2009 Lucas County Local JAG Stimulus Collaboration

This grant program is authorized by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5) (the 'Recovery Act') and by 42 U.S.C. 3751(a). The stated purposes of the Recovery Act are: to preserve and create jobs and promote economic recovery; to assist those most impacted by the recession; to provide investments needed to increase economic efficiency by spurring technological advances in science and health; to invest in transportation, environmental protection, and other infrastructure that will provide long-term economic benefits; and to stabilize state and local government budgets, in order to minimize and avoid reductions in essential services and counterproductive state and local tax increases. The Recovery Act places great emphasis on accountability and transparency in the use of taxpayer dollars.

Among other things, it creates a new Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board and a new website ' Recovery.gov ' to provide information to the public, including access to detailed information on grants and contracts made with Recovery Act funds.

The Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Program funded under the Recovery Act is the primary provider of federal criminal justice funding to state and local jurisdictions. Recovery JAG funds support all components of the criminal justice system, from multi-jurisdictional drug and gang task forces to crime prevention and domestic violence programs, courts, corrections, treatment, and justice information sharing initiatives. Recovery JAG funded projects may address crime through the provision of services directly to individuals and/or communities and by improving the effectiveness and efficiency of criminal justice systems, processes, and procedures.

Lucas County and the cities of Oregon and Toledo selected the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council to serve as the fiscal agent for the Fiscal Year 2009 Recovery Act JAG award in the amount of $2,398,164. The goals of the Lucas County disparate jurisdictions are to retain 43.64 police and corrections officer positions and to create a total of 13 jobs in the areas of community corrections, prosecution, victim services, and criminal justice prevention. The city of Toledo will use its allocation to retain 36 police officers. Lucas County will provide $485,628 to the sheriff's office to retain 7.29 corrections officers, and the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council will use a portion to award funds to local agencies for criminal justice projects. A competitive process will be used, and selections will be based on the applicant's ability to create jobs and meet the needs of the community. The city of Oregon will use its allocation to retain a part-time police officer on an overtime basis and purchase police cruisers and law enforcement equipment.

NCA/NCF