The Saint Paul City Council voted unanimously on July 20 to use $10 million from the federal American Rescue Plan (ARP) on a wide variety of public safety-related initiatives. The approval came days after Mayor Melvin Carter announced the efforts during a press conference at the Frogtown Community Center.
The greatest share of the funds, $4 million, is going to the city’s Office of Neighborhood Safety for a grant program for community-led public safety proposals, including ones focused on preventing gun and youth violence. The office’s 15-member neighborhood safety council will oversee the program. The office is already working on Project PEACE, a program designed to link people involved with gun violence with a variety of resources.
The expenditures also include $2 million to help hire up to 30 more police officers. The funding will be used to match a $3.75 million COPS (Community Oriented Policing Services) federal grant.
Another $1.5 million will go to libraries to support new safety specialist staff and pay for an external review and assessment of safety resources. The result is expected to be a public safety plan, building on efforts to add social workers to library staff.
The safety issues are critical, said Ward 7 council member and library board chair Jane Prince. The council recently heard a presentation on safety needs, including how to de-escalate potentially violent situations and provide a safe atmosphere for people who have experienced trauma.
City Council members said they have been hearing an increasing number of complaints about unsafe driving. “I’d like to spend zero dollars and just tell everybody to slow down,” said council president Amy Brendmoen.
Another $1.5 million is to expand and enhance city Parks and Recreation services. That includes adding Saturday hours at five recreation centers, waiving fees for youth athletic activities for participants age 10 and older, adding intervention services, increasing Rec Check after-school programs at 10 centers, and providing equipment and new vehicles for mobile recreation programs. The specific recreation centers that will offer the expanded services have not been announced.
Andy Rodriguez, director of Parks and Recreation, said the additional funds will help expand the city’s recreation system’s capacity. “It’s a huge deal for us,” he said.
Traffic and pedestrian safety will receive $1 million for several initiatives being developed by the city’s Department of Public Works. That includes temporary street safety treatments, a citywide study of vehicle crashes to determine where permanent safety improvements should be made, a speed enforcement information and education campaign, and replacement of a street-striping machine.
City Council members said they have been hearing an increasing number of complaints about unsafe driving. “I’d like to spend zero dollars and just tell everybody to slow down,” said council president Amy Brendmoen.
The latest allocations mean that Saint Paul will have spent a total of $37.6 million in ARP funds on public safety. Earlier allocations supported domestic abuse intervention, case backlogs in the City Attorney’s Office, and police overtime.
— Jane McClure
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