Pueblo County approves opioid grant amendment and scholarship/COSI agreements

Pueblo County commissioners approved several funding and contract items during a Sept. 18 special meeting, including an amendment to a state opioid-response grant and agreements to disburse local scholarship and opportunity funds.

Jeremy Baucher, the jail’s operations captain, told commissioners the proposed second amendment to the Colorado Department of Human Services state opioid response grant would allow the county to continue the JBS jail reentry program and transition services. Baucher said the amendment amount was “a little under $72,000,” and that about 65 people currently in custody participate in JBS while 372 clients have transitioned into the community.

The board approved that amendment by motion and voice vote. County staff then presented three funding assistance agreements: a $50,000 award to the Colorado State University Pueblo Foundation (with $79,159 in carryover funds from last year), a $50,000 award to the Pueblo Hispanic Education Foundation (retaining $5,000 carryover) and an agreement to administer Colorado Opportunity Scholarship Initiative (COSI) awards valued at $313,974, matched by state funds. Commissioners moved, seconded and approved each item by voice vote.

County staff said the CSU Pueblo contract will allow the foundation to keep prior-year carryover and that an additional contract reflecting overages from Pueblo Community College allocations will appear before the board in the coming weeks. The opioid-response funds are federal dollars administered by the state and will be used to support custody-based and post-release services; the county noted state budget changes have led to multiple prior amendments.

The measures passed without recorded roll-call tallies in the transcript; each was approved by voice vote during the meeting.