YPD gets $260K grant for connection to gun-crime solving network
The Yuma Police Department will receive a $260,000 grant for the purchase of hardware that will allow connectivity to federal agencies.
During the Wednesday meeting, the Yuma City Council authorized City Administrator Greg Wilkinson to accept the funding from the U.S. Department of Justice Technology Innovation for Public Safety.
The money will be used to buy Brasstrax and Matchpoint hardware for connection to the National Integrated Ballistics Information Network and the Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms National Correlation Center.
YPD has participated in NIBIN for more than eight years. The network helps police solve gun crimes by cataloging and matching digital images of brass casings ejected from firearms recovered at crime scenes and testfired from evidence guns.
NIBIN has assisted YPD in solving “numerous” firearms offenses and drive-by shootings, according to a staff report.
The federal funds were made available through the Arizona Criminal Justice Commission to be used to purchase the necessary hardware and software and provide support from the manufacturer.
YPD will use the software to image casings, upload data to
the ATF National Correlation Center and receive information concerning ongoing criminal investigations of gun crimes within the city. ACJC will transfer funds to the city and provide grant administration and reporting to the DOJ in accordance with grant requirements.
The total dollar amount of the grant is $289,853, of which $259,974 will be transferred to YPD. The balance of $29,879 will remain with ACJC to cover administrative costs. No matching funds are required from the city. This grant agreement is in effect from Jan. 1, 2019, to Sept. 30, 2020.
In other action, the council adopted an ordinance addressing industrial waste and other wastewater discharges to address deficiencies as noted by the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality.
Yuma has two treatment facilities known as the Figueroa Avenue Water Pollution Control Facility and the Desert Dunes Water Reclamation Facility. The facilities are permitted to treat up to 12 and 3.3 million gallons of wastewater per day, respectively.
The ADEQ permits require that the city adopt and implement a pretreatment program that meets the requirements of federal regulations. The pretreatment program regulates discharges by industrial users into the sewage collection system. This program protects the city’s wastewater treatment facilities and reduces the possibility of release of contaminants to the environment, according to a staff report.
Inspections by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and ADEQ had noted that Yuma’s sewer use ordinance does not meet the requirements of the current state and federal pretreatment regulations.
ADEQ noted deficiencies related to antiquated language, contracting with other jurisdictions, civil penalties, criminal penalties and other rules and directed the city to update its code to be in compliance with current standards.
The newly adopted regulations will allow the city to implement and enforce all requirements. The new ordinance consolidates and clarifies existing regulations, updates local wastewater discharge limitations, incorporates new federal regulations, and follows model ordinance language developed by the EPA.
Existing businesses in the city will not be negatively impacted and new businesses will not be at a competitive disadvantage because of the changes, the report noted. Currently 23 businesses in the city are subject to the pretreatment program. Staff will continue to communicate with these businesses on changes to the program, the report added.
Staff also introduced an ordinance authorizing annexation of property located at the southeast corner of Avenue 9E and 24th Street. The council also approved, as part of the consent agenda, an Infrastructure and Services Report for the area identified as the Patagonia Annexation.
The annexation area totals 51.8 acres and consists of seven properties and six owners and the adjacent Avenue 9E right-of-way. One parcel is the railroad right-of-way.
According to a staff report, the city received a request from KDC of Yuma LLC to annex the six properties. In 2014, KDC of Yuma, the developer of the parcels, split four lots from the larger parcel to develop four single-family homes. The 40,000-squarefoot development is named Patagonia.
One parcel has been purchased and a home is under construction. The rest of the properties are undeveloped. The larger remaining parcel has limited development potential as a result of easements for the Western Area Power Authority, El Paso Natural Gas, and Yuma for a water line. Officials anticipate that a future subdivision and home construction will occur consistent with those easements.
Approval of the Infrastructure and Services Report fulfills the state requirement to have an approved plan to provide the annexed territory with appropriate levels of infrastructure and services to serve anticipated new development within 10 years of annexation.
During discussion at a Tuesday work session, Deputy Mayor Gary Knight asked whether the home currently under construction is being built to county codes. Jennifer Albers, a city principal planner, replied that yes, as the county issued the initial permits. However, when it’s completed, it will have been annexed and the city will do the inspection for the occupancy permit. Alberts said she doesn’t anticipate issues since the city and county codes are very similar.
Knight also asked if the plan could reference the bike plan that’s being updated but hasn’t been adopted. Albers said that any new development would conform with documents currently adopted.
Councilman Edward Thomas asked whether the annexed area would be hooked up to the city sewer system. Albers noted that sewer is not a possibility at this point.