By SALINA POST
American Rescue Plan Act funding items are among those on the Saline County Commission agenda for Tuesday.
About the meeting
Saline County Commission is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. Tuesday in room 107 of the City-County Building, 300 W. Ash Street. The meetings also can be viewed on Saline County’s YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwwZp_cTSJ3Nepp_5rOGevA.
To participate in the meetings, citizens will need to use the Zoom link. Use the following link and put in the Meeting ID and passcode:
https://zoom.us/j/96835819901?pwd=bUEvaExUb2ppMEFaUnd6cUd6MmNMUT09
Meeting ID: 968 3581 9901
Passcode: 144636
For further information, contact the County Commission’s Office at (785) 309-5825.
Agenda items
Commissioners are scheduled to consider awarding grants from the county's American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Coronavirus Local Fiscal Recovery Fund. On April 12, commissioners approved using $250,00 from the ARPA money for grants to local agencies that address community public safety, criminal justice, and mental health needs.
County Administrator Phillip Smith-Hanes created a committee made up of the following people to review applications.
Walter Hill, executive director, High Plains Mental Health Center
Brandelyn Nichols-Brajkovic, administrative judge, Kansas City/Wyandotte County Municipal Court
McPherson County Sheriff Jerry Montagne
After discussing the applications on June 13, the committee made the following recommendations for the county commissioners to consider.
●A grant of $95,000 to Central Kansas Mental Health Center to fund two new community case managers to enhance access to mental health care. This will be matched by $141,400 in other funding for a total project cost of $237,000.
●A grant of $8,000 to Salina Area United Way to provide program support of the Salina Initiative for Restorative Justice. This will be matched by $8,000 in other funding for a total project cost of $16,000.
●A grant of $57,120 to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Salina for a program to match at-risk youth with business professionals for workforce readiness mentoring. This will be matched by $28,560 in other funding for a total project cost of $85,680.
●A grant of $50,000 to Saline County/28th Judicial District Community Corrections to study the impact of current fines and fees on justice-involved individuals. This will be matched by $37,500 in in-kind services for a total project cost of $87,500.
Additionally, commissioners are scheduled to consider a modified plan for use of some ARPA Coronavirus Local Fiscal Relief Fund money. Commissioners tabled action on the proposal at the June 14 meeting, and requested county staff to present a modified plan that would free up additional resources from ARPA to be used for the needed courtroom remodel on the third floor of the City-County Building.
The commission meeting packet noted that "the State’s 2023 budget also includes three new judges for the 28th Judicial District (Saline and Ottawa counties). Accommodating these judges will require construction of two new courtrooms on the 3rd floor of the City/County building at an estimated cost of $3 million."
The new proposal would reallocate $2,162,334 in ARPA funds from other categories to be used for the new courtrooms.
"These reallocations, combined with $39,880 from making only four awards for the Safer & Healthier grants, would provide just over $2.2 million toward this construction/remodel project. If approved, these funds would be paired with up to $1 million of County Capital Improvement Fund dollars to complete the project," staff noted in the commission meeting packet information.
Other items on the county commission agenda for Tuesday include the following.
●Employee retirement recognition
●Consider allowing community corrections to use a State of Kansas awarded allocation for enhanced employee salaries for community corrections personnel.
●Hear Smith-Hanes' update
To view the Saline County Commission meeting packet for Tuesday (16-page pdf), click here.