RESOLUTION NO. 230129
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Sponsor: Councilmember Ryana Parks-Shaw
RESOLUTION - Directing the City Manager to present a funding plan that will result in the City contributing $30 million from Unappropriated Fund Balance for the purpose of funding the local strategies outlined in the Blueprint for Violence Prevention and Healthy Communities and directing the City Manager to present the funding plan to Council before or at the same time as the presentation of the annual budget, if possible, but in no event any later than 24 hours prior to the first public budget meeting.
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WHEREAS, the Violence Free Kansas City Committee (VFKCC) was formed by the Kansas City Health Commission in February 2014 to implement coordinated strategies that prevent and deter violence; and
WHEREAS, the VFKCC created the KC Blueprint for Violence Prevention and a Safe and Healthy Community (“KC Blueprint”), a city-wide multi‐sectoral collective impact effort of public and private entities, with the mission to ensure that violence prevention and deterrence efforts are coordinated and rooted in the public health and community resilience approaches; and
WHEREAS, through this blueprint, the Kansas City, Missouri Health Department, the Health Commission, and VFKCC strive to reduce violence and trauma through evidence-based and best practices that mobilize residents, multiple government departments, the business sector, faith community, nonprofits, neighborhood groups, school districts, and more to explicitly state actions various community sectors can take to increase resilience factors (factors that protect against violence) and reduce risk factors (factors that increase the likelihood of violence); and
WHEREAS, leveraging evidence-based and best practices, as well as existing initiatives and partnerships, the KC Blueprint provides a path forward for Kansas Citians to create safe neighborhoods and prevent multiple forms of violence; and
WHEREAS, preventing violence and healing our city requires collective impact across sectors to improve the community environments where we live and play, learn, work and receive care. The goals of the KC Blueprint are organized by community environments; and
WHEREAS, the KC Blueprint calls for support of resident leaders to strengthen neighborhoods block by block, while also holding systems accountable for investing equitably in priority. Strategies included under this goal are also intended to improve community norms and the look, feel and safety of the physical environment while reducing access to harms like firearms used for violence. This goal focuses on citywide implementation; and
WHEREAS, the KC Blueprint also prioritizes investing in child development; and
WHEREAS, the business and workforce development sectors significantly shape where we work and can help set a path toward economic opportunity for the community to lift up individuals who are most often excluded from opportunities and at highest risk for violence such as youth, previously incarcerated individuals and immigrant and refugee populations; and
WHEREAS, the KC Blueprint identifies the importance of understanding that the service and care that we receive has a direct effect on our health and wellbeing; and
WHEREAS, realignment opportunities exist internally and are related to how we expend resources for youth employment, recreation, neighborhood development, public safety, public health, community development, economic development and other city functions would have a stronger impact if executed synergistically; and
WHEREAS, in 2020 through 2021, the average number of homicides in Kansas City, Missouri was 168. In 2022, there were 169. So far in 2023, we are trending at similar rates with already 14 homicides in January; and
WHEREAS, the City Council, recognizing these important goals, adopted the KC Blueprint on July 16, 2020, through Resolution No. 200557; and
WHEREAS, the City Council recognizes that there are external sources of revenue and the City should have the infrastructure needed to attract such external resources and support to carry out the KC Blueprint; and
WHEREAS, the City Council believes in the goals of the KC Blueprint and in taking steps to prevent violence and create a safe and healthy community and wants to make budgeting of the KC Blueprint a priority; NOW, THEREFORE,
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF KANSAS CITY:
Section 1. That the City Manager is directed to present a funding plan that will result in the City contributing $30 million from Unappropriated Fund Balance towards the purpose of funding the local strategies outlined in the Blueprint for Violence Prevention and Healthy Communities.
Section 2. That the City Manager is directed to present the funding plan to Council before or at the same time as the presentation of the annual budget, if possible, but in no event any later than 24 hours prior to the first public budget meeting.
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