REGIONAL EMERGENCY SERVICES AND COMMUNICATIONS AND GRANTS ADMINISTRATION RECOMMEND APPROVAL OF THE MOTION.
The action is in furtherance of the Board's Strategic Vision, Values and the Goal to "[E]ffectively advocate for and acquire municipal, state and federal financial support to equitably address health and human services needs of the entire community, through a truly coordinated system of care."
After an audit of specific grants managed by the Broward Sheriff's Office (BSO) conducted by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Bureau Justice Assistance (BJA) the grantor made a number of specific recommendations and directed alterations to long-standing practices related to Justice Assistance Grants (JAG) in Broward County. Broward County was informed that it was no longer eligible to act as the direct receipient and pass-through agent for a specific type of JAG funding (JAG-C), which flows through the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) because it was already a recipient of JAG-D funds, received directly by the County from DOJ. Broward County's FDLE JAG-C funds are critically-important methods of delivering behavioral health and substance abuse services throughout the community. As such, the County has opted to retain the ability to receive JAG-C dollars by finding a suitable, eligible local sponsor of future JAG-D funds. JAG-D dollars go to certain Broward cities and BSO to fund law enforcement-related operational and capital equipment needs.
The grantor, DOJ/BJA, recognized that the community would require time to transition to a new grant pass-through and management model, and agreed to allow Broward County to act as the recipient of both JAG-D and JAG-C for this final year (2017). For this cycle of JAG-D funding, Broward County's Regional Emergency Services and Communications, Emergency Management Division, will manage the award. BSO will manage the program and create subrecipient agreements with the cities with grant-funded projects (Exhibit 3). The County's Grants Administration Section will monitor the subrecipients as required by federal law.
The City of Pompano Beach has assumed the lead role as direct recipient of JAG-D funds for 2018 and will receive technical assistance and support from the County and BSO to assure the grant management transition is smooth and that these funds remain in the community.
The Office of the County Attorney has been actively involved in the audit, reviewing grant agreements, and attending meetings among the stakeholders.
|