Kerr County Commissioners Court on Monday voted unanimously to approve a declaration that starts the process of establishing a specialty mental health court under the Texas Government Code.

Judge Harris, who presented the plan, described the specialty court as a collaborative docket modeled on existing successful specialty courts in Texas: "It's completely different from the adversary system. It's collaborative," she said, adding that the program would require participants to attend court regularly and would rely on coordinated services from probation, defense, prosecution and community providers.

Andrea Bodie, identified in the presentation as the adult-probation director covering Kerr and neighboring counties, told commissioners the department already operates a specialized caseload and has staff trained to manage mental-health cases. Anthony Wynne, senior director of mental health for Hill Country MHDD Centers, told the court Hill Country MHDD stands ready to support the program.

County staff and presenters said the court would not ask for county operating dollars at the outset: Judge Harris described the declaration as a first step to prepare required documents for the Office of Court Administration and to seek approval; Wynne and Bodie said probation has received a grant of $78,000 a year to assist with services.

A motion to approve the declaration was made, seconded and adopted unanimously. Commissioners framed the decision as a letter of intent that will allow staff to draft and submit formal documentation to state authorities and to begin the administrative work needed to stand up a separate docket, with a target start date of Jan. 1, 2026. Commissioners said they expect the program to reduce jail and emergency-room use for some people with unmet behavioral-health needs, producing long-term savings and better outcomes.

The court did not adopt a finalized budget at Monday’s session; staff said further details about operating costs and grant alignment will return in follow-up materials to the court. The next procedural step is preparing and submitting required paperwork to the Texas Office of Court Administration.