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 2020-2021 in the amount of $250,268.12 to underwrite the cost of additional Community Policing services by the Clearwater Police Department in the Downtown Gateway District, Prospect Lake District, and the Downtown Core District, encompassed by the CRA to address quality of life issues, drug dealing, prostitution, and homelessness and authorize the appropriate officials execute same. (consent)
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SUMMARY:
Quality of life issues, drug dealing, prostitution, and homelessness, all negatively impact the 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 active 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 the Community Redevelopment Areas. For the first time, the CRA is providing an additional $40,000 to work with the police department to develop a community policing co-responder program. The program will assist police officers with connecting persons encountered in the CRA area with services needed to address homelessness, mental health, drug addiction and physical support services.
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/Downtown Gateway area.
APPROPRIATION CODE AND AMOUNT:
Funding for this Interlocal Agreement will be from CRA Project Code R2001 Community Policing.