Title
Authorizing the Office of Financial Services through the Office of Financial Empowerment to apply for grant funds in an amount up to $40,000 from the National League of Cities for a new initiative, Cities Addressing Fines and Fees Equitably.
Body
WHEREAS, the Office of Financial Empowerment (the “Office”) exists within the Office of Financial Services; and
WHEREAS, the Office of Financial Services is requesting permission to apply for up to $40,000 in grant funds from National League of Cities for a new initiative, Cities Addressing Fines and Fees Equitably (CAFFE); and
WHEREAS, the City authorized the Saint Paul Public Library Debt Write-Off (RES 18-2034) program as part of the 2019 budget, signaling the importance of eliminating barriers to the use and enjoyment of the Library, and benefit the City by increasing access to Library resources for all city residents, and
WHEREAS, the City has an interest to analyze other financial barriers that residents of Saint Paul may be facing as a result of other municipal fines and fees; and
WHEREAS, the Office has been selected by the National League of Cities Institute for Youth, Education and Families to participate in CAFFE, including technical assistance and grant opportunities; and
WHEREAS, CAFFE is a 14-month technical assistance and grant project that will focus on the City’s use of local fines and fees and develop collections strategies that incorporate financial empowerment interventions as outlined in the attached Project Agreement; and
WHEREAS, the City Council of Saint Paul finds that the expenditure of these grant funds from National League of Cities to meet project goals, which include: assessing the fines and fees structures within at least one municipal collections entity; learning new ways to reduce inequities in how fines and fees are imposed; and making program or policy recommendations that connect residents in debt with services that improve their financial health has a public purpose...
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