Council considers $358,195 BJA grant to fund public safety, mental-health response
Loading...
Summary
Council reviewed a proposed motion authorizing Mayor Daniel Champagne to apply for a $358,195 Bureau of Justice Assistance FY25 grant to fund a public-safety and mental-health initiative; councilors asked about metrics, match requirements and service scope. No vote was recorded in the transcript.
The council considered a motion authorizing the mayor to apply for, accept and administer a Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) FY25 Public Safety and Mental Health Initiative grant totaling $358,195.
The proposed motion, read into the record by a meeting speaker, would authorize Mayor Daniel Champagne or his designee to handle application and administration of the grant. The motion was seconded by an individual identified as Terry, and discussion followed but no formal vote on the motion appears in the recorded segments.
Councilors asked detailed implementation questions. The chair pressed for recordkeeping to justify continued funding, saying the municipality needs reliable statistics to evaluate the program’s performance: "We need to keep very good records because if we get this grant, then at the end of this grant, we have the proper records that work with the council as at the end of the grant can determine," the chair said. Council members also asked whether the position funded would provide services to people on calls with a mental-health component and whether it would include officer safety and post-engagement counseling; staff replied that these services were part of the local process and that the grant is structured as a three-year award: "It's a 3 year grant," a staff speaker confirmed.
Members raised questions about competitiveness and matching funds. One council member described the proposal as “one of the most exciting things” in recent years and asked how competitive the application was; others asked what could fulfill the matching-fund requirement and whether in‑kind support would qualify. Staff indicated the match could be met through various kinds of support but did not specify exact sources in the recorded discussion.
Why it matters: If approved and awarded, the grant would fund a focused program at the intersection of law enforcement response and mental-health services. Councilors’ questions about metrics, matching funds and hours indicate implementation details remain to be clarified before any program launch.
The transcript shows the motion was moved and seconded and followed by discussion; it does not record a final vote or an outcome for the motion in the provided segments.
