Urbana council hears $90,000 trauma-response police grant; surveillance ordinance side‑by‑side to be provided
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Summary
Council reviewed a Tactic SI trauma‑informed response grant worth roughly $90,000 over two years that funds police training and community partners; members pressed for transparent partner selection, measurable outcomes and a side‑by‑side surveillance‑ordinance comparison ahead of the next meeting.
The Urbana City Council on April 13 heard a presentation about a Tactic SI (Total Access Collaborative for Trauma Informed Care Statewide Initiative) grant that the city received to support trauma‑informed policing and community partners, and discussed next steps on a proposed surveillance ordinance.
Lieutenant McKinney told the council the grant is roughly $90,000 over two years and is focused on strengthening trauma‑informed responses by the Urbana Police Department and partner organizations. He outlined partner organizations named in the presentation and a proposed spending breakdown: two‑thirds of funds to community partners (Dream, Urbana Neighborhood Connection Center, Champaign County Children's Advocacy Center and Courage Connection) and one‑third to the Urbana Police Department for training, officer wellness and department infrastructure. Specific allocations given in the presentation included $30,000 to Dream, and $10,000 each to Courage Connection, UNCC and CCAC, with $30,000 for UPD training and wellness costs.
Council members raised questions about partner selection and performance metrics. Councilmember Grace asked whether partner awards were subject to a public application process like the city’s community service grants; McKinney and the police chief said there was no open application process for this award and that partners were selected based on prior working relationships and the ability to deliver services in the trauma space. Several members pressed the department for clearer outcome measures beyond raw referral counts; McKinney said the grant requires counting referrals and that the department will report data and crime statistics, while acknowledging he is seeking more outcome‑oriented measures tied to trauma reduction.
Councilmember Charisse Hersey presented three consent resolutions on the council agenda related to private activity bond volume cap transfers and the City of Urbana/Urbana HOME Consortium annual action plan for fiscal year 2026–2027; the council seconded and approved all three items by roll call.
On a separate discussion item the council reviewed a surveillance ordinance draft. City staff (Darius) said council members will need to decide definitions and whether the ordinance applies only to police or citywide, and offered to prepare a side‑by‑side comparison of the current ordinance text and suggested modifications. Staff proposed providing that side‑by‑side by the following Monday so council could begin discussion and return with final suggestions for the April 20 meeting; members asked for time to review and requested smaller working sessions ("2 by 2") to reconcile language around transparency, oversight and operations.
Next steps: staff will provide the grant agreement details and proposed partner metrics for review and produce the surveillance-ordinance side‑by‑side comparison for follow‑up discussion on April 20. Council did not take a final vote on the surveillance ordinance at this meeting.
