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Stephenson County to apply for Access to Justice Improvement Grant to fund courthouse accessibility and online services
Summary
The Stephenson County Board of Commissioners approved applying for an Access to Justice Improvement Grant of up to $40,000 and authorized staff to submit an online application for $32,003.43 by the June 20 deadline to pay for ADA improvements, a diaper changing station and website accessibility upgrades.
Stephenson County commissioners voted to approve an application for an Access to Justice Improvement Grant and authorized county staff to submit the online form seeking $32,003.43, County staff said the application is due June 20.
The grant, which accepts applications up to $40,000, would pay for courthouse accessibility items and upgrades that county staff say are required or related to court services. County staff listed a diaper changing station for the courthouse, updates to make the county website and PDF documents ADA-compliant, new signage, and materials for the county’s order-protection program as proposed uses.
County staff described the application process as online rather than a downloadable PDF and said they have been preparing the form. “The maximum amount that you can apply for is 40,000. And right now, I'm gonna be applying for $32,003.43. So I'm asking for approval to apply for that. It is due June 20,” the staff member told the commissioners.
Commissioners approved the request by voice vote with no opposition recorded on the transcript. The application will be prepared online and submitted by county staff; the board did not adopt binding budget language in the meeting minutes for matching funds.
The grant items cited by staff ranged from capital changes (a diaper-changing station) to information-technology accessibility work (website and PDF remediation) and program materials for court services. County staff said other ADA work that might be pursued separately could come back to the board later in the year.
The board’s action was approval to apply only; no award was reported at the meeting. If the county receives grant funding, future meetings would document any required local match or contracting authority to implement the changes.
