Staff recommends City Council approve and accept the FY 2026 STOP Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) Grant through the Montana Board of Crime Control in the amount of $150,000 for the grant period of October 1, 2026, through September 30, 2027, and authorize the mayor to sign all necessary grant documents.

The City Attorney's Office has received VAWA grant funding for over two decades, which now partly supports its DV Unit's prosecutors. The unit has grown from one prosecutor, two Victim/Witness Specialists, and one investigator in 2015 to four prosecutors, four Victim/Witness Specialists (one VW position not authorized to be filled in FY27), and two investigators in 2026. The funds supplement the salaries of specially trained prosecutors who handle only misdemeanor domestic violence cases. They also pay for ongoing Billings Police Department patrol officer training and annual national training for the unit, and they support close collaboration with the Northern Lights Family Justice Center. Continued funding is essential to the unit's operations. These funds are already included in the FY27 adopted budget and will not change budgeted amounts.

The City Attorney's Office has received VAWA grant funding for over two decades, which partially funds three domestic violence prosecutor positions within the City's DV Unit. In 2015, the City Attorney's DV Unit consisted of a single prosecutor, two Victim/Witness Specialists, and one Domestic Violence Investigator. As of 2026, the DV Unit consists of four prosecutors, four Victim/Witness Specialists (one of the VW positions is currently not authorized to be filled in FY27)), and two Domestic Violence Investigators. 
 
This grant assists with the prosecution of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking cases. In order to adequately prosecute these cases as well as address the safety needs of victims and the accountability of offenders, this grant funding assists the City in providing: 

• Specialized prosecutors assigned solely to misdemeanor crimes of domestic violence
• Robust system-based victim services
• Specialized law enforcement officials who are assigned to follow up on misdemeanor cases of domestic violence
• Close collaboration with the Northern Lights Family Justice Center

The following chart summarizes the intended use of VAWA grant funds by the DV Unit along with expected results:
 

Intended Use of Funds	Expected Results
Supplementing salaries of four different, specially trained Domestic Violence Prosecutors, whose sole focus is on misdemeanor crimes of domestic violence occurring within the City of Billings	Increased prosecution rates of misdemeanor domestic violence offenses   Increased victim participation in the criminal justice system Trauma-informed prosecution techniques that prioritize victim safety and well-being, along with offender accountability
Training all patrol officers with the Billings Police Department on an ongoing and as-needed basis	Higher quality investigations with an added focus on trauma-informed victim work and an enhanced understanding of tactics used by domestic abusers
Attending annual national trainings	Gaining and implementing advanced prosecution techniques to prioritize victimless prosecutions when possible Implementing updates to best practices nationwide Gaining knowledge of model criminal statutes and their potential implementation in Montana

The acceptance of these grant funds does not change the budgeted amounts in FY27, Estimated budget amounts were included in the creation of the FY27 budget prior to the award. This amount has remained the same for several years. There is a city match amount required which was also budgeted in FY27.

City Council may: