Hamlin County commissioners voted to let the county accept and apply for a statewide School Resource Officer (SRO) grant totaling $1,350,000, the county’s finance chairman said during the July 2025 meeting.
The move authorizes the Hamlin County Sheriff’s Office to participate in the recurring state SRO program, which the county described as providing $75,000 per SRO up to 18 officers and requiring no local match, according to discussion on the floor.
Commissioner Green asked whether the county had already submitted an application and whether the application materials were public; Green said she had filed a records request and was told the application was not available because of privacy concerns. Finance Chairman Rodney Long said the program is recurring, that the state effectively reimburses or pays the county for eligible SRO positions, and that the county “re-ups” or accepts the grant each year. A county official present described the grant as ongoing and said the state had committed $75,000 per officer for up to 18 officers.
After discussion, Long moved and a second was provided; the commission voted and the motion passed to approve applying for and accepting the grant if offered.
No vote tally or amendment language was recorded in the transcript. Commissioners discussed that the county could decline the grant if it chose not to accept it, and one commissioner said the county would not refuse the funding. The transcript does not record whether the sheriff has already submitted a formal application or the exact administrative steps required by the state for annual participation; officials said those procedural details would follow the commission’s approval.
The resolution was listed in meeting materials as Resolution 25-16 and was moved and approved during the finance committee report and again on the full agenda.