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Valley County to apply for DOJ reimbursement grant for body‑worn cameras
Summary
The Valley County Board of Commissioners authorized staff to apply for a Department of Justice Bureau of Justice Assistance grant to reimburse costs tied to the county's Halo body‑worn camera contract; the application seeks $49,500 with a 50% in‑kind match and covers FY2026–FY2028.
Valley County commissioners on Oct. 15 authorized staff to apply for a Department of Justice Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) grant to reimburse costs tied to the county’s body‑worn camera program.
The authorization covers a three‑year BJA grant for fiscal years 2026–2028 and requests $49,500. The grant includes a 50% match that the county would supply in‑kind (staff time documented as salary rather than cash). The funding is intended to offset the county’s contract with Halo for body‑worn cameras, which currently runs through March 2027.
Why it matters: If the grant is awarded, Valley County would document deputies’ duty time as the noncash match rather than pay cash out of pocket. If the county does not receive the award, the sheriff’s office remains obligated to pay the Halo contract from its budget.
Ken Schlegel, who presented the request, described the application materials the board was being asked to sign, saying, “What I'm presenting before you today is a, authorization to apply for the Bureau of Justice Assistance grama, for body worn camera reimbursement.” Schlegel told commissioners the grant was a renewal of a program first applied for in fiscal 2021 and that the current application would align grant timing with the Halo contract.
A sheriff’s office representative, identified in the record as Lieutenant Mitchell, participated in preliminary discussion about contract timing and grant alignment. Commissioners confirmed the grant requires a 50% match that would be documented as staff time rather than a cash contribution.
A motion to approve the authorization to apply for the DOJ BJA grant was moved and seconded and carried on an aye vote. The board noted there is no cash match required if the grant is awarded; the in‑kind match would be recorded as deputies’ duty time.
Votes at a glance: Authorization to apply for DOJ BJA body‑worn camera reimbursement grant — Approved (motion moved and seconded; all in favor). Commissioner Caldwell was noted as absent earlier in the meeting.
What happens next: Staff will sign and submit the application and the associated federal forms; if the grant is awarded, staff will document deputies’ duty time to meet the 50% in‑kind match requirement and apply reimbursements to the Halo contract as described.
