DATE:
July 2, 2024
TO:
Paul Buddenhagen, City Manager
FROM:
Jeff Jennings, Police Chief
SUBJECT:
Resolution Of The City Council Of The City Of Emeryville Authorizing The City Manager To Accept And Expend A Grant On Behalf Of The Police Department From The CHP Cannabis Tax Fund Grant Program (CTFGP) In The Amount Of $202,343.24 For Reducing Impaired Driving And Improving Traffic, Bicycle, And Pedestrian Safety Within The City Recommendation
Staff recommends the City Council adopt the attached resolution authorizing the City Manager to accept and expend grant award funding from the California Highway Patrol (CHP) Cannabis Tax Fund Grant Program (CTFGP) in the amount of $202,343.24 for traffic safety education and enforcement programs within the City, and authorize the Police Department to utilize the grant funds to continue its education and enforcement of traffic laws related to impaired driving, and improving bicycle and pedestrian safety within the City.
Background
The CHP, Impaired Driving Section, Cannabis Grant Unit, has been charged with managing the California cannabis tax revenue funds, and this unit made grant funds available to local law enforcement to aid in the education and enforcement of traffic laws related to impaired driving, and improving bicycle and pedestrian safety within the City. The grant project guidelines provide funding for:
Police overtime costs which increase driving under the influence (DUI)/driving under the influence of drugs (DUID) enforcement efforts Officer training for Drug Evaluation and Classification (DEC) Program courses and other trainings to help increase the knowledge of law enforcement personnel in detecting and removing impaired drivers from the roadway General prevention education and community outreach designed to educate the public about the dangers of impaired driving Equipment directly related and necessary to complete grant-funded activities included in the Project.
The purpose of this grant funding is to enhance the ability of the police department to increase its efforts in reducing driving under the influence/driving under the influence of drugs (DUI/DUID) driving incidents and improving traffic, bicycle, and pedestrian safety within the City. The police department expects that this grant will assist in increasing traffic safety for the motoring public, bicyclists, and pedestrians within the City. Additionally, the grant funding is necessary to enhance the department’s efforts to reduce DUI/DUID related traffic collisions.
Enforcement operations will be directed at locations with a disproportionate number of DUI/DUID incidents, traffic collisions where pedestrians and bicyclists’ safety are at risk, and educational outreach. These strategies are designed to attract media attention, thus enhancing the overall deterrent effect.
The grant funding received has been broken down into the following funding categories:
Personnel Overtime Enforcement / Outreach / Training $41,413 Equipment $160,930.24
The equipment approved in the grant includes:
Ford F150 Lightning EV
Zero Motorcycle EV
BWM 1250RT Patrol Motorcycle
Flashlights and hi-vis traffic safety vests
Community outreach educational operations funded by this grant will include those specifically related to DUI/DUID and traffic safety presentations. Past grant awards have been met with very positive feedback from the community, particularly for outreach efforts like the ones funded by this grant.
In addition to enforcement operations, a community awareness program will be undertaken. The police department will work to create media opportunities throughout the grant period to call public attention to the program strategies and outcomes. The police department will be required to submit Quarterly Performance Reports and Quarterly Evaluation data forms to the California Office of Traffic Safety.
The grant period is from July 1, 2024 through June 30, 2025.
Discussion
The benefits of this grant award will directly impact traffic safety in our City by improving traffic safety and police officer training. Reducing DUI/DUID driving, increasing bicycle and pedestrian safety, and conducting community educational outreach in the City are the primary goals of this funding.
The CHP Grants Section is working on finalizing the grant agreements for local agencies and advised that the anticipated release date for these grant agreements will be the week of July 1, 2024. Due to the impending July 1, 2024, start date for this grant, CHP Grants Section staff requested approval from local agencies’ governing bodies as close to July 1, 2024 as feasible. As of the date this report was drafted EPD has not received the draft grant agreement.
Fiscal Impact
The fiscal impact to the City will be the initial expenditure of equipment purchasing and overtime costs to conduct various traffic operations. However, since the CHP CTFGP grant operates through a quarterly reimbursement process, there will be no real impact to the department’s budget. This is not a cost match grant. Some police staff time will be required to administer the grant; this staff time is considered part of their normal duties. Because CHP CTFGP grant funding is based on the City’s fiscal year, the City of Emeryville’s expenditures will come from the FY24/25 budget. The personnel costs will be submitted to CHP CTFGP on a quarterly basis.
The Police Department is requesting both the department’s revenues and expenditures be adjusted for this grant. The revenue account (254-53650) should be adjusted to account for the increase of $202,343.24. The equipment expenditure account (254-91510) should be adjusted by 160,930.24 to accommodate the approved equipment purchasing. The overtime expenditure account (254-71050) should be adjusted by $41,413 to accommodate the projected overtime expenditures.
Staff Communication with the Public
There has been no communication with the public regarding this grant. However, there will be a targeted public media campaign as discussed above.
Conflict of Interest
None.
Conclusion
Staff recommends that the City Council approve the attached resolution to authorize the City Manager to accept and expend the grant on behalf of the Police Department from the CHP Cannabis Tax Fund Grant Program (CTFGP) in the amount of $202,343.24.
PREPARED BY: Oliver Collins, Captain
APPROVED AND FORWARDED TO THE
CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF EMERYVILLE:
Paul Buddenhagen, City Manager
ATTACHMENTS
Resolution
CHP CTFGP Grant Acceptance
| July 2, 2024
City of Emeryville
CALIFORNIA
MEMORANDUM