City staff: $2 million DOJ violence-prevention grant requires council-approved contracts

Mister Reed, a city staff member, told the Montgomery City Council that a $2 million Department of Justice grant the city applied for in June 2024 will fund violence-prevention programs but cannot be implemented until contracts are signed and returned to the council for approval. “No. This is a $2,000,000 grant that was awarded that we applied for in, June 2024, and it was awarded in January 25 from the Department of Justice,” Reed said.

City staff said the council previously allocated the dollars by resolution but the contracts that execute those allocations still must come back to the council before funds are disbursed. Reed said the city “can't start until it's all the contracts are signed,” and that federal rules and the city’s procurement thresholds require council approval for awards above $50,000.

Council members asked whether the grant was the same award they dealt with earlier — a packet that was described as a $700,000 allocation — and whether any of the $2 million had already been spent. Reed and others clarified that the $2 million award is separate from the earlier item and that spending cannot begin until the contracts are executed. Reed also said the grant’s performance period extends through 2027, and that the city has effectively lost part of the first program year because the award came later than originally expected.

Speakers at the meeting also noted local organizations that are expected to be involved in related work; the transcript records references to the Beacon Center and Family Guidance during the discussion, though the council did not vote on a funding distribution at this session.

Next steps: city staff will prepare the contracts and bring them before the council for formal approval as required by the city’s procurement rules and the terms of the grant.