5.10. SR 04-12-2004Item 5.10.
Police Department
MEMORANDUM
TO:
FROM:
DATE:
SUBJECT:
Mayor and City Council
Jeffrey A. Beahen, Chief of Police
April 7, 2004
COPS Grant
On March 19, 2004 we received an approval letter from the U.S. Department of Justice
under the COPS Universal Hiring Program for a grant for two full-time new, additional
officer positions.
The estimated amount of federal funds to be awarded to our jurisdiction over the three-year
grant period is $150,000.00. The grant start date is March 1, 2004. This is a matching grant
with participation on our level requiting increasing matches of wage and benefits over the
three-year period. (See Grant Application for details)
Although we have not yet received our grant award package, I have spoken to our grant
advisor who has informed me that we can start the hiring process now to take full advantage
of the award.
If we start the process now, we would have to commit to spending an additional $17,687 in
wages for the year 2004 that were not budgeted for. I am proposing that through budget
restrictions and reallocation of funds from training and overtime, that I should be able to
meet these additional financial needs by strict fiscal management. If for some reason the
budget becomes too tight later in the year, I would approach the Council and request a
budget amendment.
The grant offers us the ability to pay for two new officers while receiving in return over 50%
of the new officer's wages and benefits for the fzrst three-years. This is a very valuable grant
and one that allows us to add officers to our force while in turn offering very significant
savings in our operating budget. We had planned to add two officers to the patrol force in
2005, bringing our patrol force to full strength on all four shifts. Currently two of the shifts
are each short an officer.
The grant as written would have required that we pay $10,095 the first year per officer for
wages and benefits while the grant provided for an amount of $30,286 per officer. The wage
and benefit allowance was based on 2002 wages and benefit costs. These have risen since
2002 and the amount needed this year is larger based on those increases. It also assumes that
the new officers would be getting the most expensive medical insurance, something that may
not occur if they may not have families.
I would estimate that with needed hiring processes to yet go through, that we would not
have someone ready to start until the frrst of May. There is one candidate now who we have
already back grounded who was ready to be hired last year, but was then deployed by the
military to Bosnia. He has since returned and is still eligible to be hired - he just needs to
complete the medical and psychological testing.
We still have an eligibility roster from our last testing process that could be used for the
second candidate or, upon consultation with the Finance department - we may opt to re-test
for the second slot. I would estimate that the second candidate would be eligible to start
around mid to late May. That accounts for the budget need of just over $17,000. That is half
of the city's commitment for two officers for a six month period of time.
I am requesting the Council's approval to start the hiring process to fred two appropriate
candidates for these COPS positions with the understanding that the Police Department will
be responsible for the monitoring and managing the budget constraints needed to fund these
two new officers.
Attachments:
U.S. Department of Justice Letter
Salary and Benefit Grant Application from 2002
U.S. Department of Justice
Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS)
Office of the Director
1100 Vermont Ave, NW
Washington, DC 20530
March 19, 2004
Chief Thomas Zerwas
Elk River Police Department
13065 Orono Parkway
Elk River, MN 55330
RE: Grant for: Elk River Police Department
ORI: MN07102 Grant Number: 2004UMWX0036
Dear Chief Zerwas:
It is with great pleasure that I write to inform you that your department will receive a
COPS Universal Hiring Program grant award for 2 full-time and 0 part-time new, additional
officer positions. The estimated amount of federal funds to be awarded to your jurisdiction over
the three-year grant period is $150,000.00. The grant award start date is March 1, 2004, which
means that your agency may be reimbursed for salaries and expenses of additional officer(s)
hired after this date.
Upon budget approval for the awarded officer positions, your agency will be mailed a
Universal Hiring Program grant award packet, which will include the official award document,
budget clearance memorandum, and Grant Owner's Manual. The memorandum will specify the
actual award amount and will identify any disallowed costs such as uniforms or overtime. If
your agency requested a waiver of the 25% local match, your award packet will contain
information about whether your waiver request was granted.
To accept your grant, please sign the award document and return it to the COPS Office
within 90 days. Failure to submit the signed award document within the 90-day acceptance
period could result in the COPS Office withdrawing your agency from the grant program and de-
obligating any funds under this specific grant award.
We are pleased that your department has elected to participate in the Universal Hiring
Program and look forward to working with you in a productive partnership to further your
community policing efforts. Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact
your COPS Grant Program Specialist by calling the Department of Justice Response Center at
1.800.421.6770.
Sincerely,
Carl R. Peed
Director
ApplicantLegalName: Cf'ty of Elk River Police Department ORI (Assigned by FBI): M N 0 7 1 0 2
5. The federal share of total salaries and benefits must decrease each year leading to full local funding during the retention period. The total percentage of officers'
salaries and benefits paid with federal funds must be less in Year 2 than in Year 1 and less in Year 3 than in Year 2. At the same time, your local share must increase
each year. The percentage of total officers' salaries and benefits paid with local funds must be more in Year 2 than in Year 1, and more in Year 3 than ha Year 2.
Please complete the following three-year projection, showing how the federal share and your local matching share will change year by year for one officer. If applying
for a waiver, your agency must still complete the federal and local amount sections as if you were not receiving a waiver. Please refer to the sample budget in the
Application Instructions Manual if you have questions.
Three year salary and benefit costs E~' position
*The federal share may not exceed 75%
of the total three-year costs or $75,000, YEAR 1 YEAR 2 YEAR 3 TOTAL - 3 YEARS
wh/chever is smaller.
Federal Amount
(Percentage must decrease each year) $ 3 0,2 8 6.00 $ 2 5,6 1 1.00 $ 1 9 ~ 1 0 3 .00 $ 7 5,0 0 0 .00 (line Ia)
Local Amount
(Percentage must increase each year) $ 10,0 9 5.00 $ 2 0 t 9 5 5 .00 $ 3 3 t 6 4 6 .00 $ 6 4 ~ 6 9 6 .00 (line lb)
Total Salary & Benefits $1 3 9 6 9 6
(Federal Amount plus Local Amount) $ 4 0,3 8 1.00 $ 4 6,5 6 6 .00 $ 5 2,7 4 9 .00 ' .00 (line lc)
Total Year 1 Salary To~l Year 2 Salary Total Year 3 Salary Total 3-Year Costs
and Benefits from and Benefits from and Benefits from (Y1 + Y2 + Y3 =
Page 1 Page 2 Page 2 Total Costs)
Three-' salary and benefit costs PER PART-TIME posidon
* The federal share may not exceed 75%
of the total three-year costs or the calculated YEAR ! YEAR 2 YEAR 3 TOTAL - 3 YEARS
salary cap, wkichever is smaller.
Federal Amount
(Percentage must decrease each year) $ .00 $ .00 $ _ .00 $ .00 (line 2a)
Local Amount
(percentage must increase each year) $ .00 $ .00 $ .00 $ .00 (line 2b)
Total Salary & Benefits
(Federal Amount plus Local Amount) $ .00 $ .00 $ .00 $. .00 (hne 2c)
Total Year 1 Salary Total Year 2 Salary Total Year 3 Salary Total 3-Year Costs
and Benefits from and Benefits from and Benefits from (Y1 + Y2 + Y3 =
Page 3 Page 4 Page 4 Total Costs)