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Authorizing the City Attorney’s Office to accept a $139,767 grant and authorizing execution of a Grant Agreement (which includes an indemnification clause) with the Minnesota Department of Public Safety, Office of Justice Programs (OJP) to provide crime victim services during the 12-month period of October 1, 2025, to September 30, 2026, and amending the 2025 spending and financing budget for the City Attorney's Office.
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WHEREAS, The City Attorney’s Office, Criminal Division, received authorization via RES 25-891 to apply for a grant from the Minnesota Department of Public Safety, Office of Justice Programs through the Crime Victim Services grant program for the purpose of ensuring crime victims’ rights are upheld, increasing victims’ safety, and ensuring that victims’ services are relevant to the population that exists within the community; and
WHEREAS, the Minnesota Department of Public Safety, Office of Justice Programs has awarded $139,767 to the St. Paul City Attorney’s Office through this grant program; and
WHEREAS, $137,767 of the $139,767 in awarded grant funds comes from the US Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Office for Victims of Crime - Crime Victim Assistance formula award; and
WHEREAS, this grant will assist the City Attorney’s Office in funding a Victim Witness
Coordinator, currently funded with ARPA grant funding which will expire on December 31, 2025, and a Victim Outreach Assistant, currently funded by a DPS Crime Victim Services grant which is set to expire on September 30, 2025; and
WHEREAS, the City Attorney’s Office currently receives Victim Services funding from an Office of Justice Programs Crime Victim Services grant for the period of October 1, 2024, to September 30, 2025, and the newly-awarded grant period will be October 1, 2025, to September 30, 2026,; and
WHEREAS, the St. Paul City Attorney’s Office, Criminal Division, relies heavily on the work of our Victim/Witness Coordinator and Assistant to provide services to crime victims and uphold statutory mandates in Minn. Stat. 611A (Crime Victims’ Rights) as well as ensuring underserved communities are able to access these services; and
WHEREAS, we recognize that crime victim services offered by the City Attorney’s Office benefit the citizens of the City of St. Paul; and
WHEREAS, this award does not include a matching funds requirement; and
WHEREAS, the City Attorney’s Office wishes to accept said funding and execute a Grant Agreement (which contains an indemnification clause) with the Minnesota Department of Public Safety, Office of Justice Programs; and
WHEREAS, the 2025 financing and spending plans need to be amended and activity budget added for these funds; and
WHEREAS, the Mayor, pursuant to Section 10.07.1 of the Charter of the City of Saint Paul, does certify that there are available for appropriation total revenues in excess of those estimated in the budget, funds of $139,767 in the General Fund; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, that the City Council authorizes and approves entering into the Grant Agreement with the Minnesota Department of Public Safety, Office of Justice Programs (which includes an indemnification clause) to accept and implement the grant funds consistent with the application and applicable compliance requirements.