REPORT TO THE CITY COUNCIL
April 22, 2021
FROM: TJ Miller, Director
Parks, After School, Recreation and Community Services Department
SUBJECT
Title
Actions pertaining to the Office of Neighborhood Safety and Community Engagement Division:
1. ***RESOLUTION - Approve the reallocation of the balance of funding ($263,100), as of April 26, 2021, in the FY21 budget for the OJJDP-Supporting Victims of Gang Violence Program and the general fund from the Fresno Police Department to the Parks, After School, Recreation and Community Services Department to address funding the Office of Neighborhood Safety and Community Engagement Division (Requires 5 affirmative votes) (Subject to Mayor’s Veto)
2. ***RESOLUTION - Approve 5th Amendment to Position Authorization Resolution No. 2020-160, moving three (3) full-time positions from the Fresno Police Department to the Parks, After School, Recreation and Community Services Department, effective April 26,2021. (Requires 5 affirmative votes) (Subject to Mayor’s Veto)
Body
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends City Council approve actions related to the Office of Neighborhood Safety and Community Engagement Division:
1. ***RESOLUTION - Approve the reallocation of the balance of funding ($263,100), as of April 26 2021, in the FY21 budget for the OJJDP-Supporting Victims of Gang Violence Program and the general fund from the Fresno Police Department to the Parks, After School, Recreation and Community Services Department to address funding the Office of Neighborhood Safety and Community Engagement Division (Requires 5 affirmative votes) (Subject to Mayor’s Veto)
2. ***RESOLUTION - Approve 5th Amendment to Position Authorization Resolution No. 2020-160, moving three (3) full-time positions from the Fresno Police Department to the Parks, After School, Recreation and Community Services Department effective April 26, 2021. (Requires 5 affirmative votes) (Subject to Mayor’s Veto)
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The City of Fresno (City) Office of Neighborhood Safety & Community Engagement (ONSCE), formerly the Violence Intervention and Community Services (VICS) Unit, has been under the umbrella of the Fresno Police Department since 2006. On June 25, 2020, City Council made and approved the motion to move the VICS Unit from the Fresno Police Department to the newly established ONSCE Division in the Parks, After School, Recreation and Community Services Department (PARCS). As a result of this City Council motion, the funding, including the personnel assigned to the unit, need to be transitioned from the Fresno Police Department to the PARCS Department. The program will be moving into the ONSCE division and is supported through grants and the General Fund. The total Supporting Victims of Gang Violence (SVGV) Grant amount includes $320,000 from the U.S. Department of Justice, through the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP). The grant fund balance to transfer from the Fresno Police Department to the PARCS Department is $75,600; the program’s general fund transfer amount is $81,800.
The ONSCE Division will also continue to manage the agreement with Fresno Economic Opportunities Commission (FEOC), an annual amount of $125,000, for violence reduction services, under the Fresno Advance Peace Project. Transfer remaining program funding to PARCS Department, of $105,700 will increase total general funds transfer to $187,500.
The transfer includes moving three (3) full-time positions from the Fresno Police Department to the PARCS Department. The positions proposed for transfer are a Community Coordinator, a Senior Administrative Clerk, and a Staff Assistant, a total personnel cost of $231,482. Staffing expenditures for two (2) of the positions, the Community Coordinator and the Senior Administrative Clerk, totals $146,681 and are funded through the General Fund. The Staff Assistant position is grant funded and totals $66,801.
BACKGROUND
The OJJDP-Supporting Victims of Gang Violence Grant Program provides funding for localities to increase the availability of direct support services for victims of gang-related violence and to develop or enhance the responses to children and youth exposed to gang-related violence in their homes, schools, and communities.
The goal of ONSCE is to respond to the fluctuating needs of the community by providing quality engagement and service to the diverse population of Fresno. This is accomplished by increasing collaborative efforts to minimize violence in the community, providing support for Fresno youth and families through partnerships, and offering community services and referrals such as but not limited to, job readiness, training, tutoring, mentoring and tattoo removal. ONSCE, formerly VICS, has secured and managed over eight million dollars in violence reduction grant awards, including the Tattoo Removal Program and Hispanic Residents Academy.
The OJJDP-Supporting Victims of Gang Violence Grant funds will continue to integrate existing programs, resources, and initiatives. In addition, the ONSCE Division will further provide community resources, clinic support for tattoo removal for former gang members and victims of gang violence, an evidence-based strategy, and a Hospital-Based Violence Intervention Program with a street outreach element. Also included will be prevention efforts undertaken by community-based organizations and Care Fresno, with their learning sites and resources established in gang violence hot spots and apartment complexes. The goal of the project is to create a safer neighborhood for youth and residents of Fresno with the objective of developing and implementing a comprehensive social service strategy that focuses on positive outcomes for victims of gang violence and youth at high risk for gang involvement. The project will bring together community organizations, faith-based programs, social service organizations, and city and county institutions.
The Fresno Advance Peace Project is a collaborative partnership between FEOC, Advance Peace, Faith in the Valley, City of Fresno, and Fresno Police Department. The agreement between City of Fresno and FEOC, for $125,000 was approved and funds were appropriated to the Fresno Police Department in October 2020. This program and its funding balance will follow the transition of the ONSCE Division to PARCS Department.
ENVIRONMENTAL FINDINGS
This is not a “project” as defined by section 15378 of CEQA.
LOCAL PREFERENCE
Local Preference is not applicable to this item because this does not include an award of a construction or consultant contract.
FISCAL IMPACT
Program funding is supported through the SVGV grant and the General Fund. General fund expenditures for two (2) positions total $146,681. Grant funded personnel cost is $66,801. The grant fund balance to be transferred from the Fresno Police Department to the PARCS Department is $75,600 and the general fund transfer amount is $81,800. The Fresno Advance Peace Project and agreement between City of Fresno and FEOC, a balance of $105,700 will also follow the transition of the ONSCE Division to PARCS Department.
Grant Fund: $ 75,600
General Fund: $ 187,500
Total: $ 263,100
There is no increase in Net City Cost associated with this recommended action.
Attachments:
21 7th Amendment Non-AAR
5th Amendment PAR FY21