County accepts roughly $99,000 victims services grant; county to cover some overages

Sweetwater County on July 15 accepted a fiscal year 2026 grant from the Wyoming Division of Victim Services to support services to victims of crime in the county.

Grants manager Marchelle told commissioners the funding will pay for two part-time victim witness coordinators who will work alongside an existing coordinator in the county attorney's office to provide victim support, community referrals, help with compensation filings, and court accompaniment. Marchelle said in the prior fiscal year the program served 788 unduplicated victims and provided 15,127 documented services.

The grant award amount was reported in the meeting materials as approximately $99,000; the transcript refers to both $99,033 and $99,093 in different places. Marchelle said the county will be responsible for certain overage costs, including insurance, overtime, and case-management software; those overages were included in the county's FY2026 grant projects budget. Staff noted any cost savings would revert to the county and that operational costs are included in the county attorney's budget.

On the record: The board unanimously approved acceptance of the grant and authorized the chairman to sign the related documents. County Attorney-signed documents were already on file for the contract and audit attachment; the board signed the required assurances and disclosures as part of approval.

Ending: The grant continues funding for victim services operations in the county and requires the county to finance certain fringe and overhead costs not covered by the award.