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Speakers urge Collin County to retain substance-abuse office and address jail staffing for programs
Summary
At Collin County Commissioner's Court public comments, local nonprofit and volunteer speakers warned a proposed cut to the Collin County Substance Abuse Office would reduce access to treatment resources and said jail programs are being disrupted by staffing changes.
Collin County — Speakers at the Collin County Commissioner's Court public-comment period said county leaders should not eliminate the Collin County Substance Abuse Office and urged action to restore jail programming they say has been disrupted by reassigned detention staff.
Paul Chabot, of McKinney and president of Coalition Drug Free Texas, told the court that he recently learned there may be a proposal to eliminate the Collin County Substance Abuse Office and asked commissioners to reconsider any such plan. He said local nonprofits and parents rely on the county office for referrals and continuity of care and expressed concern that grant funding and partner organizations could change or disappear.
The concern resurfaced in comments from a volunteer who identified himself as Montpas and said he conducts religious services at the county jail. He said services have been canceled repeatedly in the past 18 months because there were not enough detention officers to bring inmates to program areas. Montpas described those services as meaningful to inmates and asked the court to consider funding or staffing changes to restore them.
During the meeting the county judge noted several public-comment cards concerned jail programs and said the topic would be taken up again in the budget workshop scheduled to continue later in the week. The judge also said commissioners had heard reports that detention officers provided for programming had been reassigned to an equine program in the sheriff's office and said the court will investigate that claim during the budget workshop.
The comments were part of the court's public-comment period and did not result in formal action at this meeting. The judge invited those who wished to speak specifically about the county budget to speak at the separate budget workshop later in the day, and said staff will review whether reassignment of detention staff affected program availability.
Speakers and officials identified their remarks as public comment; the transcript does not show the court taking an immediate vote or adopting a policy in response. The judge said the matter will be discussed further during the scheduled budget workshop, when commissioners will examine budget allocations and staffing for the coming fiscal year.
