Public safety grant frees up funds

News that the police department secured a $110,000 grant to pay for a DWI enforcement officer came as welcome relief to Cloquet city officials Tuesday.

Not only will it bring an increased focus on driving-while-impaired arrests and education, police chief Derek Randall said they will fill the position with a current officer, so city funds allocated to pay that salary and benefits will be freed up for other uses.

That could mean purchasing police body cameras — which were discussed, but didn’t make the budget — or replacing the department’s stun guns more quickly than the roughly two per year allocated starting next year.

The grant funds came from the Minnesota Department of Public Safety, and were pursued locally by Cloquet police commander Dave O’Connor. Cloquet and Carlton County were both selected for the program, Randall said, among a handful of agencies selected across the state.

In addition to the focus on DWI enforcement, the position is also expected to address other driving safety violations including speeding, hands-free (cellphone) infractions and seat belts. The grant pays for the officer’s salary, benefits and additional training. The city and the state’s Toward Zero Deaths coordinator will monitor results. The city could reapply for the grant next year.

Randall said they advertised internally and three officers were interested. One has been selected, but the state said they can change the officer filling the position if needed.

City administrator Tim Peterson praised the Toward Zero Deaths program and the increased focus on safe driving the grant will bring, but admitted he was most excited about the funds it will free up.

“There’s a whole list of things left out of the budget,” Peterson said, explaining that at the budgeted $5,000 a year for stun guns the city wouldn’t be keeping up with, “let alone catching up” on, the need to replace the already outdated models.

“My point is, this frees up $110,00 between this year and next year, and that will allow us to do some of these things with a net zero impact to the budget,” he said.

The council unanimously approved the grant, which begins Oct. 1. No decisions were made on how to reallocate the $110,000.

Also Tuesday, Randall shared news of another police department grant — this one netted by commander Adam Reed — which paid for 14 new automated external defibrillators, used to help those experiencing sudden cardiac arrest.

“It was enough for all the patrol and (administration) cars,” Randall said. “I know that we’re really lucky to have a full-time fire department and paramedics on staff in the city, but having these AEDs will only improve our effectiveness for responding to cardiac-type calls.”

According to the American Red Cross, an AED can analyze the heart's rhythm and, if necessary, deliver an electrical shock, or defibrillation, to help the heart re-establish an effective rhythm. The Helmsley Charitable Trust grant will also pay to replace any pads used in a lifesaving event, and send a new AED for use after one is used during a lifesaving event.

Randall said officers watched a one-hour video on how to use the AEDs.

“I think it was a great award and should help us be more prepared to help others in our community,” Randall said.

HRA seeks help

Also Monday, a plea from the Cloquet Housing and Redevelopment Authority for lower payment in lieu of taxes next year seemed to fall on deaf ears.

Cloquet HRA executive director Debra Shaff — who also heads the Carlton HRA — requested that the city reduce the local HRA’s payment in lieu of taxes from 10 percent to 5 percent, a reduction of $11,000 a year. If the city agreed, the HRA would use the money toward updating its technology, with the hopes of making applications and other things available online, versus the current and outdated “paper everything” model used in their office.

Peterson said he didn’t argue any of Shaff’s explanation, but reduced it to simple math: If the city allowed the HRA to pay less, the taxpayers would have to make up the difference.

He figured the HRA was now the third group that has asked the city for some kind of funding; other requests were for sales tax dollars and local government aid funds from the state, he said.

“Quite frankly we’re all scraping from the same pot of money over and over again,” Peterson said.

Shaff also told the council the Cloquet HRA has 97 active Section 8 vouchers with a waiting list of 303 names, 197 of those from Carlton County. She said of 16 people currently looking for housing with a Section 8 voucher, she expects maybe one or two will be successful. They are looking for more landlords willing to work with the program.