FLINT TWP. — A public hearing for the 2011 Byrne Justice Assistance Grant ( JAG) program is set for 7 p.m. Aug. 1 at the Flint Township Hall.
The JAG Program, administered by the federal Bureau of Justice Assistance, provides states, tribes, and local governments withfundingforaarangeofprogramareas including law enforcement, prosecution, prevention and education, corrections, drug treatment and enforcement, technology improvement, and crime victim and witness initiatives.
At its July 18 meeting, the Flint Township Board authorized Supervisor Karyn Miller to sign an Interlocal Agreement for proposed 2011 JAG allocations between Flint Township, Mt. Morris Township, the cities of Burton and Flint and Genesee County.
The 2011 JAG award of $282,555 is down nearly 26 percent from $381,139 last year, due to overall reductions in federal funding levels and because of population declines in participating local communities, said Lt. Robert Batinkoff, of the Flint Township Police department, who presented
JAG details to the township board.
Distribution for 2011 JAG funds, before adjustments, is City of Flint, $234,516; Flint Township, $18,696; Mt. Morris Township, $15,265; Burton, $14,078 and Genesee County, $0.
Batinkoff explained that each participating municipality then contributes 10 percent of its funding as follows – five percent to the county because it is responsible for housing and prosecuting arrests and five percent to Flint Township which serves as the fiduciary for the JAG program.
As the fiduciary, Flint Township’s JAG portion rises to $30, 954.
The County’s portion would be $14,128. The Interlocal Agreement is required because Genesee County is a “disparate’’ county by JAG’s definition. Because of the county’s role in housing and prosecuting arrests, it gets a portion of JAG funding from each participating municipality.
Flint Township used its 2010 JAG funds to purchase three new police cars and also to upgrade the police department’s Crossmatch booking system which allows it to scan and instantly match fingerprints filed in local, state and federal databases.
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