“High Crime Area” Residential Street Lighting Mini-Grant Program
Purpose
To promote safety in certain “high crime areas” of unincorporated Hillsborough County, the “High Crime Area” Residential Street Lighting Mini-Grant Program is established.
Policy
Available grant funds will be awarded for the benefit of applicants selected pursuant to this policy to temporarily fund residential street lighting costs in residential communities declared to be “high crime areas” by the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office as defined in Ordinance No. 17-17, as amended (“high crime areas”). No grant under the Program shall be more than $5,000 annually; each residential street lighting community for which an application is submitted under the Program shall be considered a separate project. The total amount of grants awarded by the County for all projects shall not exceed $50,000 in any fiscal year. Grants are intended to promote the funding of residential street lighting in areas of the County declared to be “high crime areas”, where street lighting could not otherwise be made available. Subject to funds availability, the County shall fund street lighting in the communities of grant recipients for two (2) years with an optional two (2) year renewal. No grants shall be awarded solely for improvement of aesthetic appearance or recreational benefit. To the extent feasible, County staff is also authorized to provide technical assistance to the applicant in connection with any project.
Application Review Process
Applications will be evaluated and prioritized by County staff based on the requirements outlined in this Policy.
Final Decision on Awards
The staff recommendations will be forwarded to the BOCC for final approval. The BOCC has final discretion over all applications presented for consideration under the Program, possesses sole and final decision-making authority for determining eligibility and budgetary appropriations for the Program, and reserves the right to deny approval of any application, in its sole and absolute discretion.
Eligibility Requirements
Project Requirements:
All of the following requirements must be met for a Project to be eligible for funding under this program:
- The Project must be located in a residential community in unincorporated Hillsborough County and be within publicly maintained right of way.
- The applicant must demonstrate that it is not feasible to obtain the requisite percentage of property owner signatures for a petition to establish a special district for street lighting under Ordinance No. 17-17, as amended, due to the characteristics of the community. The applicant must demonstrate that a good faith effort was made to obtain such signatures by providing evidence of the attempts to obtain such signatures, such as return receipts for registered letters to out-of-state property owners, a list of property owners contacted and the date(s) of such contact attempts, and/or a partially completed petition.
- The community is in a high crime area, as verified by the Sheriff of Hillsborough County and supported by statistical evidence, and a statement from the Sheriff that street lighting will likely be effective in deterring crime.
- The applicant must demonstrate that the total annual Project budget is no greater than $5,000.
- The applicant may not be a federal, state, or local government, or other public body, agency, department, instrumentality, political subdivision, municipality, or district thereof.
Application Requirements:
The application for a Residential Street Lighting Mini-Grant shall be complete and include all documentation necessary for the County to thoroughly review the Project. The following items shall be submitted by the applicant.
Part A – Introduction
The applicant shall provide an overview of the Project that shall not exceed one 8.5 x 11 page.
In addition to the overview, the following information shall be provided:
- Real Estate Folio number(s) of all properties that are within the community.
- Name of Applicant(s) (must be property owner(s) within the community).
- Contact information for all parties – Applicant(s) and Consultants.
- Brief description of any previous work done to install, construct, improve, extend, operate, and maintain street lighting.
- Grant amount requested and total annual project cost.
Part B – Description of Project
The applicant shall provide a description of the Project to include the following:
- Residential street lighting community boundary.
- Activities to be conducted.
- Photographs of existing location with attached notes describing justification for street lighting.
- Any permitting required, permits applied for, or permits obtained.
- Any additional documentation necessary to describe the scope of the Project may be provided.
Part C – Financial elements
The applicant shall provide all financial information necessary to evaluate conformance with the financial requirements of the Program, including overall annual Project budget, and the amount of the grant requested.
Part D – Review Criteria
The applicant shall provide a description of how the Project meets and/or exceeds each of the applicable Review Criteria and sub-criteria (described in this document) as they apply.
Review Criteria:
The following three (3) review criteria shall be used by the County to evaluate all projects. Factors to be considered for each criterion are provided.
- ADJUSTMENTS TO RESIDENTIAL STREET LIGHTING:
Demonstrates any adjustments to be made to the residential street lighting, including installation, construction, operation, and maintenance of street lighting if applicable. - PURPOSE OF PROJECT:
- Demonstrates the ability to achieve a successful Project result including intent to preserve the health, safety, and general welfare of the lives and property of the citizens in the community.
- PERFORMANCE EVALUATION:
- Provides appropriate criteria and milestones for determining/measuring the success of the Project in achieving its purpose.
- Define relevant outcome indicators and targets (such as health, safety, and general welfare of the lives and property of the citizens in the community).
Funding Process after approval by the County Staff and the BOCC
It is the intent of the Program that the County will disburse grant award payment(s) to TECO upon receipt of an acceptable invoice(s) and satisfactory inspection of the Project by authorized representatives(s) of the County and all other local or State governmental agencies with jurisdiction over the Project, and verification that the Project has been completed according to the application submission, permits and approvals, and related Project documents.
Upon approval of an application by the BOCC, funds will be appropriated for the Project. Any remaining unspent funds will be returned to the reserves of the Hillsborough County Residential Street Lighting Program.
Ethics Policy
Applicants shall act in accordance with all applicable Hillsborough County Ethics policies and requirements.
Applicability of Bocc Policy 03.02.02.28
BOCC Policy 03.02.02.28 regarding Method of Funding Citizen Initiated Localized Capital Projects or Services shall not apply to the activities undertaken pursuant to this Policy.
Responsibility
It shall be the responsibility of the County Administrator or designated representative to manage this policy and ensure compliance with the above guidelines and procedures.