The Grundy County Finance Committee voted to approve increasing mental-health staffing hours at the county jail and to amend the county’s contract with Advanced Correctional Healthcare (ACH).

Sheriff Ken asked the committee to increase mental-health professional hours from two hours per week to four hours per week, saying two hours “is not enough time” for the jail’s population. The committee approved the change by motion; James K. Riley moved and Eric seconded, and members voted in favor.

Under the amendment discussed in the meeting packet, the contract term would run April 1, 2025, through March 31, 2026, and the annual contract price would rise from $111,858.72 to $122,466.72 to cover the additional mental-health hours. County staff said the larger contract will be managed within current budget projections and that the county is on pace to be about $7,000 under the current year’s allotment for the account if trends continue.

The sheriff and other staff described rising demand for mental-health services in the jail and said they will request the additional hours so the mental-health professional has time to meet with more inmates. Committee members discussed budget impact and were told the increase could be managed by using underages in related accounts.

The committee’s approval sent the contract change forward to the full county board for final action as part of the board’s regular meeting process.