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Home My WebLink AboutPD Office of Traffic Safety Grant Approval____________________________________________________________________________________ FOR CITY CLERK ONLY Council Meeting: November 20, 2023 Disposition: Resolution 15261 Agenda Item No: 4.i Meeting Date: November 20, 2023 SAN RAFAEL CITY COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT Department: Police Department Prepared by: Alex Holm, Police Lieutenant City Manager Approval: ______________ TOPIC: OFFICE OF TRAFFIC SAFETY GRANT APPROVAL SUBJECT: RESOLUTION APPROVING THE ACCEPTANCE AND APPROPRIATION OF STATE OF CALIFORNIA OFFICE OF TRAFFIC SAFETY GRANT FUNDS IN THE AMOUNT OF $69,000 FOR THE “SELECTIVE TRAFFIC ENFORCEMENT PROGARM” (“STEP”) GRANT FROM OCTOBER 1, 2023, THROUGH SEPTEMBER 30, 2024, AND AUTHORIZING THE CITY MANAGER TO EXECUTE A GRANT AGREEMENT AND ANY OTHER DOCUMENTS RELATED TO THE GRANT. RECOMMENDATION: Adopt the resolution approving the acceptance and appropriation of State of California Office of Traffic Safety grant funds in the amount of $69,000 for the “Selective Traffic Enforcement Program” (STEP) grant from October 1, 2023 through September 30, 2024, and authorizing the City Manager to execute the grant agreement and any other documents related to the grant. BACKGROUND: Over the last twenty years, the Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) of the State of California has awarded over two million dollars in traffic safety grants to the City of San Rafael. These grants have included the Marin County “Avoid the Marin 13” Driving Under the Influence (DUI)/ Driver’s License (DL) campaign, “Click it or Ticket” grants, DUI mini-grants, DUI Enforcement and Awareness grants, and STEP grants. Each grant has provided critical traffic enforcement and education operations by funding the deployment of officers for DUI / DL checkpoints, DUI saturation patrols, red light and speed enforcement, seat belt enforcement, and distracted driving enforcement. Currently, the only available funding is through the STEP grant program. This development has greatly reduced our funding for traffic and DUI enforcement activities. Over the last several years, the San Rafael Police Department (SRPD) has staffed two full-time traffic enforcement officers and one traffic sergeant. Due to staffing constraints, the two full-time traffic officers have been reassigned to patrol teams to ensure minimum staffing requirements. The traffic sergeant remains in the traffic unit and performs collateral administrative duties. The SRPD has encouraged patrol officers and traffic officers to conduct enforcement focused on reducing alcohol and speed-related SAN RAFAEL CITY COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT / Page: 2 collisions and increasing pedestrian and bicycle safety. The SRPD community outreach and social media teams regularly disseminate traffic safety information in a bilingual format. ANALYSIS: OTS has approved a grant of $69,000 to the City of San Rafael. The project goal of this OTS grant is to reduce the number of people killed and injured in traffic collisions. Areas of focus include alcohol and drug-involved collisions, as well as other primary collision factors. The SRPD will implement “best practice” strategies through education and enforcement. The grant will provide the necessary resources for traffic enforcement, education operations, and advanced officer training. Accepting and implementing this $69,000 grant is critical to maintaining traffic safety levels in San Rafael. A review of collision data from the previous three years has indicated that most of the collisions within San Rafael occurred due to unsafe turns, excessive/unsafe speed, red-light violations, and driving under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol. The SRPD recognizes that additional education and enforcement are needed to reduce these numbers. The SRPD encourages patrol and traffic officers to conduct focused enforcement to reduce alcohol, drug, pedestrian, and speed-related collisions. However, current staffing levels inherently limit the frequency of more proactive traffic enforcement efforts because officers are primarily focused on responding to emergency calls for service. Should the City Council approve this grant, the SRPD will have the resources to implement enforcement programs including, but not limited to, various safety and awareness campaigns and enforcement operations. The grant also includes funding for advanced officer training and enforcement operations for distracted driving and bicycle/pedestrian safety, among others. Operations for this grant will be scheduled between October 1, 2023, and September 30, 2024. The SRPD will report statistics quarterly to the Office of Traffic Safety, and the grant will be evaluated based on how well the stated goals and objectives were accomplished. FISCAL IMPACT: The grant funding will be received into the Grant Fund – Safety (Fund #281) and will be appropriated for operational expenses such as overtime costs, travel, and training associated with the focused enforcement of traffic safety, up to the total proceeds of the grant of $69,000. OPTIONS: The City Council has the following options to consider on this matter: 1.Adopt the resolution as presented. 2.Adopt the resolution with modifications. 3.Direct staff to return with more information. 4.Take no action. RECOMMENDED ACTION: Adopt the resolution approving the acceptance and appropriation of State of California Office of Traffic Safety grant funds in the amount of $69,000 for the “Selective Traffic Enforcement Program” (STEP) grant from October 1, 2023, through September 30, 2024, and authorizing the City Manager to execute the grant agreement and any other documents related to the grant. SAN RAFAEL CITY COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT / Page: 3 ATTACHMENTS: 1. Resolution 2. Year 2023/2024 California Office of Traffic Safety Selective Traffic Enforcement Program Grant. RESOLUTION NO. 15261 RESOLUTION APPROVING THE ACCEPTANCE AND APPROPRIATION OF STATE OF CALIFORNIA OFFICE OF TRAFFIC SAFETY GRANT FUNDS IN THE AMOUNT OF $69,000 FOR THE “SELECTIVE TRAFFIC ENFORCEMENT PROGARM” (“STEP”) GRANT FROM OCTOBER 1, 2023 THROUGH SEPTEMBER 30, 2024, AND AUTHORIZING THE CITY MANAGER TO EXECUTE A GRANT AGREEMENT AND ANY OTHER DOCUMENTS RELATED TO THE GRANT. Whereas, the State of California, Office of Traffic Safety has tentatively approved a grant to the City of San Rafael in the amount of $69,000; and Whereas, the grant funds may be spent to pay overtime costs, travel and equipment purchase associated with the Selective Traffic Enforcement Program (“STEP”) Grant Program to mitigate traffic safety program deficiencies and expand ongoing activity; and Whereas, to improve traffic safety, the San Rafael Police Department will use the STEP Grant funds for education campaigns, DUI saturation patrols, DUI repeat offender identification, distracted driving enforcement, traffic safety educational presentations, pedestrian/bicycle enforcement operations; and Whereas, the Police Department will use the STEP Grant funds for overtime personnel costs of Captains, Lieutenants, Sergeants, Corporals, Officers, Community Service Officers, Dispatchers and Cadets incurred in connection with the enforcement activities, including training and travel and expenses related to enforcement activities; and NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the City Council approves the acceptance and appropriation of $69,000 in State of California Office of Traffic Safety Selective Traffic Enforcement Program funds to be appropriated in a Grant Fund; and authorizes the City Manager to execute a Grant Agreement and any documents related to the Grant. I, Lindsay Lara, City Clerk of the City of San Rafael, hereby certify that the foregoing resolution was duly and regularly introduced and adopted at a regular meeting of the City Council held on the 20th day of November 2023 by the following vote, to wit: AYES: COUNCILMEMBERS: Bushey, Kertz, Llorens Gulati & Mayor Kate NOES: COUNCILMEMBERS: None ABSENT: COUNCILMEMBERS: Hill Lindsay Lara, City Clerk