SR-121796-6O
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PD JTB HA\f cmanager\share\pdgrant1
City Council Mtg 12/17/96
Santa Monica, California
DEe 1 7 1996
TO Mayor and City Council
FROM City Staff
SUBJECT Recommendation to Consider and Designate Alternative Uses of PolIce
Grant Funds
INTRODUCTION
This report recommends that Council consider uses for grant funds available to the Santa
Monica Police Department and designate the funds for two alternatives
BACKGROUND
The Santa MOnica Police Department IS eligible to receIve $281,576 under the Federal
Local Law Enforcement Block Grants Program and $210,03669 under the State of
CalIfornia's CItizen's Option for Public Safety (COPS) Grantee obligations Include holding
a public heanng on proposed use of the funds
The department has Identified two alternative uses Involving the application of technology
Innovations Both would assist the City In equipping the proposed publiC safety facility,
funding for which will be the subject of CounCil diSCUSSion In January, 1997
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DEe 1 7 1996
DISCUSSION
These grant momes can provide advanced technologies In the proposed public safety
facility Cnme Investigation would benefit from state-of-the-art forensIc equipment to
enhance crime scene and eVidence processing Preliminary research Indicates that the
cost of such equipment would be approximately $400,000 Alternatively, the funds could
support "smart bUilding" technology proposed for the new facIlity, ensunng that the building
will support the advanced computing, telecommumcatlons and security equipment for the
force The "smart bUilding" technology will constitute approxImately $750,000 of the
proposed facIlity costs and could be off-set In significant measure by the grants
Final determination of the best use of the grant funds requires additional Interaction with
vendors and the facility architects as well as Council action on facility funding and
tlmellnes Council Will be Informed of the final determination made regarding use of the
funds
BUDGET! FINANCIAL IMPACT
At the FY 1995-96 Year End Budget Review, Council approved General Fund revenue and
expenditure budget appropriations of $206,600 for COPS Program funding Based on
more recent Information, the amount of COPS funds has Increased to $210,036 Further,
State law requires these funds to be accounted for In a separate fund As a result, the
follOWing budget changes Will be necessary
1 AuthOrize creation of the Citizens Option for PubliC Safety Fund (Fund 22)
2 Delete revenues of $206,600 at revenue account #01-300-304-00000-0581-10000
3 Establish revenues of $210,036 at revenue account #22-300-304-00000-0581-1 0000
4 Delete appropriation of $206,600 at expenditure account #01-300-304-00000-8850-
00000
5 Appropriate $210,036 at capital Improvement program account #22-730-304-20097-
8900-99537
With respect to the $281,578 Local Law Enforcement Block Grant Program funds, the
follOWing budget changes Will need to be made, contingent upon receipt of written grant
approval from the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA)
1 Establish revenue estimate of $281,576 at revenue account #20-300-304-00000-
0386-1 0000
2 Appropriate $281,576 at expendIture account #20-730-304-20097-8900-99537
3 Appropriate $31,286 (the required local match) at capital Improvement program
#01-730-304-20097 -8900-99537
4 Delete appropriation of $31,286 at Police Department operating budget expenditure
account #01-300-304-00000-4439-00000
RECOMMENDATION
It IS recommended that CounCIl, designate Local Law Enforcement Block Grant and
Citizen's Option for PublIC Safety (COPS) for the alternative technology equipment Cited
above, and make the noted budgetary changes
Prepared by James T Butts, Jr , Chief of Police
The conversion has created several problems In the area of permit parking Since the
converSion, the demand for monthly parkmg permits has skyrock:eted with the demand
far exceeding the current supply ThIs problem did not eXist under the parking meter
system A waiting list currently eXists totaling more than 150 requests for permits even
though staff has Illcreased the number of available permIts Some comments have
been received that there should be an unlimited availability of permits, however, the
program has a "cap" on the number of permits that are avarlable for each parkIng
structure The current cap IS set at approximately 60% of the available public parking
spaces In each structure This cap generally ensures available parkmg spaces for
VISitorS and patrons to the downtown, and generally a permittee can always find a
space as well The cap under the parkmg meter program was 45%
Staff has determined the basIc reason for the high demand for monthly parkmg permits
IS the current Imbalance between the dally parking rates and the monthly rate For
example, assume a full-time employee works, on the average, 21 days per month, eight
hours per day At the monthly rate, parking would cost $50 00 If the employee did not
have a permIt, at the dally maximum rate, parking would cost $147 DO, almost three
times more Even for a part-time employee who works only two days per week, at the
dally rate, parking would cost $56 DO, stili more than the monthly rate
Staff has reViewed monthly parking rates at various parking faCilities throughout
downtown Monthly parking rates, excluding the parkrng structures, ranged from a low
of S60 00 to a high of $10500 The CIty's current rate IS below the lowest rate In the
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It appears possible to combine these objectives with another aspect of public polley,
asslstmg homeless individuals to obtain Jobs,
Chrysalis, a non-profit agency which helps homeless people return to productive, self-
sufficient lives, has offices In Santa Momca where they operate employment programs
supported by the City's Community Development program Chrysalis provides
particIpants with a variety of training and support including personalized supervIsion of
Job searches, goal setting and resume Writing, workshops to learn baSIC Job search
Skills, practice Job interviews] a locatIon to make and receive phone calls, bus fare to
Interviews, interview and work clothes, and food and hygiene Items Temporary work
With local employers provides Santa Momca chents of Chrysalis With a paycheck]
work expenence, Job references, and feedback on theIr work. habIts
Solid Waste Management Operations has used the services of Chrysahs labor
Connection on a pilot baSIS to proVIde litter collection and cleanup services throughout
the City, Includmg alleys, the beach, and the ThIrd Street Promenade and has found
their performance to be good
DI;;CUSSlon
By approving the proposed agreement with Chrysalis Labor Connection the City
CounCIl will prOVide cost~effectlve alley cleaning and waste dIverSion services uSing
homeless persons employed and supported by an agency expenenced in workIng With
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this population A contract with Chrysalis for these services, as opposed to
augmentation of their CIty grant, will facilitate contract management by the Solid
Waste DIVIsion and apply business terms normally Imposed by City contracts for
services
Based on the pilot program with Chrysalis, staff has detemlined that It IS in the best
long-term Interest of the refuse enterpnse and the City to continue the pilot program
services provided by Chrysalis Labor Connection The serviceS can be obtained
through Chrysalis more cost effectively than they could be through direct employment
with the City because of the dose SUpervision and supportive services that must be
provided to the participants The cost for the recommended services has been
determined to be competitive with the costs charged for similar services by pnvate
for-profit vendors In the region
BudQetlFlscallmpact
The accounts for the budgeted funds are as follows
27 -500-441-00000-5501-00000 $40,000
27-500-442.00000-5501-00000 $68,738
Total $108,738
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Staff believes these and other operational problems can best be addressed with some
additional staffing Adding personnel in the structures to assIst and direct parkers also
provides better 'customer service" than with slgnage or mechanical means Additional
staff can direct parkers to available parking, they can Inform parkers when structures
are full or why there may be delays In eXltmg, and they can ask parkers waltmg to eXIt to
have their fee ready when they reach the cashier
It IS estimated the additional staff will requIre an Increase to the current contract wIth
Ampco by approximately S 136,000 for FY 96/97 ThiS Includes round the clock (24
hour) staff In the parking office, additional costs for cashiers until 2 00 am, and
additional staff (traffic directors) dIrecting and asslstrng parkers In the parking
structures
Some of the additional staffing that has been proposed has been In-place since the
beginning of the fiscal year and $59.000 of the $136,000 Increase wlli compensate the
contractor for these extra costs ThiS Includes the presence of parkIng office staff on a
round the clock baSIS assisting parkers via the Intercom system between mIdnight and
8 00 am when the structures are not In operation, but are stili open, and performing
several c1encal duties assocIated with attendant parking operation A few extra traffic
directors have been added durrng the peak penods Also. Ampco personnel have been
staffing the centralIzed cashier carts/pay-on-foot stations on the Promenade (thIs matter
IS discussed IS more detail later In thiS report)
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