Commissioners approve DA grant amendment to preserve four victim‑witness coordinator jobs

Shelby County commissioners on Sept. 8 approved an amendment to a resolution accepting state grant funds that the district attorney said are needed to keep four existing victim‑witness coordinator positions in place. The motion to reconsider Item 22 passed and the commission adopted an additional clause clarifying the county would have no obligation to continue funding the positions if state grant support ends, with the final vote showing 9 ayes and 1 abstention.

DA Steve Mulroy urged the body to approve the grant acceptance, saying the measure does not ask the county for new money but uses budgeted county personnel dollars to meet a state requirement and preserve staff. "This is not an item in which we are asking for any new money from the county," he said. Deputy CFO Michael Thompson told the commission the county is below its fund‑balance policy and that commissioners should weigh fund‑balance implications; he said preliminary audit figures place the fund balance around 14%.

Vice Chair David Bradford moved an on‑the‑floor amendment that adds the following safeguard: "Be it further resolved that should grant funding be discontinued or not replaced or otherwise not forthcoming with respect to these 4 victim witness coordinator positions, Shelby County government will not be obligated to continue paying employees in the 4 position numbers on the position control budget created through this resolution." That amendment was read into the record and accepted, and the full measure passed after the floor motion and second. The DA said declining the grant would likely force layoffs of coordinators who assist victims of child abuse, sexual abuse and domestic violence.

The commission reconciled differing explanations about whether the grant would affect the county general fund during debate: Mulroy said the funding had been budgeted and would be repurposed if not used for the positions, while Thompson cautioned about the county's policy target for fund balance and recommended careful stewardship. The item’s text identifies the grant amount and period. The vote and the amendment mean the county will accept the state award while making explicit that any future obligation to continue positions would not fall to general‑fund taxpayers if the state funding goes away.