At its May 3 meeting, the Hays County Commissioners Court submitted a grant application for $1,085,325 to the Texas Indigent Defense Commission, Improvement Grant Program for the Hays County Holistic Public Defense Office and Managed Assigned Counsel Program, generating the request for a Public Defenderâs Office.
A renewal grant application was also authorized for submission to the Texas Indigent Defense Commission for the Indigent Defense Coordinator grant project in the amount of $77,292, for which the county will provide a cash match of up to 60%.
The Commissioners Court proclaimed May 9-15 as Police Week and May 15 as Peace Officers Memorial Day, acknowledging officers who have passed while in the line of duty.
Monday, May 3, 2021
The Hays County Commissioners will vote on the long-awaited resolution directing the grant application for holistic public defense to be submitted. If approved, the application would be submitted to the Texas Indigent Defense Commission (TIDC) for the Hays County Holistic Public Defense Office and Managed Assigned Counsel Program in the amount of $1,085,325.
This grant is intended to fund the first year of the proposed Holistic Public Defender Office and Managed Assigned Counsel Program.
From the grant application, the program calls for, “Sound hiring and state-of-the-art training; supportive supervision and oversight of attorneys; available investigation and social work services; ongoing data review and evaluation; and sustainable solutions to long-standing issues will generate improved case outcomes for clients and promote the smooth administration of the county s criminal justice system.”
Thursday, April 29, 2021
A Pretrial Services Office and Public Defender is close to becoming a reality in Hays County with a recent recommendation that the commissioners apply for funding.
The Hays County Criminal Justice Coordinating Commission voted in its meeting Wednesday to recommend that the commissioners court submit an application for grant funding from the Texas Indigent Defense Commission for the proposed department and programs.
The proposal comes from Neighborhood Defender Services (NDS), a pioneer in holistic defense in the United States, and outlines a plan for a holistic Public Defense Office and Managed Assigned Counsel Program in Hays County.
“I think this is a really good time for us to begin this process,” Commissioner Debbie Ingalsbe said. “I think this is a wonderful opportunity for us to work with NDS. I think they have shown us and proven that they have a really great program and I think it will work well with Hays County.”
Public meetings for the week of March 8
AGN Media
9 a.m.: Potter County Commissioners Courtroom located at 500 S. Fillmore, Room 106 Amarillo
Hear a presentation by the Neighborhood Defender Service, Inc. on a proposal to operate a Public Defender Office/Managed Assigned Counsel Program on behalf of Potter and Armstrong counties; hear an update from Emily Koller on the neighborhood plan; review county election boundaries as required by Texas Election Code Section 42.031 and take any necessary action; review and recognize Constable Precinct 2 s updated and corrected Racial Profiling Report for the year 2020, filed with the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement and submitted to the Potter County Commissioners Court pursuant to Articles 2.131-2.134 of the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure; review and recognize the Potter County Sheriff s Racial Profiling Report for the year 2020, filed with the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement and submitted to the Potter County Commissioners Cou