In March 2016 the Savannah City Council and Chatham County Board of Commissioners approved an interim agreement for the management and funding of the Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police Department. The agreement also directed the City and County to contract with a professional law enforcement consultant to:

• Provide assistance and guidance in the collection, analysis and interpretation of relevant data, best practices, benchmarks and performance measures
• Document existing and needed Police services within the Unincorporated County and the City of Savannah
• Develop an evidence-based formula to fairly allocate costs of the SCMPD
• Develop accountability standards for SCMPD

The City and County jointly participated in a procurement process that selected Berkshire Advisors to develop this report and cost allocation formula. Representatives from the City and County then actively participated for nearly a year with Berkshire to develop the report. The report was presented to the City Council and County Commission on May 2, 2017.

Approval would:

• Formally accept the Berkshire Advisors Report 
• Formally adopt the evidence-based funding formula recommended by Berkshire, and direct the City Manager to allocate SCMPD costs using this formula
• Direct the City Manager to bill Chatham County for underpayment of costs since January 1, 2016, as specified in the intergovernmental agreement
• Direct the City Manager to develop a three-year phase-in plan for a 7-minute response time standard for Priority 1 calls for service
• Establish that improvements to the E-911 Communications Center are a high priority
• Develop a cost-recovery mechanism for communications and specialized response units

Approval