Department Funding

The primary funding source for the Police Department is the General Fund.  However, funding is also provided through other revenue sources including Proposition 172 Special Revenue Fund, California Citizen Option for Public Safety Grant (COPS) Special Revenue Fund, High Intensity Drug Trafficking 

Area (HIDTA) Special Revenue Fund and Department of Justice Equitable Sharing Program (Asset Forfeiture) Special Revenue Fund.

Proposition 172 Special Revenue Fund. 
Proposition 172, approved by the California voters in November 1993, permanently extended a one-half percent sales and use tax imposed on the total retail price of any tangible personal property for public safety services as partial mitigation for the Education Revenue Augmentation Fund (ERAF) property tax shifts from cities and counties to the State.  The revenue from this tax is allocated to each county based on their proportionate share of statewide taxable sales and is disbursed each month by the State Controller.  Each County is required to deposit the revenue in a Public Safety Augmentation Fund from which it is allocated by the County Auditor-Controller to the County and its cities.  

The enabling legislation (SB 509) provides that public safety services include, but are not limited to sheriffs, police, fire, County district Attorney, county corrections and ocean life guards.

Each County’s allocation is determined by is proportion of taxable sales for all counties in the preceding calendar year.  The Board of Equalization (BOE) provides the State Controller with a table of taxable sales for the 58 counties.  The State Controller calculates each county’s percentage of total statewide taxable sales and applied this percentage to monthly collections.

The allocation factor for each city is based upon city and county property tax revenue shift to the Education Revenue Augmentation Fund (ERAF) in FY1993-94.  Prior to FY1997-1998, vehicle license monies receive by cities were dedicated from the formula to derive a net FY1993-1994 property tax loss.  Two subsequent amendments affected the allocation formula.

    A.  Cities and counties share equally in revenue growth commencing with the FY1997-1998 with no cap for city allocations.

  1. A “maintenance of effort” provision requires cities and counties to fund public Safety at the FY1992-1993 levels, adjusted annually by a cost-of-living factor Commencing with FY1994-1995. Because Counties were the primary losers in the property tax shift to the State under the Education Revenue Augmentation Fund (ERAF), the formula rest sin counties being the primary beneficiations of Proposition 172.

California Citizen Option for Public Safety Grant (COPS) Special Revenue Fund.   
Assembly Bill 1913 or California Citizen Option for Public Safety Grant (COPS) program provides a minimum of $100,000 to eligible front line law enforcement agencies.  To be eligible for allocations under the COPS program, a local jurisdiction must (1) submit an annual expenditure report to the State Controller as required by current law and (2) fully expend its allocation within 24 months of receipt.  COPS funds cannot be used to replace existing City Funding for the Police Department.  Each county has an oversight committee form the District Attorney’s Office that reviews COPS expenditures of each law enforcement agency.

High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Grant Special Revenue Fund. 
The High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area program (HIDTA) is a drug-prohibition enforcement program operated by the United States Office of National Drug Control Policy.  It was established in 1990

after the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988 was passed.  The mission of the program is to enhance and coordinate America’s drug-control efforts among local, State and Federal law enforcement agencies in order to eliminate or reduce drug trafficking and its harmful consequences in critical regions of the United States.

The term HIDTA also refers to each geographic location, usually a major city or border crossing, in which the program has established a headquarters.  These headquarters are placed in locations considered to be major drug trafficking zones.  The five HIDTA offices along the United States-Mexico border are grouped into a single “Southwest Border HIDTA” unit.  Since the program began 28 HIDTA units have been designated.

Each HIDTA is governed by a HIDTA Executive Board which includes representatives of local, State and Federal law enforcement agencies in the of the HIDTA.  By law, each HIDTA Board is equally divided between federal law enforcement on one side and state and local agencies on the other.

Department of Homeland Security Operation Stonegarden Grant (OPSG) Special Revenue Fund. 
The FY2014 Homeland Security Grant Program (HSGP) plays an important role in the implementation of the National Preparedness System (NPS) by supporting the building, sustainment and delivery of core capabilities essential to achieving the National Preparedness Goal (NPG) of a secure and resilient nation.  The building, sustainment and delivery of these core capabilities are not exclusive to any single level of government, organization, or community, but rather, require the combined effort of the whole community.  The FY2014 HSGP supports core capabilities across the five mission areas of prevention, protection, mitigation, response and recovery.  HSGP is comprised of three interconnected grant programs:  State Homeland Security Program (SHSP), Urban Areas Security Initiative (UASI) and Operation Stonegarden (OPSG).

Together, these grant programs fund a range of preparedness activities, including planning, organization, purchase, training, exercises, and management and administration.

The City of Calexico qualified for Operation Stonegarden Grants (OPSG).  This grant program provides funding to agencies in a joint mission to secure the United States borders along routes of ingress from international borders to include travel corridors in States bordering Mexico and Canada, as well as State and territories with International water borders.  Operation Stonegarden is intended to support United States border States and territories in accomplishing the following objectives: 

  • Increase capability to prevent, protect against, and respond to border security issues. 
  • Encourage local operational objectives and capabilities to enhance National and State Homeland Security Strategies (such as the Federal Secure Borders Initiative and United States CBP/BP strategies). 
  • Increase coordination and collaboration among Federal, State, Tribal, and territorial law enforcement agencies. 
  • Continue the distinct capability enhancements required for border security and border protection. 
  • Provide intelligence based operations through CBP/BP Sector Level experts to ensure safety and operational oversight of Federal, State, local Tribal and territorial law enforcement agencies participating in OPSG operational activities.
  • Support a request to the Governor to activate, deploy or redeploy specialized National Guard Units/Packages and/or elements of State law enforcement to increase or augment specialized/technical law enforcement elements operational activities. 
  • Continue to increase operational, material and technological readiness of State, local, Tribal, and territorial law enforcement agencies. 

Operation Stonegarden Grants (OPSG) funds must be used to increase operational capabilities of Federal, State, local, Tribal, and territorial law enforcement agencies.

Department of Justice Equitable Sharing Program (Asset Forfeiture) Special Revenue Fund. 
Under the Comprehensive Crime Control Act of 1984, the Department of Justice administers the Asset Forfeiture Program.  This program is a nationwide law enforcement initiative that removes the tools of crime from criminal organizations, deprives wrongdoers of the proceeds of their crimes, recovers property that may be used to compensate victims and deters crime.  The program fosters cooperation among Federal, State and local law enforcement agencies.  Federal law authorizes the Attorney General to share property in any case with State and local law enforcement agencies.  Local law enforcement agencies participate in the Asset Forfeiture Program in two ways: 

  • Joint Investigations.  Joint investigations are those in which Federal agencies work with state or local law enforcement agencies or foreign counties to enforce federal criminal laws.  Joint investigations may originate from participation on a federal task force or a formal task force comprised of State and local agencies or from State or local investigations that are developed into federal cases. 
  • Adoption of State or Local Seizure.  An adoption occurs when a State or local law enforcement agency seizes property and requests one of federal seizing agencies to adopt the seizure and proceed with federal forfeiture.  Federal agencies may adopt such seized property for forfeiture where the conduct giving rise to the size sure is in violation of federal law and where federal law provides for forfeiture. 

A State or local law enforcement agency requesting federal adoption of a state of local seizure must comply with all applicable state laws and regulations pertaining to the transfer of seized property to a federal law enforcement agency, including any requirement for a state judicial order or prosecutorial consent for such transfer.  When required by State law, a State transfer order should be obtained for assets seized pursuant to a State search warrant or a warrantless search to which state jurisdiction has attached.

State and local agencies have 30 calendar days from the date the property is seized to request a Federal adoption.  The adopting Federal agency may waive the 30-day deadline where the state or local law enforcement agency requests a waiver in writing, which must include a written explanation of exceptional circumstances that justify the

The FY2015 City budget document does not contain a budget for the Department of Justice Equitable Sharing Program (Asset Forfeiture) Special Revenue Fund.  This is because Federal regulations  require an agency not to “spend it before you get it or budget anticipated receipts.  Receiving agencies may not commit to spending of sharing monies for a certain purpose in advance.”

Measure H Sales Tax Special Revenue Fund.   
Section 7285.9 of the California Revenue and Taxation Code authorizes cities to levy a transactions and use tax (“sales tax” or “sales and use tax”) to be expended for general purposes, which transactions and use tax is subject to the approval by two-thirds vote of all members of the City Council and by a majority of the qualified voters of the City voting in an election on the issue. 

On March 2, 2010, the City Council in Ordinance No. 1111 authorized a vote of the people to increase the sales tax by half a cent for 20 years for general government purposes.  The ordinance also created a Citizen Oversight Advisory Committee comprised of an appointment by each member of the City Council whose term corresponds with the appointing Council Member’s term of office.  The Oversight Committee oversees, recommends and reports to the City Council on the expenditure of the proceeds of the tax created by the ordinance.

The measure was submitted to the voters of the City of Calexico as required by Section 53720 et. Seq. of the California Government Code, approved by the voters of California in 1986 as Proposition 62; as required by Article XIIIC of the California Constitution, approved by the voters of California in 1996 as Proposition 218; and as required by Section 7285.9 of the California Revenue and Taxation Code.

On June 8, 2010, Measure H was approved by the voters.  2,031 (59.98%) voted “yes” and 1,335 (40.02%) voted “no.” 

The City Council has allocated $850,000 a year for the operation of the Calexico Police Department.