Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Safety Grants topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Bee County accepts reduced Operation Lone Star award of $100,000 after larger application was pared back
Summary
The county sheriff’s office applied for about $790,000 in Operation Lone Star funding but was offered $100,000; commissioners authorized submission of the smaller award and staff said the funding appears limited to personnel unless the state allows equipment reallocation.
Bee County commissioners on July 14 authorized submission of a fiscal‑year 2026 Operation Lone Star grant award offered by the Texas Office of the Governor after the sheriff’s office reported the agency cut its original application substantially.
Chief Deputy Russell Kirk told the court the sheriff’s office had applied for roughly $790,000 but the state offered a $100,000 award under the Operation Lone Star program. Kirk said the awarded funds are currently designated for personnel and that the office would “try to maybe contact them and see if we can split some of that up into equipment,” but staff cautioned the state may restrict the award to personnel costs.
Kirk said the county’s score on the grant rubric was affected because the Bee County Sheriff’s Office did not participate in Operation Lone Star the previous year, which reduced points in the state’s scoring system. He described the decrease in award size as “the preliminary explanations we’ve got for that production” and recommended the court accept the $100,000 offer so the county may draw the available funds.
The commissioners approved the resolution authorizing submission of the grant application paperwork by voice vote. No county match requirement was described at the meeting for this award; staff said they would follow up if additional detail from the state becomes available.
