Jeffersontown council authorizes mayor to sign contract for two-year police wellness program funded by federal grant

The Jeffersontown City Council authorized the mayor to execute a contract with Wayne Corporation to provide enhanced employee‑assistance and wellness services for the Jeffersontown Police Department, funded by a two‑year federal grant the city secured.

Why it matters: Council members and police leaders said the program expands behavioral‑health and trauma‑informed services for officers beyond the city’s standard EAP (employee assistance program). Supporters described the work as intended to address high rates of post‑traumatic stress and other health risks in policing.

Program and funding. Police staff said the city successfully applied for a federal grant that will deliver $193,525 over two years to implement a broader wellness initiative. Dan (police staff) told the council, “We wrote a federal grant, and we're able to secure $193,525 over 2 years to implement all the service.” Staff said Wayne Corporation’s portion of the mental‑health services would cover roughly $16,000 of the program annually and that the grant would fund mandatory wellness check‑ins, ongoing therapy, critical‑incident debriefing and other trauma‑informed modalities cited by staff.

Scope and delivery. Amanda, identified in the meeting as the lead of the department’s Reach program, described Wayne Corporation’s services as more in‑depth than the city’s typical EAP and said the contract includes surveys, evaluations, promotion, materials and family‑unit sessions. The contract language discussed in the council included indemnification and insurance provisions and a clause making the agreement contingent on continued federal grant drawdown ability; city counsel’s edits would nullify the contract if the DOJ grant funding is suspended.

Questions and clarifications. Councilmember Mark asked whether the city should be listed on insurance and indemnity documents; staff said language would be corrected and clarified that the city, not the police department as an entity, would be the contract party. Staff also said the agreement has a clause allowing immediate termination if the federal grant is frozen or suspended.

Outcome. The council approved the motion to authorize the mayor to sign the contract by voice vote; no individual roll‑call tallies were recorded in the meeting minutes.

Next steps. Staff said the program would run while grant funds are available and could be extended by reapplying for future grant cycles; the city will finalize contract language with Wayne Corporation and return any required documentation to the council as needed.