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Committee approves short-term funding for street outreach and a $350,000 grant for community violence response
Summary
The committee approved a six-month budget amendment to fund Urban Alchemy street outreach and accepted a $350,000 grant from the New Mexico Department of Health to support a coordinated community response to violence; staff clarified the NMDOH funds will not purchase additional ShotSpotter units but will support data analysis and public-health uses.
The committee approved two pulled consent items: a budget amendment to shift funds to the community development fund to pay an existing contract with Urban Alchemy for street outreach and community-based public-safety services, and a grant agreement from the New Mexico Department of Health for $350,000 to support a coordinated community response to violence through June 30, 2027.
On Urban Alchemy (Item B), councilors asked whether the six-month funding is part of a longer-term contract. Staff said the funding approved in committee covers six months of operations while the contract itself is in place across the next three fiscal years; staff will work to identify additional local funding if needed. Chair Castro asked whether the contractor could be held to state peer-certification standards; staff said that any change to contract requirements would require a contract amendment.
On the NMDOH grant (Item D), staff emphasized the IGA supports data analysis and coordinated responses rather than additional ShotSpotter hardware. "There's no funding in this IGA that supports further investment in ShotSpotter," staff said, and added the analysis funded by the grant will support public-health uses of incident data. Committee members asked staff for a list of surveillance vendors and contracts to ensure coordination across departments.
Both items passed on roll call.
Why it matters: The Urban Alchemy funding supports street outreach and public-safety programming that city staff and councilors tied to short-term response needs; the NMDOH grant adds $350,000 for data-driven community violence response through mid-2027.
Next steps: Staff will continue to identify additional funding sources for outreach and may return with contract amendments if councilors want to add certification or performance standards; staff will also provide an inventory of technology contracts when requested.
