PRESENTER: Presenter
Jennifer Gates, Grants Coordinator
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SUBJECT: Title
Approval of a resolution for a Memorandum of Understanding between Comal County and the City of New Braunfels supporting the submission of a grant application to purchase law enforcement equipment for the New Braunfels Police Department using a joint allocation of funding provided by the FY 2023 Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program.
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DEPARTMENT: Police
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COUNCIL DISTRICTS IMPACTED: Citywide
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
The Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Program administered by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Office of Justice Programs (OJP), Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), allows units of local government to support a broad range of activities to prevent and control crime based on their local needs and conditions. Grant funds can be used for state and local initiatives, technical assistance, training, personnel, equipment, supplies, contractual support, and information systems for criminal justice or civil proceedings. Funds are allocated to local governments on a formula basis and may be shared by those designated by the granting agency as ‘disparate jurisdictions.’
As disparate jurisdictions, the City of New Braunfels and Comal County have been entitled to joint allocations since the FY 2020 program year of the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program - Local Solicitation. Direct Allocations are listed for each entity by the granting agency in the notification of funding, but disparate jurisdictions are not required to abide by the listed individual amounts and are instead responsible for working together to determine their individual amounts within the eligible Joint Allocation amount, up to the full amount being utilized by one agency. A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), signed by both parties, is required by the granting agency to formalize the mutually agreed upon distribution of funding.
During the FY 2022 grant program year, a new approval process and associated MOU template was mutually developed by the City and County. During this process, the agencies discuss possible uses of funding when the joint allocation amounts have been announced by the granting agency and an MOU is then drafted accordingly. The agency with the largest funding request will first submit an MOU for consideration to their governing body, and upon receipt of approval, the signed MOU will then be provided to the other agency for consideration and approval by their governing body. The fully executed MOU is then be submitted to the granting agency with the City and/or County funding requests.
For the FY 2023 grant program year, the County supported the City’s request to utilize the full amount of the joint allocation and released its claim on the County’s Individual Allocation of $10,014 so that it could be combined with the City’s Individual Allocation of $18,928 thereby providing a total of $28,942 to be utilized by the City for the purchase of law enforcement equipment for the New Braunfels Police Department (NBPD).
As such, City staff submitted an application in August 2023, and City received notification of award in September 2023 for the anticipated purchase of target illuminators and a thermal sniper scope that will be utilized by officers in NBPD’s Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) program.
Upon receipt of approval by City Council, the MOU will be signed by the New Braunfels’ City Manager as the Authorizing Official and submitted for approval by the Comal County Commissioner’s Court. Comal County staff will then provide the fully executed documents to City staff for submission to the granting agency for their records, thereby fulfilling a required administrative condition of the awarded funding.
ISSUE:
Submission of a grant application using the City’s and County’s joint allocation of funding provided by the FY 2023 Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program supports the City’s Strategic Priorities as follows:
Use a variety of funding sources for operational and capital needs.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The granting agency will provide funds for 100% of the total amount therefore, there is no City-match requirement.
Recommendation
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends approval of a resolution for a Memorandum of Understanding between Comal County and the City of New Braunfels supporting the submission of a grant application to purchase law enforcement equipment for the New Braunfels Police Department using a joint allocation of funding provided by the FY 2023 Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program.