Racine’s new Community Safety department seeks levy support while awaiting federal and state grants
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Summary
Director Tate described the new Department of Community Safety’s core work and said the administration included three positions on the levy because federal grant timing is uncertain; councilors pressed on contingency funding, professional development, and how the department coordinates with county and hospital-based programs.
Racine — The Committee of the Whole heard from the new Community Safety director, who outlined the Department of Community Safety’s early work, the department’s reliance on grant funding so far, and the administration’s decision to include three positions in the proposed 2026 tax-levy budget.
Director Tate explained the department currently operates with grant funding and is pursuing an anticipated four-year federal grant (about $2 million) and potential state violence-prevention funds; however, the department’s proposed general-fund budget assumes those grants may not arrive in time. "That is part of the reason why we're concluding in the budget here because of the uncertainty with if and when those funds will be released," Tate said, explaining the city cannot rely on federal disbursement timing when setting the 2026 levy.
Tate described the department’s interventions — outreach to adults at high risk of involvement in violence, partnerships with hospital violence intervention programs and probation/parole, and engagement that aims to prevent retaliatory or escalatory acts. Tate stressed prevention reduces downstream costs to the police, hospitals and victim services: "That means the police will be busier, because the people that we ultimately deter and discourage from engaging in violence then ultimately commit that violence," Tate said, describing the cost trade-offs of prevention versus response.
Aldermen asked whether some functions could be funded temporarily from contingency or reserves until federal grants arrive. The finance director said the general fund uses reserves in the budget and noted the administration had already used reserves to manage the broader 2026 spending plan; she recommended the council consider risks of relying on expected grant awards during final adoption.
Councilors also pressed on staff professional development: Tate said some training has occurred under grant-funded activity but that the proposed levy budget does not include conference/travel line items; if the department is to scale up training and national networking, additional funding or grants would be required. Tate said the department coordinates daily with the police and county partners and attends the county-level steering committee for violence-reduction; city staff emphasized the department’s role in connecting local services and hospital programs with community interventions.
Council members asked for a clearer contingency plan and for a schedule and deliverables tied to the three levy-funded positions before the council finalizes the budget.
