Solvang City Council to Apply for Gaming Grant of Over $700,000
By CATHERINE SHEN NEWS-PRESS CORRESPONDENT
February 26, 2013 5:34 AM
The Solvang City Council approved Monday starting applications for a gaming grant to be put toward funding the Alamo Pintado corridor study and its community resource officer.
The Santa Barbara County Indian Gaming Local Community Benefit Committee made available $736,750 for eligible jurisdictions. This includes $294,700 in discretionary grants and $442,050 in nexus grants, both of which the city is eligible for due to its proximity to the Chumash Casino, according to City Manager Brad Vidro.
This is the same amount that was available last year and about half of what has previously been available annually to the committee for distribution, according to his report.
The deadline to submit the grant application is March15.
Based on the draft application, some prioritized recipients of the grant funds include law enforcement, fire services, emergency medical services, environmental impacts, water supplies, waste disposal, behavioral, health, planning and adjacent land use, roads, recreation and youth and child care programs.
The corridor study was estimated to cost about $41,700 and was provided to the council as an available option to apply for the grant.
Because only half the normal funding is available, another option would be to apply for supplemental funding of the city's community resource deputy position.
The cost of the position has been historically funded from a public safety program. However, because the full cost of the position beginning from last fiscal year had risen to $115,000 - which exceeds the program coverage - the city had to use its general fund to fully pay for the position.
Mr. Vidro said in addition to the funds from the safety program, the council would need to apply for an additional $55,000 as part of the Indian gaming grant to pay for the resource deputy job, without having to dip into the general fund.
Police Chief Brad McVay said it is critical for a city like Solvang to keep its community resource deputy.
"I know I am preaching to the choir here, but in my over 28 years of being in the job, I know different environments require different needs," he told the council. "But I cannot understate how critical it is for the city to find the funds it needs to keep the position intact."