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Norwalk council approves grant applications and several funding and personnel items
Summary
Council approved a slate of funding‑related resolutions: support for an MPO SS4A grant (potential ~$1.6M, local match ~$400K), applying for a COPS police hiring grant, joining a revised CVB funding agreement, budget adjustments for fire‑department staffing, and city participation in a 2026 Home Show Expo.
On June 5 the Norwalk City Council approved several resolutions and motions related to grants, intergovernmental agreements and internal staffing funding.
Safe Streets (SS4A) grant: Staff briefed council on a multi‑jurisdictional application the Des Moines Area Metropolitan Planning Organization is preparing for the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Safe Streets and Roads for All program. The project included pedestrian improvements along Sunset Drive as Norwalk’s candidate project. Staff said the MPO application could make approximately $1,600,000 in federal funds available to the metro area and that Norwalk would be expected to provide a local match in the neighborhood of $400,000 if awarded; the council approved a resolution of support and committed to budgeting the local match if the grant is awarded.
COPS hiring grant: Norwalk’s police chief described a COPS hiring‑grant opportunity that funds officers over a multi‑year period (the application proposes funding two positions). The grant program provides about $125,000 per officer (distributed over the grant period), but the chief told council that because local salary levels exceed grant allowance, the city’s actual match could be higher than the federal minimum; council approved applying for the grant while emphasizing that application does not automatically obligate hiring without later budget decisions.
CVB agreement amendment: The council adopted a regional change to the Greater Des Moines Convention & Visitors Bureau membership formula that reduces member cities’ contribution from roughly 28% of hotel‑motel tax revenue to 25% (a change affecting how tourism dollars are distributed among metro partners).
Fire staffing and budget amendment: Council approved a fiscal‑year 2026 budget amendment to fund two previously approved fire staffing moves — promotion of a fire inspector to fire marshal and moving a floor lieutenant to a 40‑hour administrative role. Staff said existing appropriations covered about $55,000 of the requests but a remaining gap of about $17,000 existed; staff indicated that revenue expected under an intergovernmental agreement could help close the gap.
Home Show participation: The council approved a proposal to participate in the 2026 Home Show Expo in partnership with Vista (estimated city cost of $40,000–$50,000); staff said they intend to identify funding sources other than the general fund where possible.
What’s next: Staff will refine budget implications for each potential award and return to council with actual budget language if and when grant awards or contract commitments require formal budget appropriation.
