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COUNCIL COMMUNICATION
City Manager’s Office
GENERAL INFORMATION
Agenda Date: 11/07/05 Communication No.: 05-625
Agenda Item Type: Resolution, Ordinance, or Receive/File Roll Call No.:
Submitted by: Bill McCarthy, Police Department
Philip Vorlander, Fire Department
SUBJECT—
Acceptance of the Department of Justice, 2005 Communications Interoperability Grant
SYNOPSIS—
The grant application approved by the City Council on July 6, 2005, Roll Call 05-1603, for improved voice communications between police, fire and emergency medical services in the greater Polk County area has been awarded by the Department of Justice. The City Council is being asked to accept the award and authorize city staff to implement the project.
FISCAL IMPACT—
The total project is $4,158,868 with the federal share being $3,000,000 and the local match $1,158,868. The grant period is September 1, 2005 through August 31, 2008. The match will be shared equally between the City and the County and will be funded by E-911 surcharge revenue.
RECOMMENDATION—
To accept the grant, authorize the Mayor Pro Tem to sign the grant award, and authorize the City Manager and staff to implement the project.
BACKGROUND—
The Department of Justice Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) has established a grant program to encourage demonstration projects for improved radio interoperability between police, fire and emergency medical services. The Des Moines Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) is eligible to apply for this competitive grant program.
An application has been developed with assistance from other public safety agencies in the county to establish four additional radio channels that can be used by different agencies at a particular event or during a specific incident. Two of these channels would be for coverage throughout the county. The other two would be portable and could be taken to a particular location to support communications.
Funds are also included to upgrade mobile and portable radios throughout the county to access these additional four channels.
A similar proposal was approved and submitted last year on the July 26, 2004 City Council Agenda, Roll Call 04-1592, as well as on the July 28, 2003 City Council Agenda, Roll Call 03-1742. Neither application was funded by the Department of Justice. New federal funding has been appropriated and the earlier proposal is being re-submitted.