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Henry County fiscal court backs proposal to pursue multijurisdictional drug task force
Summary
At its meeting, the Henry County Fiscal Court approved a proposal to proceed with an interlocal agreement to form a multi-county drug task force; the agreement must be finalized by participating counties and reviewed by the state Attorney General before the task force is created and eligible for grant funding.
Henry County Fiscal Court approved a proposal to move forward with negotiating an interlocal agreement to create a regional drug task force, a step county staff said is required before the counties can apply for grant funding and share personnel and seized assets.
The proposal, presented by Cassie (staff member), calls for participating counties to sign an interlocal agreement that would allow officers “badged” in one county to operate under the task force in other member counties. “These task force don't operate without an interlocal agreement,” Cassie said, and she told the court the proposal is a first step that must be followed by a formal signing and review by the Attorney General’s Office.
Under the plan as explained to the fiscal court, the task force would be a separate legal entity that receives and controls its own case files, forfeiture proceeds and evidence. A member agency could contribute an officer to serve under the task force; if an agency does not supply a sworn officer, the county is asked to commit a nominal $40,000 contribution, to be drawn from opioid settlement funds administered through CAECO, Cassie said. “If the agency does not submit a body ... then the fiscal court is agreeing to donate ... a nominal value of $40,000,” she said.
Cassie told the court the interlocal agreement and a proposed board of directors would be prepared for signature once counties indicate intent; afterward, the Attorney General’s Office would review the documents and the task force could apply for grant funds expected to open in April. “We'd like to be completely functional or at least on paper approved in the attorney general's office in order to even apply for a grant,” she said.
Court members discussed representation on the proposed board of directors and whether judges should be included. One commissioner said Henry County is a major participant and “I feel since we're a major player in this, I feel like Scott should be on board.” Cassie and other members noted the board would have hiring authority and would vet officers assigned to the task force.
A motion to allow staff to proceed with the proposal and to meet with other counties in January passed by voice vote. The motion commits Henry County to proceed with the proposal only; a final agreement and any funding commitments will return to the fiscal court for formal signatures and implementation steps.
Next steps discussed included identifying which counties commit personnel or funds, preparing the final interlocal agreement and submitting the formed task force materials to the Attorney General’s Office for review so the group can pursue available grants.
The court did not approve any immediate personnel hires or specific expenditures related to the task force at the meeting; those details will be determined after member counties finalize their commitments.
