Commissioners approve use of opioid settlement funds to refresh DCS visitation room and fund probation kiosk; hardware costs to be reviewed

Daviess County commissioners approved two proposals to spend unrestricted opioid settlement funds on improvements to county services: revamping a Department for Community Services (DCS) visitation room and buying a probationer kiosk system for check-ins and low-risk day reporting.

Laura (surname not specified) presented a proposal to use unrestricted opioid settlement funds to “revamp that room that they use for visitation,” supplying photos of the current, dated furnishings. Commissioners approved the proposal by voice vote. “I attached pictures to that of what they currently have. It's old hand me down stuff from years ago ... that room is just pretty, cold and not temperature wise. Just it's just a very, non inviting environment,” Laura said.

Shelby Stanley, identified in the meeting as the chief probation officer, presented a separate proposal for a kiosk-based check-in system. Stanley told commissioners the program’s subscription cost is $630 per year; the vendor proposal bundled the device and services and the request proposed funding 10 years of the subscription plus the device from unrestricted opioid funds. Stanley said the device price quoted in the proposal ranged from about $1,200 to $1,500 depending on configuration and vendor support.

Commissioners questioned the hardware pricing and asked staff to consult with county IT and explore cheaper hardware or warranty options. One commissioner noted AppleCare or purchasing hardware directly could reduce costs; Stanley said the vendor’s device purchase includes replacement coverage. Stanley also said the kiosk is the same system used by Superior Court and that the county would use the device for check-ins and as a day-reporting tool for low-risk clients.

Given the hardware and contract questions, a commissioner moved to approve the kiosk purchase contingent on staff reviewing hardware options and attempting to lower the quoted costs; the motion passed by voice vote. The transcript shows commissioners asked for clarification about the $7,800 figure in the proposal (the presenter said the proposal intended to fund 10 years of subscription and the device), and noted the vendor did not offer a 10-year contract for the subscription. Commissioners directed staff to follow up with IT to seek alternative hardware or warranty approaches and to confirm contract terms.

Both the visitation-room revamp and the probation kiosk were approved by voice vote. The transcript does not include a detailed roll-call tally or a final line-item appropriation schedule in the packet; commissioners instructed staff to refine the procurement details and pricing before final implementation.