City of Oak Creek

Common Council Report

Meeting Date: June 17, 2008

Item No.: 11

Recommendation: That the Common Council grant the Fire Department approval to apply for a SAFER Act grant.

Background: The Federal government has again offered the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) Grants. The City has participated in that program since 2005, however the Department not received an award of this grant as of yet.

The program provides funding of 90% the first year, 80% the second year, 50% the third year, and 30% the fourth year. In the fifth year the positions are fully funded by the City. The dollar value per position is capped at approximately $36,000 (or 90%), $32,000 (or 80%), $20,000 (or 50%) and $12,000 (or 30%) for years 1 thru 4. With the growth of the City, the Fire Department is in need of additional personnel to deal with the increased call volume and demands, and was intending on making a request for 2009.

The application period for this program is very short and the Department needs to move quickly to complete the application by the deadline of June 27th. If the grant is awarded to the Department, we will return to the Common Council to request permission to accept the grant before proceeding.

Fiscal Impact: If the grant is awarded, the department will provide a 5 year cost projection to the Council before asking for approval to accept the grant.

Prepared by Thomas Rosandich Assistant Chief	Respectfully submitted, Patrick Degrave City Administrator
Approved by: Brian M. Satula Fire Chief	Fiscal Review by: Beverly A. Buretta, CMC City Clerk