Tryon asks for regular public safety updates at commission meetings
During their Jan. 18 meeting, Commissioner Rick Tryon asked staff and his fellow commissioners to implement some of the recommendations from the crime task force.
Those recommendations were formally presented to the commission in November.
Tryon said he wanted to add a public safety update to the commission’s regular meeting agenda once a month, similar to what the commission does with the public health and military updates.
City Commission discusses crime task force recommendations; has not yet set priorities
The move, Tryon said would “show we consider it a top priority.”
Great Falls Police Chief Jeff Newton said they could do such updates but asked that commissioners let them know the type of information they want so staff can prepare.
GFPD, and all other city departments, provide monthly updates to the city manager’s office that are compiled and shared with commissioners monthly.
Tryon said he’d also like to designate at least a portion of commission work sessions monthly or on some regular basis to collaborating with partners “so we keep this front and center.”
City Commission begins review of crime task force recommendations
The work session agendas have been filling up with discussions of the crime task force recommendations, but many have been filled with conversations about how to spend the city’s $19.47 million allocation of American Rescue Plan, or federal COVID relief, funds.
The city will also be moving into the budget process soon and staff will be asking commissioners for their priorities to craft the budget for the upcoming fiscal year, which starts July 1.
City Commission to take first look at crime task force recommendations during Nov. 2 meeting
The commission has made few moves on the recommendations from the crime task force, other than accepting a federal grant toward hiring three new officers. That grant requires a match from the city and after three years, the city is responsible for the full cost of the new officers.
