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SR-701-006-01 (4) PD:JTB:ND:f:\police\share\staffrpt\psstgrant.doc City Council Meeting: October 12, 2004 Santa Monica, California TO: Mayor and City Council FROM: City Staff SUBJECT: Acceptance of $350,000 Grant Award from the California Office of Traffic Safety in Support of a Law Enforcement Against Drunk Driving Safety Program, Approval of Related Grant Agreement, and Appropriation of Grant Funds. INTRODUCTION This report recommends the City Council accept a $350,000 grant award from the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS), authorize the City Manager to execute the related agreement with OTS, and appropriate the grant funds to be used to operate a three-year traffic and pedestrian safety program. BACKGROUND The city has made traffic and pedestrian safety a high priority for the past five years. Grant funds have allowed the city, and the Santa Monica Police Department in particular, to maximize education and enforcement efforts in this area. The department?s current emphasis is to reduce alcohol-involved fatal and injury collisions, reduce pedestrian and bicycle involved fatal and injury collisions and to increase 1 compliance with seat belt laws through a program called ?Law Enforcement Against Drunk Driving? (LEADD). DISCUSSION The OTS grant will fund the comprehensive three-year traffic/pedestrian safety program, LEADD. Acceptance of the OTS grant funding will provide additional directed enforcement and education in the area of driving under the influence prevention, pedestrian safety, seatbelt law compliance, and bicycle helmet usage. The funds will allow purchase of equipment and educational materials as well as supplement personnel costs for additional enforcement during the three-year grant period and automation of a traffic records database. Special emphasis will be placed upon repeat driving-under-the-influence offenders, driver license violators, and traffic safety education for students, seniors and tourists. OTS obtained the $350,000 of grant funding from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and is passing through the federal funds to the City of Santa Monica. No City matching funds are required to obtain this funding. OTS will disburse grant funds for eligible expenses subsequent to receipt of periodic reimbursement requests from the City. BUDGET/FINANCIALIMPACT 2 The following FY 2004-05 budget changes will be needed to record receipt of the OTS grant funding and to make it available for program use: 1. Establish a budget of $350,000 in revenue account number 20304.403520. 2. Appropriate grant funds to the following expenditure budget accounts: Amount Account Title Account Number $ 63,500.00 LEADD Safety Program 01306.555271 $ 68,190.00 LEADD Program Equipment 01306.588561 $218,310.00 LEADD Personnel Costs 01306.511490 88382 W _______________________________________________________________________ $350,000 Total The grant period will encompass three fiscal years (FY2004-05, FY2005-06, and FY2006-07). RECOMENDATION It is recommended that the City Council: Accept the California Office of Traffic Safety grant in the amount of $350,000 1. and authorize the City Manager to execute a grant agreement with OTS for the purpose of receiving grant funds and implementing the Law Enforcement Against Drunk Driving traffic safety enforcement and education program. 2. Appropriate the grant funds by approving the budget changes described above. Prepared and submitted by: James T. Butts, Jr., Chief of Police 3