Title
Consider a memorandum/resolution authorizing the City Manager to enter into an agreement with the Texas Department of Transportation for reimbursable STEP grant funds.
Summary
AGENDA ITEM
TXDOT Selective Traffic Enforcement Grant (STEP)
ORIGINATING DEPARTMENT
Police Department
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The City of Killeen Police Department has applied for and received grant funds from the Texas Department of Transportation to conduct selective traffic enforcement activities on an overtime basis in previous years. This year TXDOT has authorized the City of Killeen a grant for the purpose of conducting a combined enforcement program that targets Driving While Intoxicated, Speeding, Intersection Traffic Control and Distracted Driving. If accepted, the City of Killeen is obligated to provide matching funds in the amount of $30,825.31. TXDOT will reimburse $114,656 to meet the total award amount of $145,481.31.
DISCUSSION/CONCLUSION
These grant monies will be used to pay officers’ salaries on an overtime basis and vehicle mileage to conduct speed enforcement on designated portions of US Highway 190, Central Texas Expressway, Elms Road, WS Young Drive, Clear Creek Road, Trimmer Road and Fort Hood Street. These roads were selected based on analysis of compliance with posted speed laws and the percentage of non-compliance identified that presented the greatest safety risk to the general driving public. The Driving While Intoxicated and Distracted Driving enforcement is approved city wide. The intersection Traffic Control involves seventeen intersections in the City that show to have a high rate of collisions that involve red light/stop sign violations.
Officers working this detail will not respond to routine calls for service and will concentrate their activities on focused enforcement of Speed, DWI, Intersection Traffic Control and Distracted Driving violations. The overall objective of this program is to increase awareness is each of these identified areas and reduce violations.
FISCAL IMPACT
If the entire amount of the grant is used, approximately $20,925.31 in local matching funds will be required to pay salary costs and fringe benefits not covered by the grant. An estimated $9,900 in matching funds will be require for mileage cost for vehicle operations. These funds will be drawn from the department’s operational funding for salaries/benefits and vehicle supplies.
RECOMMENDATION
The staff recommends that the Council approves this resolution and authorizes the City Manager to sign an agreement with TXDOT on behalf of the City of Killeen for receipt of up to $114,656 in reimbursable STEP grant funding.