Hays County considers citizen reporting system

Hays County will apply for a grant to purchase a citizen reporting system to minimize in-person encounters between law enforcement and citizens  to limit the spread of COVID-19. 

The Hays County Commissioners Court voted Tuesday to apply for $37,094 that has been allotted under the Coronavirus Emergency Supplemental Funding (CESF) Program. The county will supplement the funding at $23,506 for the cost of the $60,000 program. 

An online reporting system will allow residents to submit non-emergency incidents to limit person-to-person contact for the near future. The system will be integrated with the county’s existing records management software. 

In other COVID-19 updates, the fire department's efforts to test residents and staff at six nursing homes in Hays County is well underway. According to Emergency Management Coordinator Alex Villalobos, assisted living facilities and long-term care facilities are next up for testing.

Villalobos said all fire service professionals were tested for COVID-19 and results came back negative, however, they are still taking precautions to wear personal protective equipment suits when testing the elderly residents and nursing home staff. 

The county will begin participating in the state’s contract tracing program called Texas Health Trace starting May 22.

Commissioner Debbie Ingalsbe alluded to further exploration of a Public Defender Office for Hays County at the next Criminal Justice Advisory Commission meeting scheduled for May 28. Although they missed the priority deadline for grant applications to the Texas Indigent Defense Commission on May 11, there is still an opportunity if the commission wants to move forward, said Ingalsbe. 

Hays County has made some strides in providing more accessible defense services, including the Indigent Defense Coordinator position, the Padilla Services and the new Mental Health Court. 

In a series of HR related motions, Mike Jones has been approved as interim director of Emergency Services and Gilbert Watt as interim fire marshal.

The court is still negotiating the details of a small business relief program for local businesses who were economically impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. They plan to return to court on June 2 with a list of potential nominations for a nine-person committee related to the project.