Benicia Police Chief Andrew Bidou will ask the Benicia City Council today for permission to apply for a Solano County substance abuse prevention program.
In the past, the Solano County Health and Social Services Department’s Health Promotion and Community Wellness Bureau has offered grants on a noncompetitive bases to agencies that use the money for policies and programs that prevent abuse of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs (ATOD), Bidou wrote the Council July 11.
Solano County expects to award a total of $607,000 in a total of seven contracts, Bidou wrote.
However, the county has changed its application to a competitive grant program that uses a “request for proposal” format, Bidou wrote.
“In addition, the focus of ATOD grant funds has shifted to focus on environmental policy and programs,” Bidou wrote.
If the Council approves and Bidou’s application is accepted, Benicia Police’s programs to reduce abuse of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs would be funded in Fiscal Years 2015-16, with the potential for annual renewal of the award for up to three years.
“There are no matching funds required,” Bidou wrote.
Benicia has been receiving the county grants since Fiscal Year 2004-05, with the help of the Youth Action Coalition that has provided matching funds and has participated as the city’s representatives in county efforts to reduce substance abuse, the police chief wrote.
The police department has managed the grant’s money, Bidou wrote.
This year, the county is accepting proposals from corporations, non-profit organizations individuals and public agencies, according to Joann Epperson, request for proposals coordinator for Solano County’s General Services Department.
Applicants will be judged on their capacity and qualifications to accomplish their proposed alcohol, tobacco and drug abuse prevention program, their ability to identify and target at-risk populations and the services needed by those people, and to provide documentation that results are linked to work performed in the program, Epperson’s sample application said.
In addition, applicants must be clear about their proposed budget that outlines how the grant money would be spent, and the project must be in alignment with the county’s own goals of addiction prevention, the form said.
Proposals are due July 28, and will be evaluated by Aug. 18. Benicia may hear as early as Aug. 25 whether it has been awarded a grant, and the anticipated grant starting date would be Jan. 1, 2015.
In other matters before the Council today, the panel will decide whether to deny a claim by Jeffrey Cooper, who said he drove over a metal plate cover that damaged his vehicle. City Attorney Heather McLaughlin wrote July 10 that the metal plate was marked by traffic cones Nov. 22, 2013, when Cooper drove over it.
“The claimant had ample space to drive around the metal plate, but somehow still drove over it despite the cones placed around the area,” she wrote. McLaughlin is recommending the Council deny the claim.
Mayor Elizabeth Patterson will proclaim Aug. 5 the 31st “National Night Out,” a crime and violence prevention event led by Benicia Police Department and Neighborhood Watch organizations.
The Council also will hear a report on the Benicia Public Library’s “This Place Has History” project.
If You Go In a closed session that starts at 6 p.m. Tuesday, the Council will discuss legal and labor matters. The regular meeting starts at 6:30 p.m., today, a half-hour earlier than most of its meetings, in the Council Chamber of City Hall, 250 East L St.
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