Title
Domestic Violence FY 2007 Grant Application (B)
This item involves receiving $400,000 in Year 4 grant funds from the U.S. Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women for continued funding of the Gainesville Police Department's Domestic Violence Unit and expansion of those activities to the University of Florida Police Department for FY2007 and FY2008.
Explanation
The City of Gainesville initially applied for and received grant funding in the amount of $454,695 from the U.S. Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women in 2003 and has used those funds to form the Gainesville Police Department's Domestic Violence Unit. The Domestic Violence Unit is housed within the Criminal Investigations Bureau and is comprised of two Detectives and a Victim Advocate whose sole focus is the investigation of domestic violence cases and assistance for those victims. The Gainesville Police Department will use these new funds for the continued operation of the Domestic Violence Unit (current grant funding will expire on 09/30/06), efforts to increase public awareness of domestic violence related issues, and expand the success of the grant project to the University of Florida through partnerships with the University of Florida's Police Department and College of Law. These partnerships will enable the University Police Department to staff a Domestic Violence Detective and formalize procedures with the College of Law which will permit certified 3rd Year Law Students to assist victims of domestic violence in civil proceedings such as restraining order hearings.
This grant application is due to the Department of Justice by January 11, 2006.
Fiscal Note
The grant requires no match and would fund a 24 month grant cycle consisting of FY2007 through FY2008. If funded, acceptance of the grant requires that the City of Gainesville agree to continue the project at least one budget cycle past the end of the grant at an anticipated cost of up to $150,000. The City would be committing the appropriation of funds sometime in the future for the continuation of this program for an additional year. At the time the grant expires, the City Commission would have to: 1.) appropriate state or federal contraband funds if any were available; 2.) appropriate other general fund revenues, if available; 3.) reduce other expenditures in the Police Department; 4.) make available City Commission contingency funds, or 5.) any combination of these sources.
Recommendation
The City Commission authorize the City Manager to 1.) apply to the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs for the grant in an amount up to $400,000, and if awarded; 2.) execute any grant documents, subject to approval by the City Attorney.
Alternative Recommendation A: The City Commission decline the opportunity to apply for continued grant funding from the U.S. Department of Justice and continue to operate the programs it would have funded. The fiscal impact is that the City would need to provide an anticipated $150,000 from an alternative source of funds described above to comply with the Terms and Assurances of the original grant awarded in 2003.