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Board asks for clearer grants oversight as Shine Fund, behavioral health grants move forward
Summary
Budget board members approved Shine Fund and behavioral health grant appropriations while raising concerns about interim grant management and compliance oversight until dedicated staff are hired.
The budget board approved a cash appropriation for the Shine Fund and a separate grant appropriation tied to behavioral health programs, but members flagged the lack of a permanent grants specialist to manage reporting and compliance.
When Marissa Treat asked who was managing the Shine program and whether the funds could support the new behavioral health center, staff said Shine is managed by county teams and receives monthly income from a City of Oklahoma City contract and a zoo contract. Staff also said recruitment is underway to hire a grants specialist and a financial support specialist; until the hires are complete, oversight would be handled within HR supervision under Karen Kent.
On the behavioral health grant item, staff said the grant was finalized with the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse and that the county has other grants in process (opioid abatement settlement funds and DEQ equipment grants). Staff noted compliance reporting requirements for all grants and said larger awards (for example, opioid settlement funds) could be applied to detention center services in certain circumstances but cannot be used for lobbying.
Several board members said they were concerned that without an interim person assigned the county could miss reporting deadlines. Staff and the board agreed policy and governance would track outstanding grants and that the county would not apply for new grants until the specialist position is filled. Commissioners and staff also discussed supervisory responsibility: the grants specialist and financial support specialist will report to HR while policy and governance will monitor outstanding grants.
The board approved the Shine Fund appropriation and the behavioral health grant appropriation by voice vote. Board members asked staff to identify an interim designee and to bring back details on compliance obligations and potential uses of opioid settlement and other funds as they relate to detention-center services and behavioral health programs.
