The Hays County Commissioners Court is set to approve a handful of applications for grants from the governor’s Homeland Security Grants Division.
As part of its consent agenda this morning, the commissioners court will consider authorizing the submission of five grant applications for various programs related to public safety in Hays County. The first is a grant for $104,860 to provide funding for new robotic equipment and technology to be used by the SWAT Team when responding to incidents. The second is for the Hays County Forecasting Potential Hazardous Events project; the $65,976 grant would help fund forecasting to provide real-time data to emergency management personnel to help predict outcomes in potential hazardous scenarios. Researchers from St. Edward’s University in Austin would provide data collection and data analysis services as part of the project.
The third grant is $87,620 for the Hays County HazMat Team to purchase radiation detectors and chemical identifying equipment, and the fourth grant, for $20,000, would provide maintenance for HazMat Team monitors. The fifth grant is $415,837 for the Hays County Soil Moisture Index project, which entails developing a soil moisture index and monitoring network to be integrated into the county’s early warning system.
In other business, the commissioners are set to discuss and take action on a contract for Community Development Block Grant engineering services with LNV Inc., a contract with West Thomson Reuters for legal print services in the county courts-at-law, and an agreement with Blair Wildlife Consulting related to management of the county’s Regional Habitat Conservation Plan.
The Hays County Commissioners Court will meet at 9 a.m. on the third floor of the Hays County Courthouse, 111 San Antonio St. Meetings are also streamed live.