The Chief of Police for the Houston Police Department (HPD) recommends that City Council approve an ordinance authorizing the application for and acceptance of grant funds through the U.S. Department of Transportation for the FY23 Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program (MCSAP) High Priority Grant. The grant period becomes effective October 1, 2023, or on the date of final signature, whichever is later, and ends on September 30, 2025. If approved, the U.S. Department of Transportation will provide $734,745.19 in grant funding. No cash match or in-kind match is required.
This will be the city's 14th award under this program. HPD presented this item on April 20, 2023 to the Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee.
The purpose of the FY23 Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program (MCSAP) High Priority Grant is to allow the Houston Police Department Truck Enforcement Unit to expand the key components of their work, which includes: inspection of commercial motor vehicles, hazardous material motor vehicles and passenger-carrying of commercial motor vehicles; traffic enforcement to regulate speed, seat belt usage and aggressive driving; education of both commercial motor vehicle drivers and owners of safe driving habits; education of citizens on the dangers of unsafe driving behaviors around commercial motor vehicles; and safety initiatives involving marked and unmarked units around work zones and targeted roadways. The funding will be used towards overtime for personnel in order to reduce the number of commercial motor vehicle (CMV) at-fault crashes through a combined effort of inspecting, enforcing and educating the commercial motor vehicle industry.
The Houston Police Department also requests City Council to authorize the Chief of Police or his designee to act as the City’s representative in the application process with the authority to apply for, accept and expend the grant funds as awarded, and apply for, accept and expend all subsequent awards, if any, to extend the budget period, and to authorize the Mayor to execute all related agreements with the approval of the City Attorney in connection with the grant not to exceed five years.
Fiscal Note:
No Fiscal Note is required on grant items.
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Troy Finner
Chief of Police