County approves application for state courthouse safety grant

Court Administrator Ellie Wilke asked the board to approve applying for Minnesota's Safe and Secure courthouse grant program, which awards up to $4 million statewide to improve courthouse safety. The application is due September 8 and allows a 50% local match of cash or in-kind services.

"This is a 50% local match financially or in kind services," Wilke said. She said the county has a confidential 2015 security assessment with top priorities that include egress improvements, badge-accessed secure zones for courtrooms, ballistic material for public counters and additional cameras. Wilke said county maintenance time and existing security personnel hours could be used as in-kind match to avoid levy impacts.

Commissioners asked whether the grant would obligate the county to additional spending if a partial award arrived; staff said the motion at this meeting authorized applying only and that the county would return for acceptance of an award that required new levy spending. The board approved filing the application by voice vote.

The grant is competitive but advisory committees that have reviewed recent courthouse-security grants indicated they often fund something for most applicants; staff said they would prioritize items that could be matched with existing maintenance and security resources to minimize levy impact.