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Council approves $2 million DOJ grant to expand community-based violence intervention
Summary
The Toledo City Council on Jan. 21 passed Ordinance 18-25, authorizing the mayor to accept a $2 million U.S. Department of Justice Bureau of Justice Assistance site-based grant to continue and expand a community-based violence intervention and prevention initiative.
The Toledo City Council passed Ordinance 18-25 on Jan. 21 authorizing the mayor to accept a $2,000,000 site-based community violence intervention and prevention grant from the U.S. Department of Justice Bureau of Justice Assistance.
City staff said the grant will continue elements of the Peace in Motion comprehensive plan by funding a training academy for evidence-based practices, hiring a full-time program coordinator, offering quarterly microgrants, and supporting the city’s violence reduction council through 2026 and 2027. “This grant will help to establish a training academy that trains people in evidence based best practices,” Malcolm Cunningham, a staff member who presented the ordinance, told council members.
The ordinance also authorizes the mayor to enter into agreements with the Department of Justice and to appropriate and expend funds not to exceed $2,000,000 from the Operation Grants Fund. Cunningham told the council there is no local match requirement for the award.
Council members moved quickly after the presentation; the record shows a suspension of rules, an emergency declaration and a passage vote called by roll. The roll-call transcript records affirmative votes from Driscoll, Gattis, Hartman, Hobbs, Jones, Martinez, McPherson, Melden, Morris and Serrante. The clerk declared the ordinance passed.
The passage means the city can begin negotiating and signing grant administration agreements with the Department of Justice and proceed with contract and subgrant arrangements contemplated by the Office of Justice Programs. Council discussion before the vote was limited to the presentation; no amendments, conditions or limitations on the appropriation were recorded in the meeting transcript.
Implementation details such as the program coordinator’s hiring timetable, the size of the quarterly microgrants, subgrantee selection criteria and reporting requirements were described at a high level by Cunningham but were not specified in the ordinance or the meeting record.
Ordinance 18-25 takes effect immediately under the emergency clause recorded on the council floor.
City staff and council members did not set a follow-up date in the meeting for program updates or performance reporting.
