SUBJECT/RECOMMENDATION:
Title
Approve an Interlocal Agreement between the Clearwater Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) and the City of Clearwater to provide CRA funding in Fiscal Year 2017-2018 in the amount of $174,928.74 to underwrite the cost of additional Community Policing services by the Clearwater Police Department in the East Gateway District, Town Lake District, and Downtown Core District, encompassed by the CRA (Community Redevelopment Area) to address quality of life issues, drug dealing, prostitution, and homelessness, and authorize the appropriate officials to execute same.
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SUMMARY:
Quality of life issues, drug dealing, prostitution, and homelessness, all negatively impact re-development plans. Additional community policing resources are needed to effectively address these issues above and beyond the level provided by routine road patrol functions.
An allowable funding source of this action item is the use of CRA Tax Increment Financing (TIF) funds. Florida Statutes allows for the use of TIF funds for community policing innovations in Community Redevelopment Areas.
The CRA and Clearwater Police Department have reached an agreement on a proposed scope of services and terms as delineated in the Interlocal Agreement. Included in the scope is the delineation of specific, measurable crime reduction targets by which to monitor the success of the initiative as well as providing clear language required by statute assuring that the resources are applied to the CRA/East Gateway area.
APPROPRIATION CODE AND AMOUNT:
Funds are available in capital improvement project 388-94849, Downtown Gateway, to fund this contract.