Fiscal Note
The City of Madison applied for and received a USDOJ Byrne Criminal Justice Innovation grant of $1,000,000 for a 3-year implementation period. The Community Development Division, which will be administering funds, developed a policy paper in partnership with multiple stakeholders to outline the parameters for allocating grant funding. The proposed resolution approves the policy paper and directs CDD to formulate funding recommendations based on the results of an RFP process that is currently being developed. CDD will present funding recommendations to the Council for approval and anticipates the use of funds to begin in September 2022. No additional appropriation is required.
Title
Accepting the policy paper prepared by the Community Development Division (CDD) outlining steps to carry out the plan developed by the Advisory Council formed to implement the Byrne Criminal Justice Innovation (BCJI) grant Isthmus Safety Initiative (ISI), and directing CDD to conduct a Request for Proposal (RFP) process to solicit proposals to utilize available funds, and to formulate funding allocation recommendations to the Mayor and Common Council, for their approval, for use beginning in September 2022.
Body
The proposed resolution accepts the policy paper prepared by the Community Development Division (CDD) for the BCJI Isthmus Safety Initiative (ISI) as the foundation for conducting a Request for Proposal (RFP) process to solicit program proposals from organizations that fulfill the objectives outlined in the paper. It also directs CDD to conduct an RFP process and to bring funding recommendations to the Council at the conclusion of that process, for its review and approval, prior to awarding contracts. The process referenced above will allocate funds to selected agencies and/or organizations for use beginning in September 2022.
The policy paper introduces the proposed conceptual framework that will guide the allocation of the BCJI grant funding for the Isthmus Safety Initiative, beginning in 2022. Following approval of the Action Plan submitted to BJA and release of grant funds by the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), available funding will be allocated based on the following priority order identified by the ISI Advisory Council:
1. Safety Ambassadors
2. Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED)
3. Bystander Awareness Training for Bartenders and Bar Staff
As a note, $50,000 has been set aside for the CPTED intervention as it will go through a different funding process. Any remaining funds from the CPTED intervention will be available for use among the other interventions as needed.
The goal of these funds is to support work of cross-sector partners to collaboratively develop and implement activities that address and prevent chronic hotspots of violent crime in Downtown Madison.
WHEREAS, the City of Madison applied for and received a USDOJ Byrne Criminal Justice Innovation (BCJI) grant in 2020, that focused on downtown Madison; and,
WHEREAS, as called for by the BCJI grant, and working in collaboration with a Steering Committee, University of Wisconsin Population Health, Public Health Madison and Dane County, and the Madison Police Department, the Division engaged an Advisory Council of cross-sector partners consisting of downtown stakeholders, organizations, business owners, and residents to discuss downtown crime issues and the drivers of crime downtown, and create a plan to address them; and,
WHEREAS, the resulting plan, “Byrne Criminal Justice Innovation (BCJI) Isthmus Safety Initiative Action Plan” was developed and submitted to the USDOJ, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) as part of the 2020 BCJI implementation grant process; and,
WHEREAS, BJA awarded the Division a $1,000,000 grant for a three-year implementation period; and,
WHEREAS, the Community Development Division and the grant partners, over the course of the implementation period, will use the grant funds to address crime and the drivers of crime within downtown Madison’s State Street area described in the implementation plan; and,
WHEREAS, the CDD, with input from the Community Services Committee, stakeholders, policy makers, and residents has developed this policy paper reflecting the plan submitted to BJA and outlining the parameters through which the City will allocate funding for the Isthmus Safety Initiative; and,
WHEREAS, the CDD, which is charged with administering these funds, is preparing to conduct an RFP process that will establish Isthmus Safety Initiative program allocations for 2022, subject to Council approval; and,
WHEREAS, the content of this policy paper, if approved by the Common Council, will serve as the foundation for an RFP document to solicit proposals from local service organizations seeking City funding to support violence prevention activities in downtown Madison called for in the plan submitted to BJA.
NOW, THERFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Common Council approves the Isthmus Safety Initiative policy paper, prepared by CDD, and directs CDD staff to conduct an RFP process to allocate funds provided through the BCJI grant; and,
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Council directs CDD to formulate funding allocation recommendations, to be presented to the Common Council for its approval, for the use of those funds beginning in September 2022 and once funds have been released by BJA.