1995 CAFR - Laserfiche WebLink

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Parks (continued) MAJOR INITIATIVES (continued) In 1994, the City Council received input from many members of the community that maintenance efforts on the existing parks had fallen behind. As a result, the City acquired improved equipment for 1995, and provided for a significant increase in part-time maintenance workers in the summer. The City begins hiring its summer help early in the year in order to ensure that the help is there when it is needed to ensure our parks are in top condition. This maintenance effort is important in that we now have 118.4 acres of active park and public land with more than 500 acres of undeveloped or natural park spaces. These undeveloped spaces are intended to preserve the natural beauty of this community for future generations. Public Safety In 1995, the City increased its staffmg complement in the Police Department to 13 sworn officers. The last position was made available because of a Federal grant received in September. During 1995, the Department responded to 7,793 incidents, compared to 8,154 for 1994. For the two years, this activity is broken down into the following categories: 1994 1995 Traffic/Driving Under Influence /Accidents 957 1,058 Burglary 118 74 Domestics /Animal Complaints/Neighborhood Complaints 1,004 1,110 Motorist Aid/Lockouts/Alarms 813 800 Gun Permits /Other Licenses and Permits 149 130 Unclassified [Calls /Arrests/Warrants /Etc.] 5,113 4,621 Also in 1995, the City began the design of a new police department building that has been under consideration since 1993. This effort will result in the 1996 construction of approximately 5,250 square feet of office space, just east of the existing City Hall. This project, along with computer upgrades, is expected to assist the department in both initial response times as well as investigative activities. The 26 member Fire Department responded to 248 fire incidents of which 81 were personal injury accidents. This compares to 1994 totals of 233 and 67, respectively, and 137 and 66 for 1993. Both the Police and Fire Departments are dispatched through the Anoka County Communications Center, which saves the community siginificant expense in operational costs. Police Department jailing is also handled by Anoka County, as is a portion of crime investigation. Both departments are active in community education. In April or May of each year, the Police and Fire Departments co -host the Becky Weiss Memorial Bike Road -eo and 1995 saw the third DARE program at Ramsey Elementary School. The Fire Department is also active in the schools and hosts demonstrations at the Annual Lions Community Picnic, home day -care centers, and other community events. ACCOUNTING SYSTEM. INTERNAL AND BUDGETARY CONTROLS The City's accounting system is organized and operated on a fund basis. Each fund or account group is a distinct, self - balancing accounting entity. The various funds and account groups utilized by the City are described in Note One of the financial statements. All funds are in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles applicable to governmental entities. Accounting and bookkeeping for all City activities are centralized under the Finance Department. The responsibility for financial records, maintaining internal controls, and preparing financial and budgetary reports is delegated to this department. vi