (Rock Enroll) ask for a donation at checkout. Mary Lou said she would find out what the current system is. Re: Plan Agenda for June 10 Meeting Councilmembers Phyllis Marcuccio and Anne Robbins are scheduled to attend this meeting Discussion of a summit or other response to Chief Treschuk’s presentation Discussion of site visits
Re: Adjourn David moved that the meeting be adjourned; Tim seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. The meeting was adjourned at 9:25 p.m. The next meeting of the Human Services Advisory Commission will be held Tuesday, June 10, 2008 at 7:30 p.m. in the Black-Eyed Susan Conference Room in City Hall. | 
