Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Police Grant topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Commissioner Curry questions civil‑rights risks; Holly Hill approves $32,000 grant for police task force
Summary
After a heated exchange, the Holly Hill City Commission voted 3‑2 to accept a $32,000 grant to help fund four task‑force officers. Commissioner Curry raised civil‑rights and due‑process concerns tied to the program; Mayor John Penny said rejecting the funds would force the city to pay from the general fund.
The Holly Hill City Commission approved Resolution 2025‑R‑95, an amendment to the adopted budget that includes accepting a $32,000 grant to help fund four task‑force officers, by a 3‑2 vote.
The vote came after an extended discussion in which Commissioner Curry urged caution, saying the program component tied to the funding raised civil‑rights and due‑process concerns. "They're authorized to make civil immigration arrests without a concurrent criminal charge," Curry said, arguing the program’s oversight, training and recordkeeping have been the subject of litigation and reports from federal oversight offices.
Mayor John Penny and other commissioners countered that the underlying task‑force program had already been approved by the commission and that the item before them was the acceptance of grant funds to help pay for it. "What we're approving tonight is accepting the $32,000 grant to help fund it," Penny said. He added that if the commission declined the grant, the city would remain part of the program and would have to fund those costs from the general fund.
According to the staff presentation, the amendment accepts several grant revenues and adjusts the final budget. The transcript records a motion, a second and a roll call that led to a 3‑2 tally in favor of accepting the funding.
Commissioner Curry also requested additional oversight: during remarks later in the meeting he asked that Mr. Ford provide monthly reports on activity for the four task‑force officers. City manager Joe responded that staff could provide reports on a quarterly basis instead.
The commission did not change the underlying task‑force participation during the meeting; the action was limited to accepting the grant dollars and adjusting the adopted budget to reflect the revenue.
Next steps: staff will record the grant receipts and implement the reporting cadence agreed with council members; any future changes to participation in the task force would require separate action by the commission.
