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Custer County sheriff seeks $1.7 million in congressional funds for AEDs, connectivity and wildfire equipment
Summary
The Custer County Sheriff's Office told commissioners it is seeking a $1.7 million congressional-directed appropriation for countywide automated external defibrillators, Starlink connectivity, water storage tanks, wildland fire trucks and other public-safety projects; some items require ongoing local funding and awards are uncertain.
The Custer County Sheriff's Office told the Board of Commissioners on March 18 that it is pursuing multiple grants, including a congressional-directed funding request totaling $1,700,000 to cover several public-safety projects.
A sheriff's office representative summarized the $1.7 million ask as a package with multiple subprojects: standardized automated external defibrillators in county vehicles and buildings; Starlink satellite connectivity and equipment (a three-year contract intended to improve communications in coverage gaps); six 40,000-gallon water storage tanks to reduce refilling time for wildfire response; requests for type-3 wildland interface engines for the Wet Mountain Fire Protection District; medical kits for sheriff vehicles; and an in-county firearms-simulator training system. The sheriff's office described the simulator as costly: the in-house version was estimated at $482,000, with an alternative of sending personnel to training facilities out of county.
The presenter explained that the congressional-directed funding is a lump-sum appropriation and said the county does not yet know how much of the $1.7 million, if any, the county would ultimately receive. The office also listed continuation grants and smaller state grants it plans to pursue: a CDOT grant to fund overtime enforcement around high-travel weekends, a DUI enforcement grant ($40,260 requested), Colorado POST training scholarships, and a courthouse security/court-bailiff continuation request (the sheriff's estimate for courthouse-related requests was $183,500).
Commissioners asked about matching requirements and long-term costs. The sheriff's office clarified that congressional-directed funds are typically not a local match requirement but that some state grants and continuation awards have expectations about sustaining personnel if the grant ends. The presenter repeatedly cautioned that application does not guarantee award and that awards are adjusted during the process.
Commissioners and a public participant raised operational details: whether Starlink gear would require a future capital plan after the three-year contract and whether storage tanks and type-3 engines would be available to surrounding districts through mutual aid or contract. The sheriff's office said some equipment could be shared cooperatively and that decisions about long-term maintenance and replacement would follow funding decisions.
The sheriff's presentation noted other priorities in grant packages, including telemedicine/Starlink tie-ins for remote areas, and repeated that several smaller grants were already underway or in process.
The board did not take a final funding action at that meeting; commissioners directed staff to continue with applications and follow up on details including maintenance and staffing implications for any awarded items.
