2006/01/25 Council Agenda Packet

5 Responsibilities The chief executive officer of an eligible unit of local government or a local agency designated by the chief executive officer must apply for JAG funds. A unit of local government receiving a JAG award will be responsible for the administration of the funds including distributing the funds; monitoring the award; submitting reports including performance measure and program assessment data; and providing ongoing assistance to any subrecipients of the funds. Administrative Funds A unit of local government may use up to 10 percent of the award for costs associated with administering JAG funds. Eligibility Units of local government appearing on the FY 2006 Units of Local Government List established by BJS are eligible to apply for JAG funds. For JAG program purposes, a unit of local government is a town; township; village; parish; city; county; or other general purpose political subdivision of a state; or a federally recognized Indian tribe or Alaskan Native organization that performs law enforcement functions as determined by the Secretary of the Interior. In Louisiana, a unit of local government means a district attorney or a parish sheriff. For a listing of eligible units of local government, go to www.ojp.usdoi.gov/BJA/grant/iagallocations.html. Disparate Certification A disparate allocation occurs when a constituent unit of local government is scheduled to receive one and one-half times more(four times more for multiple units of local government)than another constituent unit(s), while the other unit of local government bears more than 50 percent of the costs of prosecution or incarceration that arise for Part 1 violent crimes reported by the geographically constituent unit(s). JAG disparates are certified by the Director of BJA, based in part on input from the state's Attorney General. For a listing of disparate jurisdictions, go to www.oip.usdoi.gov/BJA/grant/iagallocations.html. * Jurisdictions certified as disparate must submit a joint application for the aggregate of funds allocated to them, specifying the amount of the funds that are to be distributed to each of the units of local government and the purposes for which the funds will be used. The units of local government involved may establish a joint advisory board to carry out the joint application process.When beginning the JAG application process, a Memorandum of Understanding(MOU) must be completed, signed, and faxed to OJP, indicating who will serve as the applicant/fiscal agent for the joint funds. MOUs must be faxed to 202-354-4147, with the OJP Grants Management System(GMS)-generated application number printed on each page. For a sample MOU, go to www.oip.usdoi.qov/BJA/grant/06JAGMOU.pdf. Application Reviews The eligible unit of local government applying for a JAG award must make the grant application available for review to the governing body of the unit of local government or an organization designated by that governing body not fewer than 30 days before the application is submitted to BJA. Also, the unit of local government must provide an assurance that the application or any future amendment was made public and an opportunity to comment was provided to citizens and to neighborhood or community organizations to the extent applicable law or established procedure makes such an opportunity available. Supplanting Federal funds must be used to supplement existing funds for program activities and cannot replace, or supplant, nonfederal funds that have been appropriated for the same purpose. Award Amount Of the 40 percent allocated for direct awards from BJA to units of local government, funds will be allocated based on the same ratio to such share as the average annual number of Part 1 violent crimes reported by the unit to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)for the 3 most recent calendar years for which data is available, to the number of Part 1 violent crimes reported by all units of local government in the state to the FBI for such years. -- 2