Victoria County commissioners voted Aug. 18 to approve a memorandum of understanding with the Gulf Bend Center to provide in-reach services at the Victoria County Jail and to accept funding under a PES grant to help cover overtime and travel costs for psychiatric transports.

The sheriff told the court that the in-reach program places Gulf Bend Center staff inside the jail to help restore competency for people awaiting forensic placement at state facilities and that the program has been "pretty... successful." He also said the PES grant helps cover overtime associated with travel to psychiatric units outside Victoria County.

The court moved and seconded approval of both the 2025-26 in-reach MOU and the PES grant item; the motion was approved. No roll-call vote with individual tallies was read into the record.

Why it matters: In-reach services and PES grant support can shorten waits for forensic beds, provide continuity of care for detainees with mental-health needs and reduce operational strain on jail staff.

The sheriff said, "we've been able to move some people along, so it's a, we're gonna, we wanna keep that going. It's a positive effect." Commissioners expressed support and noted that a locally built mental-health facility would help but likely be quickly filled.