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Washington County approves short-term funding to bridge $555,292 grant for sheriff's Rapid DNA system
Summary
The Washington County Commission voted to provide short-term county funding to bridge reimbursement timing on a $555,292 immigration grant that will buy a Rapid DNA identification system for the sheriff's office, while the clerk's office will help with paperwork and temporary float.
The Washington County Commission voted to provide short-term county funding to bridge a timing gap on a $555,292 immigration grant so the sheriff's office can install a Rapid DNA identification system in the county jail.
A Washington County Sheriff's Office representative told commissioners the Rapid DNA system, which includes a thumbprint component, can reduce identification turnaround from months to about an hour and would be housed at the jail. "This will put Washington County on the same playing field with some of the biggest, richest counties in the state of Florida," the representative said, describing the system's ability to speed positive identification and to interface with larger criminal databases.
The representative said the county has been approved for the grant but that the state-administered reimbursement process requires a purchase, cleared vendor check and submission windows that can delay reimbursement for weeks or months. "There's times that we can work with the state'and we can pull the purchase order number and get an invoice'but I can't wait two months to get it back," the representative said, explaining why the sheriff's office requested temporary county assistance.
A clerk's office representative said Miss Bell's office has helped with paperwork and that the clerk's office could provide temporary gap funding for roughly 30 to 60 days to allow procurement and installation to proceed. The clerk's representative described the offer as "temporary gap funding" while the state processes reimbursement.
Commission discussion focused on the timing and mechanics of reimbursement and past precedent: the sheriff's office cited a prior assistance arrangement for a communications tower and sought similar treatment to front the purchase so the vendor could be paid and installation completed. The chair read the grant amount into the record as $555,292.
A commissioner moved to approve providing short-term county funding to bridge the reimbursement gap for the sheriff's grant; the motion was seconded, members responded "aye" on a voice vote and the motion carried. No roll-call tally was recorded in the meeting transcript.
The meeting adjourned after the vote.
