REQUEST FOR CITY COUNCIL ACTION
DATE: 03/01/2023
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
FROM: Police Department
SUBJECT:
Title
City Council consideration of acceptance and appropriation of a service agreement with the Corona Norco Unified School District via the Proposition 47 Grant Program Safe Neighborhoods and Schools Act to fund a Community Services Officer II and Police Department General Assistant.
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
The Corona Norco Unified School District has been awarded a Proposition 47 Grant and wishes to enter into a service agreement with the City of Corona to provide funding for a Community Services Officer II and a Police Department General Assistant within the Police Department’s Youth Diversion Program from January 2023 through March 2026.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Recommended action
That the City Council:
a. Authorize the acceptance of Proposition 47 Grant Program funds from Corona Norco Unified School District not to exceed $117,996 per year for a three-year period, totaling $344,248 to the General Fund.
b. Authorize the continuance of one Community Services Officer II position, range G108 (1-5), ($4,037 - $4,907) with three years of budget offset by the above-mentioned grant.
c. Authorize one Police Department General Assistant position, range T034 (1-5), ($2,791 - $3,392), with three years of budget offset by the above-mentioned grant.
d. Approve an agreement with the Corona Norco Unified School District identifying grant objectives and reimbursement of the Community Services Officer II and a Police Department General Assistant position for the three-year period, and authorize the Mayor to sign the agreement.
e. Appropriate $53,720 from the unappropriated General Fund balance to be reimbursed from Corona Norco Unified School District, based on pro-rated needs for January 18, 2023, through March 2, 2026, and increase the General Fund revenue by this amount.
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BACKGROUND & HISTORY:
In March 2019, the Corona Norco Unified School District applied for and was awarded the Proposition 47 Grant offered by the California Board of State and Community Corrections. Proposition 47 was a voter initiative that reduced felony offenses to misdemeanors and directed state savings to fund programs primarily focused on mental health, substance abuse disorder treatment, and diversion programs for those in the criminal justice system. The voters also approved the bulk of state savings to fund rehabilitative grants for individuals under Proposition 47 guidelines.
Upon receiving grant funding, the Corona City Council approved a service agreement between the Corona Norco Unified School District and the Corona Police Department, in which the school district used grant money to fund a Community Services Officer I position within the Police Department’s Youth Diversion Program to enhance both parties’ commitment to the community and the youth impacted by Proposition 47. This position was funded by the Proposition 47 Grant from 2019 until December 2022 and has now flexed into a Community Services Officer II position. In Fiscal Year 2023, this position was approved to be added to the Police Department’s budget as of January 1, 2023, after the grant funding ended to continue working within the Youth Diversion Program.
ANALYSIS:
During the Proposition 47 partnership with the Corona Norco Unified School District (CNUSD) from 2019-2022, the Police Department’s Youth Diversion Team provided counseling, mentorship, and referral services for 197 juveniles through the program. In partnership with various community-based organizations, including Big Brothers/Big Sisters and Sycamore Mental Health Services, the program kept youth out of the criminal justice system by opening doors to vocational training, substance abuse counseling, and family counseling. As of December 2022, the program has a 95% success rate.
In September 2022, the CNUSD was awarded a new Proposition 47 grant. Due to the success of the initial partnership with the Police Department, the CNUSD again desires to fund a Community Services Officer II position and a Police Department (PD) General Assistant position within the Youth Diversion Program. This funding will allow the Police Department to continue implementing evidence-based programs to reduce juvenile recidivism rates, divert juvenile offenders from juvenile correctional facilities, improve their performance in school, and enhance employment readiness. Adding a PD General Assistant will increase the Youth Diversion Team’s outreach capabilities, client scheduling, and referral capacity, and aid with the preparation of all required reporting pursuant to the grant.
Accepting this service agreement with the CNUSD will authorize the positions of a Community Services Officer II and a PD General Assistant for three years. The agreement period is January 18, 2023, to March 2, 2026.
After the three-year funding is exhausted, the Police Department will revisit these positions and may return to Council for funding of the positions based on the needs of the Department at that time.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
CNUSD will reimburse the City of Corona up to $344,248 over a three-year period, not to exceed $117,996 per year, for the Community Services Officer II and the PD General Assistant Youth Diversion Team positions. Expenditures will be submitted quarterly to CNUSD for reimbursement. Below are the estimated costs and reimbursement prorated for Fiscal Year 2023 and future annual totals:
Estimated Prorated FY 2023 Cost:
Community Services Officer II position (approx. 6 mos.) $45,368
PD General Assistant (approx. 6 mos.) $8,352
CNUSD reimbursement at 100% $53,720
Net General Fund Impact $ 0
Estimate FY2024 Cost:
Community Services Officer II position $96,914
PD General Assistant $17,544
CNUSD reimbursement at 100% $114,458
Net General Fund Impact $ 0
Estimate FY2025 Cost:
Community Services Officer II position $98,656
PD General Assistant $18,416
CNUSD reimbursement at 100% $117,072
Net General Fund Impact $ 0
Estimate Prorated FY2026 Cost:
Community Service Officer II position (approx. 6 mos.) $49,328
PD General Assistant (approx. 6 mos.) $9,670
CNUSD reimbursement at 100% $58,998
Net General Fund Impact $ 0
ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS:
This action is exempt pursuant to Section 15061(b)(3) of the Guidelines for the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), which states that a project is exempt from CEQA if the activity is covered by the common sense exemption that CEQA applies only to projects that have the potential for causing a significant effect on the environment. Where it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the activity in question may have a significant effect on the environment, the activity is not subject to CEQA. This action is the approval of a service agreement for a Community Services Officer II and PD General Assistant to assist youth at the local school district and there is no possibility this will have a significant effect on the environment. Therefore, no environmental analysis is required.
PREPARED BY: DAN BLOOMFIELD, CAPTAIN
REVIEWED BY: ROBERT NEWMAN, CHIEF OF POLICE
Attachments:
1. Exhibit 1 - City of Corona and CNUSD Service Agreement - Prop. 47