Title
Authorize Recommended Changes to the 2025 Neighborhood Block Watch Program Application Guide and Process (Ordinance S-51377 ) - Citywide
Description
Request to authorize the City Manger, or his designee, to approve of changes to the 2025 Neighborhood Block Watch Grant Program (NBWGP) application guide and program process, as recommended by the Neighborhood Block Watch Oversight Committee.
Report
Summary
The NBWGP Oversight Committee was established to solicit, evaluate and recommend to the Mayor and City Council appropriate proposals to expend funds for the expansion of the Block Watch programs within the limits of the Neighborhood Protection Ordinance. This ordinance, known as Proposition 301, was adopted at a special election on October 5, 1993. The City Council adopted the format and guidelines for this process on April 26, 1994.
The NBW Oversight Committee reviewed and approved requests to change the NBWGP grant application and program process during their meeting on September 5, 2024. The NBW Oversight Committee is recommending the following changes become effective for the 2025 grant application process, which opens on November 1, 2024.
The following is a list of the significant NBWGP Oversight Committee recommended changes to the 2025 NBWGP Application Guide (Attachment A):
1. On page 7, remove the section header of “COMMUNITY LIGHTING INFORMATION” and replace it with the following: “COMMUNITY UTILITIES INFORMATION.”
2. On page 7, under COMMUNITY UTILITIES INFORMATION section, add the following language “Using grant funds to pay for water bills is restricted in the following manner.”
3. On page 7, under COMMUNITY UTILITIES INFORMATION section, add the following as bullet points: “Can be used for Community Garden Projects ONLY” and “A maximum of $3,000 can be allocated towards water bills.”
4. On page 8, remove the section header of “Crime Prevention / Quality of Life Factors” and replace it with the following: “Crime Prevention / Safety / Quality of Life Factors.”
5. On page 9, remove the section header of “CRIME PREVENTION/QUALITY OF LIFE FACTORS” and replace it with the following: “CRIME PREVENTION / SAFETY / QUALITY OF LIFE FACTORS.”
6. On page 9, under CRIME PREVENTION / SAFETY / QUALITY OF LIFE FACTORS section, revise descriptions for each rating score section from paragraph format to bullet point format.
7. On page 10, under BUDGET EVALUATION section, revise descriptions for each rating score section from paragraph format to bullet point format.
8. On page 11, under COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT section, revise descriptions for each rating score section from paragraph format to bullet point format.
9. On page 12, under PROJECT VIABILITY/FEASIBILITY/ABILITY TO COMPLETE THE PROJECT section, revise descriptions for each rating score section from paragraph format to bullet point format.
10. On page 13, under the GRANT CO-APPLICANT GROUPS section, add the following language “A Co-Applicant Group is limited to one grant application per grant year, with the exception of a City of Phoenix department.”
11. On page 14, add header titled PROJECTED VOLUNTEER CONTRIBUTION above Volunteer hours contributions section.
12. On page 18, under the PROHIBITED ITEMS LIST section, remove “Awards and raffle prizes” and replace it with the following: “Awards and raffle prizes, where a price is paid for a ticket/entry to win an item.”
13. On page 18, under the PROHIBITED ITEMS LIST section, remove “Motor vehicles” and replace it with the following: “Motor vehicles of any kind, including electric vehicles.”
14. On page 18, under the PROHIBITED ITEMS LIST section, remove “Surveillance equipment and drones, including night vision and listening devices (does not include graffiti cameras if partnering with the Neighborhood Services Department)” and replace it with the following: “Surveillance equipment and drones; including night vision, listening devices, and doorbell/monitoring cameras (does not include graffiti cameras if partnering with the Neighborhood Services Department).”
15. On page 18, under the PROHIBITED ITEMS LIST section, add the following as a new restricted item: “Overdose reversal medication (e.g., Naloxone, Narcan, etc.).”
16. On page 18, under the RESTRICTED ITEMS section, remove “Cellular phones purchased with NBWGP funds for the purpose of neighborhood patrols and Block Watch activities can be funded up to a maximum limit of $480 per phone / service for the grant year” and replace it with the following: “Cellular phones purchased with NBWGP funds for the purpose of neighborhood patrols and Block Watch activities can be funded up to a maximum limit of $500 per phone for the grant year.”
17. On page 18, under the RESTRICTED ITEMS section, add the following language: “Additionally, up to a maximum of $600 can be spent on phone service for the grant year.”
18. On page 18, under the RESTRICTED ITEMS section, add the following language: “A maximum of one (1) phone can be purchased per grant year.”
19. On page 19, under the RESTRICTED ITEMS section, increase Mileage Reimbursement cap from $1,000 per grant year to $1,500 per grant year.
20. On page 19, under the RESTRICTED/CAPPED ITEMS CHART, remove “Adult clothing (t-shirts, jackets, hats, sweatshirts, etc.)” and replace it with the following: “Adult clothing (t-shirts, jackets, hats, sweatshirts, etc.), with exception of City of Phoenix Police Department Phoenix Neighborhood Patrol Program.”
21. On page 19, under the RESTRICTED/CAPPED ITEMS CHART, add “Cellular Phone (maximum of one per grant year)” with a new cap of $500.
22. On page 19, under the RESTRICTED/CAPPED ITEMS CHART, add “Cellular Phone Service” with a new cap of $600.
23. On page 19, under the RESTRICTED/CAPPED ITEMS CHART, remove “Digital cameras (per item)” and replace it with the following: “Digital cameras (per item; maximum of one per grant year).”
24. On page 19, under the RESTRICTED/CAPPED ITEMS CHART, increase Flashlights (per item) cap from $25 to $40.
25. On page 19, under the RESTRICTED/CAPPED ITEMS CHART, increase Two-way Radios, including accessories (per radio) cap from $250 to $500.
26. On page 19, under the RESTRICTED/CAPPED ITEMS CHART, increase Radar Gun (per item) cap from $125 to $150.
27. On page 19, under the RESTRICTED/CAPPED ITEMS CHART, add “Water utility bill” with a new cap of $3,000.
28. On page 19, under the RESTRICTED/CAPPED ITEMS CHART, increase Guest Speaker (per presentation) cap from $150 to $300.
29. On page 19, under the RESTRICTED/CAPPED ITEMS CHART, increase Entertainer/Entertainment group to include Face Painter(s), Disc Jockey(s) or Balloon Artist(s) (each artist / group, per event) cap from $150 to $300.
30. On page 20, under the RESTRICTED/CAPPED ITEMS CHART, add “Murals” with a new cap of $1,000.
31. On page 20, under the RESTRICTED/CAPPED ITEMS CHART, remove “Bicycles ($500 per item; no more than two items per grant year)” and replace it with the following: “Bicycles ($500 per item; no more than two items per grant year; electric / motorized bicycles prohibited).”
32. On page 22, under the ATTACHMENTS section, remove “Applicants may include additional supportive documents / photos with the application (five attachments maximum)” and replace it with the following: “Applicants may include additional supportive documents / photos with the application (five voluntary attachments maximum).”
33. On page 22, under the ATTACHMENTS section, add the following language as a new bullet point: “In addition to required attachments, a maximum of five (5) voluntary attachments are allowed.”
Contract Term
The funding period for the 2025 NBWGP grants is July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2026.
Financial Impact
No matching funds are required.
Concurrence/Previous Council Action
This item was recommended for approval by the Public Safety and Justice Subcommittee on October 23, 2024.
Department
Responsible Department
This item is submitted by Assistant City Manager Lori Bays and the Police Department.