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Sheriff urges acceptance of grant to fund mental‑health deputies; county to authorize matching and vehicle support
Summary
The sheriff described recent use and calls handled by two mental‑health deputies and requested authorization to accept grant funds administered by a regional mental‑health network. The grant covers a deputy salary and a vehicle; the sheriff offered to cover any required local match from jail funds if necessary.
The Brown County Commissioners Court discussed and moved to authorize acceptance of grant funds to support mental‑health deputies in the sheriff’s office, officials said.
Sheriff Vance Hill (speaker identified by transcript context) told commissioners that two deputies assigned to mental‑health response had handled dozens of calls since last September, with activity across the city and county. Hill said the grant award funds a deputy salary for the remainder of the grant year (the sheriff described a $100,000 salary line in the packet) and includes a vehicle purchase option for roughly $70,000; both salary and vehicle require a 25% local match, though the sheriff said the county would not need to cover missed months of salary from earlier in the grant period.
Hill described the program as a diversion tool that helps people in crisis receive treatment rather than being booked into the county jail, and he said the county has sought cost‑share from municipal partners. The sheriff offered to cover any immediate local match required for the vehicle or salary from jail funds if necessary, and he asked commissioners to authorize acceptance of the grant and to allow staff to complete the application/acceptance paperwork.
Ending: Commissioners indicated support and asked staff to proceed with the acceptance paperwork and to continue outreach to city partners for additional cost‑share; the sheriff will coordinate next steps for position onboarding and vehicle procurement if the grant is finalized.
