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Brownsville commission approves allocation of $1.08 million in Child Safety Fund
Summary
The City Commission approved a proposal to distribute $1,083,153 from the Child Safety Fund across police, municipal court, multimodal transportation, health & wellness and a reserve. The allocation includes $303,283 to police and $216,603 to municipal court.
The City Commission approved a strategic-utilization plan for the Child Safety Fund on Nov. 4 that allocates the fund's current balance ($1,083,153) across departments to support school crossing guards, mental-health and abuse-prevention programs, juvenile diversion, transit safety upgrades and related child-safety initiatives.
Allocation breakdown: Staff proposed the following fixed-percentage distribution of the current balance: 28% to the Brownsville Police Department ($303,283); 20% to municipal court ($216,603); 20% to multimodal transportation ($216,631); 17% to Health & Wellness ($184,135); and 15% reserved ($162,473). Staff said the percentages remain fixed as new revenue arrives.
What the money will fund: Municipal court programs include juvenile diversion, trauma-informed court processes and partnerships for youth engagement. Health & Wellness will expand access to child and adolescent mental-health care and deploy mobile wellness units. Multimodal transportation projects include bus-stop safety upgrades, lighting, school-route enhancements and driver safety training.
Vote and next steps: After a presentation from municipal-court representative Mary LaVeronica Deaton and brief discussion, the commission moved, seconded and approved the allocation on a voice vote. Staff will begin procurement for the public-awareness campaign and department project plans with a timeline that includes marketing procurement in Nov.-Dec. 2025 and program implementation beginning Jan.-Mar. 2026.
Notes: The item passed without a recorded roll-call tally in the minutes; staff emphasized oversight and monitoring of program outcomes as projects proceed.
