Garner/Extension of Services Plane°
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Department
Date: August 23, 2000
To: City Manager, Chris Kukulski
From: Chief of Police, Frank Garner
RE: Extension of Services Plan for Village Green Subdivision Annexation
SYNOPSIS
We have completed an extension of services plan for law enforcement for the
Village Green Subdivision annexation proposal. In preparing the plan we examined the
call load ratio for the region, the demographic features, the population base and the
inherent architectural features related to safety.
CALL LOAD RATIO
We analyzed the call -load ratio for the area from our records and those of the
Flathead County Sheriffs Office to help determine a calls for service need. This area is
in our zone number 4. Zone 4 is the lowest calls -for -service area in the city with
approximately 1400 calls per year. The Flathead County Sheriffs Office indicated the
calls -for -service in the area was very low.
DEMOGRAPHIC FEATURES
The demographic profile of the area is one of single family residential dwellings.
We have used the estimate of 225 homes that are currently developed. The area is
generally couples without children and is considered middle to upper middle class.
POPULATION ESTIMATE
If we use a low estimate of 2 persons per household on a 225 home base the estimated
service population would be about 450 persons. If we use the average household
occupancy ratio of 2.7 persons per household (Department of Commerce numbers) we
could estimate the population at about 600 persons. We believe a reasonable population
estimate is between 450 and 600 persons.
�~aa
Frank Garner, Chief of Police - Jim Brown, Asst. Chief of Police - KPD phone (406) 758-7790, FAX (406) 758-7799
300 1st Ave. East, Kalispell, MT 59901 `�O1
INHERE, NT SAFETY FEATURES
The subdivision is flanked on the east by Stillwater River and on the west by steep ridges.
The area has only two access roads on the south side of the property with fencing
between the ridges and the river. The area receives very little transient traffic that is not
connected to the golf operation because there are no through avenues. The subdivision is
well lit and the homes are in close proximity to each other. There is some floodplain
concern that might require some law enforcement services.
CONCLUSIONS
The low calls -for -service ratio of the area along with the absence of a significant call load
in the subdivision suggests that the demand on our services will be low. The demographic
profile of the area, that of adult middle income families, is generally one with a low calls -
for -service profile.
The population numbers suggest that the area will require approximately .8 officers base
on the low population estimate of 450 residents. That figure is based on the "Law
Enforcement in Montana" survey which rates law enforcement ratios in cities of our size
in the state at 1.8 officers per 1000 residents. (x/450 residents = 1.8/1000 residents). We
must also anticipate some impact on our dispatch services that will require that we budget
additional money for part-time staff. We also anticipate a very small caseload on our
animal warden services.
The geographic and architectural features of the subdivision provide a very safe profile to
the area. The area is a veritable fortress surrounded by water, ridges and fencing. The
access points are limited and the homes are in close proximity to each other, allowing
monitoring by neighbors. The area is well lit and has little drive -through traffic. These
features suggest that there will be a very low law enforcement caseload_
It is our opinion that we can extend services to this area without the addition of any
employees through increased efficiency and zone response. We feel we can generally
provide excellent service to the area because of its proximity to existing service areas and
the inherent low calls -far -service overall profile of the area. We must stress that the
cumulative affect of annexations such as these will result in a need for additional full-
time staff and proportional funding for support staff.