I. RECOMMENDATION:
The Police Department is requesting the Council consider incorporating the cost of the Police Department's K-9 program into the Department's operating budget and City's General Fund.
II. BACKGROUND:
In May 2018, the Coalinga Police K-9 Supporters were formed by local citizen's to fund a canine program for the police department and their goal was to fund this program solely on community donations.
In May 2019, the now 501(C)(3) Coalinga Police Department K-9 Foundation, donated over $28,000.00 to the police department to start the canine program.
III. DISCUSSION:
The police department started the canine program after receiving a donation from the Coalinga Police Department K-9 Foundation, National Police Dog Foundation and the Community Scholarship Alliance along with other donations form community members and local business. The department was able to fund this program for the first year and a half with the donations provided by the foundation.
Unfortunately in 2020, COVID 19 pandemic hit Coalinga. The Foundation was weeks away from having their 2nd annual K9 dinner which, is responsible for funding the majority of this program, however the state shut down and the venue and business that were supplying location of the event along with the food for the dinner were closed by the state. Because of this the Foundation was forced to cancel the dinner.
It is now October 2020 and the state has not fully opened and we are still unable to have gathering large enough to hold the annual dinner. The department just received a check form the Foundation for $6,000.00 to fund half of this years K-9 operating budget.
The Police Department is requesting the Council consider funding the remainder of fiscal year 20/21 K-9 program or take over the annual operating cost of the program with some of the funds the City is receiving now. The Coalinga Police Department
K-9 Foundation will continue to raise money for the program which will be used to buy additional K-9 equipment like a bite suit and to pay for Officer Ybarra's entry fees and other expenses when he competes in K-9 trials.
IV. ALTERNATIVES:
The council can choose to not fund this program at all and once the current funding is exhausted the program will be temporarily shut down until funding build back up through the K-9 Foundation.
V. FISCAL IMPACT:
The City can choose to assist in funding the K-9 program by one of the two options, which both are currently unfunded and would impact the City's General Fund or may decide not to fund the program at all.
Options;
1. The council can choose to fund the remainder of fiscal year 20/21 at a cost of $6,000.00.
or
2. The council can choose to fund the full cost of the day to day operations of the program from here on at a cost of $12,000.00 a year. The K-9 Foundation will continue to raise money to pay for the needed training equipment. |