Kennett City council approves 50/50 grant application for officer body armor; supports annual traffic safety grants

At a Kennett City Council meeting, members approved applying for a 50/50 grant to buy new ballistic vests for the police department and indicated support for the city’s recurring mobile traffic safety grants for DWI and speed enforcement.

The council voted to pursue matching funds for approximately 20 ballistic vests after police staff told the council the total replacement cost cited in the meeting was “$20,000. $23,000,” and that the city’s 50% share would be about $11,050, according to the police chief. Council members moved and seconded the application during the meeting and approved it by voice vote.

The police chief also asked the mayor and council to sign the city’s annual mobile traffic safety grant agreements, which the department uses to fund overtime for DWI enforcement and speed enforcement details. The chief said the DWI grant is “right around 25,000” and the speed grant “right around 13,” and that the city typically receives about $30,000 in grant-funded income for enforcement in a fiscal year. The chief told the council the grants pay officer overtime used for targeted enforcement.

Council discussion focused on budget sourcing for the local match for the vest grant and on the logistics of continuing to accept traffic safety grants annually; council members asked whether matching funds would be available later if the grant were split across multiple purchases. The chief said most of the department’s vests are expiring this year and that staff would try to stagger purchases if necessary.

Decision: The council approved applying for the 50/50 vest grant and authorized signatures for the traffic safety grants so staff could submit the applications and accept award conditions. The actions were recorded as approvals by voice vote.

The police chief will return with details on exact line-item funding for the city match and a purchase timetable for the vests if the grant is awarded.