OXFORD — The Oxford Police Department is hoping to hire an additional police officer utilizing a grant Oxford City Council authorized them to apply for. During city council’s meeting on Tuesday, June 20, Police Chief John Jones appealed to Oxford to apply for the COPS Hiring Program Grant.
Council approved the submission of a grant application for the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Community Oriented Policing Services for the COPS Hiring Program grant in the amount of $125,000. The Office of Community Oriented Policing Services is offering grant opportunities to hire police officers to advance public safety through community policing. The grants may be used to hire new police officers or rehire career law enforcement officers.
OPD is currently authorized to have 16 police officers, which is a reduction from the 19 authorized in 2011. In order to meet the needs of the Oxford community, the police department hopes to apply and obtain this three year grant to fund one police officer position, raising the total to 17 police officers.
In other police news, council approved a resolution authorizing the School Resource Officer (SRO) Program agreement between the Talawanda City School District and the City of Oxford. The SRO will work 40 hours per week and the Talawanda School District will reimburse the City of Oxford for those hours at a rate of $24.
The SRO will primarily be assigned to the middle school and Kramer Elementary. The SRO will split duties at the high school with the Butler County Deputy SRO.
The city manager was authorized to submit an Ohio Congestion Mitigation/Air Quality grant application requesting funding through the Ohio Kentucky Indiana Regional Council of Governments in the amount of $1,500,000, with a local match of $500,000. The Oxford Area Trails Committee will explore options to raise the required match to construct an additional segment of the Oxford Area Trail from U.S. 27 to Chestnut Fields.
This grant will be slated for the 2021-2023 funding cycle. The grant application deadline was June 30.
The construction of the first phase of the trail, with an ODNR grant, is complete and the city has also secured additional funding for the portion from Ohio 73 to U.S. 27 from the Alternative Transportation Fund which will be given in 2019.
This portion is to continue from Peffer Park to Talawanda High School and go under the railroad track to provide an extension to the Chestnut Field, where the future Amtrak station has been planned, along with the future BCRTA multi-modal facility.
The city manager was also authorized to enter into a three-year contract with NextStep Networking for managed Information Technology (IT) and backup disaster recovery services at an annual cost of $73,935, subject to terms and conditions after the first year.
Council accepted a bid and entered into a contract with Hendy, Inc. for the replacement of certain curb, gutter, sidewalk, and alley aprons, and the installation of new handicap ramps at a cost not to exceed $106,789.50.
Oxford City Council did not meet for its regular meeting on the first Tuesday of the month, due to the Forth of July holiday, so the next meeting will be held in the Oxford Courthouse on Tuesday, July 18, at 7:30 p.m.
