Indigent Defense Coordinator Program renewed

The Hays County Commissioners Court voted to execute another year of the Texas Indigent Defense Commission’s Hays County Indigent Defense Coordinator Program, accepting the grant for $51,531. 

The commissioners' court submitted the original grant application on Aug. 6, 2019. Since then, the grant has funded the indigent defense coordinator’s position, which works to improve the appointment process and document that Hays County is in compliance with the Fair Defense Act.

Indigent Defense Coordinator Kelli Pulpan said her efforts have taken a lot of work off of court staff and judges. She has been appointing felony attorneys to misdemeanor cases and sending representation applications to inmates to increase representation rates. 

The court also voted to support a Transportation Development Credit Application to the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization for the Kyle Center Street Union Pacific Railroad Siding Relocation Project. 

Commissioner Mark Jones explained the application to CAMPO for more funding will make the project less locally funded and more regionally funded. 

In 2018, the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization awarded project funding for the Kyle Center Street Union Pacific Siding Relocation project submitted by the City of Kyle. 

Hays County later assumed responsibility for project development, however, funding between the city and county was insufficient. This application, co-sponsored by the City of Kyle, would assure that the full project award will be available for construction and other eligible project costs. 

In other business, the commissioners voted to accept an additional spending plan for the Coronavirus Relief Funds (CRF) for COVID-19 Response and Recovery efforts. The plan included items like funding to assist Fire and EMS with overtime and direct expenses, for public schools to assist with supplies for distance learning and plexiglass for building an internal lobby for the Veterans Administration Office. 

The commissioners also finalized the county social service agency contracts as they were approved in the FY 2021 budget, totaling $1.14 million up from $1.12 million last year.

They approved a $13,000 grant for FY 2021 to Combined Community Action, an organization that provides home delivered meals to homebound people that are elderly or have a disability.

Due to the census extension to Dec. 31, the commissioners extended the grant award to United Way for Greater Austin for the Central Texas 2020 Get-Out-The-Count Efforts.

The court also approved the submission of its application to the Texas Water Development Board, Flood Infrastructure Fund for the Onion Creek Watershed Study: Floodplain and Mapping.