PROTECTION MONEY

Western Cities Must Now Compete for Homeland Security Dollars

By Headwaters News, 1-04-06

You might find it strange to learn that U.S. cities must now vie among each other for a piece of the shrinking pie of federal dollars earmarked for homeland security. But under a new funding formula created by the Department of Homeland Security, that’s now the way it is. And in the competitive world of federal protection money, the West is a player, but not a big one.

Today’s Denver Rocky Mountain News reports that the Denver metro area has made the first cut, and is among the top 35 urban areas that will compete for $765 million in counter-terror money in 2006. The list of top targets decreased from 50 last year to 35 this year. And there is no indication thus far as to why or how Denver made the list, which in itself doesn’t guarantee any funding. As well, the federal pot has also fallen from a total of $885 million.

Salt Lake City, a big city in an otherwise sparsely populated state, didn’t make that list, and it appears to have just missed the list of 46 places eligible for annual Urban Area Security Initiative grants, reports the Salt Lake Tribune. Some critics say Utah misspent its last round of money by purchasing binoculars, laptops and snowmobiles. Homeland Security officials reportedly are looking for cities that will spend the money wisely and on projects or equipment that have more than one use, such as natural disaster relief.

The news is a bit surprising for many cities, especially ones that expected to receive some funding but will see nothing of the $765 million pool, such as the international hotspot Las Vegas and the port cities of San Diego and Tampa.

The problem is that many of these cities, including Denver and Salt Lake, began multi-year projects that counted on continued funding for their success and completion. Without that money, the projects will likely remain incomplete while cities seek other funding.

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