$500K grant to help fund paramedic service in Calif.

By Erin Waldner
The Press Enterprise

BANNING, Calif. — The Banning City Council will likely give the OK to spend a $500,000 grant on paramedic services when it meets tonight.

The funds come from the Riverside Indian Gaming Local Community Benefit Committee.

A report states that the Banning Fire Department submitted a grant application to the Morongo Band of Mission Indians totaling $823,331. The reservation forwarded the proposal to the committee, as is the protocol, and recommended it award $500,000.

The report, submitted by the fire department, notes that Banning has continued paramedic services at the fire department with financial assistance from neighboring Beaumont and Riverside County and that the $500,000 will go toward reimbursement costs.

With Morongo's support, Banning also recently received nearly $565,000 from the committee to fund, among other things, a police officer position for one year. The officer will serve as a tribal liaison and coordinate police patrol near the casino.

Those funds also are paying for seven police cars, overtime for officers patrolling the entertainment district and camera surveillance equipment.

Also tonight, the City Council will consider spending $29,500 on security upgrades at City Hall. The money is for expanding a keyless entry and card reader system and for building a partition wall in the hallway behind the council chambers.

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