For City Council Meeting [October 26, 2021]
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council
APPROVAL: Marcus Fuller, City Manager
FROM: Mark P. Kling, Chief of Police
Title
Request City Council to: (1) Adopt Resolution No. 7787 Amending the 2021-2022 Fiscal Year Budget; (2) Accept the California Office of Traffic Safety “Traffic Records Improvement Project” Grant in the Amount of $76,000; and (3) Authorize the City Manager or Designee to Execute All Documents.
Body
BACKGROUND
The Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) takes a leadership role in efforts to make California roadways safe for all users. Through thoughtful, forward-thinking, and data-driven selection of grants to local and state agencies, OTS provides an effective means of eliminating fatalities, injuries, and economic losses resulting from crashes. Through grant funding made available to California by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), OTS annually funds over $80 million dollars in innovative, evidence-based education and enforcement programs and technologies designed to make California’s roadways safer.
OTS is committed to identify and overcome new traffic safety issues as travel habits change and transportation technologies emerge. To that end, OTS evaluates all potential programs to ensure California addresses current and future traffic safety needs. OTS works with approximately 300 state and local agencies to make the most effective use of federal grant program funds. Additionally, OTS coordinates with traffic safety partners to track successful programs, encourage collaboration, develop new countermeasures, and explore emerging trends to enhance roadway safety throughout the state.
ANALYSIS/DISCUSSION
For the past several years, the City has pursued and been awarded various grants from the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) to help augment traffic safety and enforcement efforts. Because of the prolonged nationwide economic decline, more and more agencies are now applying for grant funding making the grant process even more competitive. There are no matching funds required for this grant.
If this grant is accepted, the City will be reimbursed for all grant related approved project hardware, software equipment, and supplies during the grant operational period of October 1, 2021, through September 30, 2022.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
The proposed action does not meet the definition of a project as defined by Section 15378 California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). A “Project” means the whole of an action, which has a potential for resulting in either a direct physical change in the environment, or a reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment, and excludes the following:
1) Continuing administrative or maintenance activities, such as purchases for
supplies, Personnel-related actions, general policy and procedure making.
2) Organizational or administrative activities of governments that will not result in
direct or indirect physical changes in the environment.
GENERAL PLAN CONSISTENCY
The City of Rialto has outlined key goals and objects relating to public safety. The acceptance of this grant is consistent with meeting these objectives.
Goal 5-8: Provide effective and comprehensive policing services that meet the safety needs of Rialto.
LEGAL REVIEW
The City Attorney has reviewed and supports this staff report.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
Operating Budget Impact
Accepting the 2022 Traffic Records Improvement Project will increase revenue in the amount of $76,000 to be appropriated in the Office of Traffic Safety Grant Revenue Account No. 221-400-6988-7551, and offsetting increase of expenditures in the amount of $76,000 in Account No. 221-500-6988-3030 for the expenditures associated with the purchase of a complete electronic citation data collection system.
This grant requires no local City match.
Capital Improvement Budget Impact
No immediate impact to Capital Improvement Budget.
Licensing
This staff report is for the acceptance of a grant. A License is not needed.
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that the City Council:
(1) Adopt Resolution No. ____ Amending the 2021-2022 Fiscal Year Budget;
(2) Accept the California Office of Traffic Safety “Traffic Records Improvement Project” Grant in the Amount of $76,000; and
(3) Authorize the City Manager or Designee to Execute All Documents.