T-R PHOTO BY LANA BRADSTREAM — YSS of Marshall County Executive Director David Hicks and Marshalltown Police Department Chief Mike Tupper tell the city council about the success of the Marshalltown Police and Community Action Team (MPACT). The council discussed giving ARPA funds to the program during the regular Monday meeting.

The Marshalltown City Council will decide on whether or not certain funds will go to MPACT (Marshalltown Police and Community Team). First, the MPACT staff have been asked to present some information on utilizing two different amounts – $200,000 or roughly $218,000 – of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). A resolution for MPACT ARPA funds will be considered during the Dec. 9 council meeting.

If granted, the money will be used to purchase data collection software, will help ensure the MPACT continues for another year and will give officials time to find ways to sustain the program.

During the regular Monday meeting, Marshalltown Police Chief Mike Tupper approached the dais and told the council he had been shouting warnings about MPACT funding during the last year.

“If nothing changes, we have enough funding for MPACT to get us through Dec. 31, 2025,” Tupper said.

He said one of the conditions of ARPA monies is it must be spent by Dec. 31, 2026.

“It buys the city an extra 12 months to continue a program that I think everybody agrees has been a very good program for the city,” Tupper said. “The program has been very successful.”

Council member Gary Thompson asked City Administrator Carol Webb how much of the ARPA funds are available. She told him there is $18,000 which is not obligated. It was intended to go to the general fund, but Webb is not anticipating needing all or any of it.

“Because the [ARPA] funds have to be obligated by Dec. 31, 2024, we wanted to go ahead and take this action, so the funds would be obligated for this reason if we don’t need them for general fund balance,” she said.

Thompson asked if the council could move 100 percent of the available ARPA funds to MPACT. Webb said she wants to leave some in case it is needed for the general fund.

“I don’t think they will, but it will give us this flexibility that we can still use it for the general fund or we can use it for this purpose,” she said.

Thompson said no one will know where the general fund will be at the end of the year, when the ARPA funds need to be obligated.

One of the reasons for seeking the ARPA money is the challenge of data collection. According to Tupper, a program, started from scratch, is being utilized. He said they are trying to find a better way to collect the data, instead of just using Excel spreadsheets.

“We think if we can clean up how we’re gathering data, we can tell a better story for you all and for the community and it will help us tell a better story when we’re looking for grant funding and support from private granting opportunities,” Tupper said.

YSS Marshall County Executive Director David Hicks said the spreadsheet they are using has been helpful, but a company called Julota has the nation’s best co-responder data collection system. Both he and Tupper have attended training on how to implement the software.

The MPACT program is something Julota has taken notice of, Hicks said.

“I think they want to work with us pretty quickly,” he said. “So that would take up a pretty good chunk of the budget. Software systems are really, really expensive, but it comes along with IT services, backup.”

Hicks said they will be able to craft the Julota software to collect data specifically related to homelessness, mental health and more.

“We can just craft it to roll out the numbers we want to collect on,” he said.

According to Tupper, the software program will make the staff more efficient, which is part of its beauty. He said they are entering data in an archaic way, which takes time. Utilizing the program, MPACT workers will be able to focus on providing service instead of entering data in Excel.

Thompson inquired if the money would not be used to acquire another MPACT advocate. Tupper told him the money would not be used to hire another person. He said Hicks has applied for a grant through Marshall County, utilizing opioid settlement funding. If the grant is given, Tupper said they will try to add another advocate.

“We need a third advocate, by the way, but we also need to expand hours, as well,” he said.

Tupper told the council he was very thankful for the generosity and support they have given MPACT during the last four years. The council pledged $150,000 to launch and fund MPACT, and operations began in 2021.

After the meeting, Thompson said he suggested all of the remaining ARPA funds go toward MPACT, because the original intention of the federal dollars was to be used for social service programs.

“MPACT is the perfect place for ARPA,” he said. “It’s a no brainer to push it toward MPACT. This program has been really successful, and I don’t mind funding it. It is saving [police] officers time from going to the same address over and over again. People are not getting arrested and situations are being diffused. It keeps people out of jail, which saves the taxpayers money. That can all be tracked, and the software package will be more robust to accurately show the positive impact on the community.”

If it is decided ARPA monies will not be given to MPACT, Thompson said the LOST fund could be utilized, which is how the council initially funded the program.

“I think the city council has seen how great of an impact it has had on the community,” he said. “I do not see the city council not funding it. I just don’t know at what level.”

Contact Lana Bradstream at 641-753-6611 ext. 210 or lbradstream@timesrepublican.com.