Crescent City council directs staff to submit ABC Alcohol Policing Partnership grant for $27,375

The Crescent City Council voted unanimously Monday to direct staff to submit an application to the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control’s Alcohol Policing Partnership program and to authorize the city manager to sign the grant agreement if the city is awarded funds.

The request increases the city’s proposed application to $27,375 to pay for additional enforcement at downtown events, including placement of an officer for four hours during select evenings and broader enforcement coverage at up to 15 events, the police department told the council.

The request to submit the application was described by the department as an increase from the $24,126 amount included in the meeting packet after new conversations with local event organizers. “We’re allowed to submit to up to a hundred thousand dollars for the grants. We’re typically in the range somewhere between 20 and $25, is what we submit,” the department representative said, adding the department had received the grant three of the four previous times it applied.

City staff said the additional funding would pay for an officer to be present at select events — described as an hour before and 30 minutes after scheduled activities — to help manage traffic and provide a visible enforcement presence. If the city is selected for the award, the council will be asked later to approve the grant agreement before funds are accepted and spent.

The council approved the motion to submit the application and authorize execution of the agreement if awarded by a 5-0 vote. The roll call recorded the following votes: Council member Dooley — yes; Council member Guinot — yes; Council member Tinkler — yes; Mayor Pro Tem Wright — yes; Mayor Altman — yes.

No public comment was recorded on the item during the meeting. City staff noted the application deadline is April 1 and that the final grant agreement would return to the council for signature if the award is made.