Explanation
Background: The passage of ordinance 2656-2023 enabled The City Treasurer’s Office to contract with US Bank in order to provide City agencies the ability to use gift cards as incentive payments for agency programs.
Funding for ordinance 2656-2023 was provided by the Department of Public Safety, Division of Police and the Office of Violence Prevention for the Community gun buy-back event. The Office of Violence Prevention, in collaboration with the Department of Public Safety hosted the community gun buy-back event on September 30, 2023, during which individuals voluntarily surrendered firearms and were compensated with a gift card. In total, $250,000.00 was authorized via ordinance 2656-2023, comprised of $200,000.00 from the General Fund and $50,000.00 from the Contraband Seizure Fund.
The 2023 gun buy-back event was a success and as such, the Department of Public Safety and the Office of Violence and Prevention will co-sponsor another such event in September 2024. From the funds authorized via ordinance 2656-2023, $106,225.00 in gift cards remain. The Department of Public Safety and the Office of Violence Prevention would like to use these previously issued (and remaining) gift cards for the upcoming gun buy-back event.
Title
To authorize the Department of Public Safety and the Office of Violence Prevention to distribute previously issued and remaining gift cards from the 2023 gun buy-back event totaling up to $106,225.00 for the 2024 gun buy-back event(s); and to declare an emergency. ($106,225.00)
Body
WHEREAS, the Office of Violence Prevention, in collaboration with the Department of Public Safety plans to host a community gun buy-back event on September 14, 2024 during which individuals who voluntarily surrender firearms will be compensated with a gift card; and
WHEREAS, the Office of Violence Prevention deems this gun buy-back necessary to help reduce to the number of firearms in the community in an effort to reduce gun violence; and
WHE...
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