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Commissioners ask staff to finalize MOUs with Salida, Buena Vista and Poncha Springs for county co‑response program
Summary
Chaffee County commissioners directed staff to work with the sheriff to finalize memoranda of understanding with the towns of Salida, Buena Vista and Poncha Springs to coordinate municipal participation, steering‑committee roles and potential cost‑sharing for a county co‑response behavioral health program funded partly by a state grant.
Chaffee County commissioners instructed staff to finalize draft memoranda of understanding with the towns of Salida, Buena Vista and Poncha Springs to support a county‑level co‑response behavioral‑health program housed in the sheriff’s office.
County staff explained the co‑response model pairs behavioral‑health responders with law enforcement for calls that have a mental‑health or behavioral component. The program’s initial staffing and structure are scheduled to begin July 1; county staff told the board roughly half of the optimal program funding is already secured through a Behavioral Health Administration grant.
The proposed MOUs would clarify that municipal partners can opt into program coverage inside their jurisdictions, join a steering committee to develop protocols and consider cost‑share arrangements to scale the program. County legal staff and the sheriff’s office will finalize MOU language and negotiate terms with municipal partners and their governing bodies.
A commissioner moved, and the board approved by voice vote, direction to staff to finalize MOU drafts and begin negotiations with the three municipalities. Commissioners said formal agreements will be brought back for municipal action and for any cost‑sharing commitments.
