Wellness Council presents $75K check

COMMISSIONERS COURT

Texas DMV present prestigious award, water sensor to be installed

A check for $75,000 was presented and given to the Commissioners Court at their Sept. 9 meeting by the Wellness Council of Greater Colorado Valley to fund a Mental Health Deputy for Colorado County.

For the past three years, the Wellness Council has led the charge for the initiative, raising $300,000 through donations to pay for the first three years of the officer’s salary Mazie Leftwich, President of the Wellness Council, remarked the incredible achievement by presenting the check on a silver platter, indicating the difficulty of raising these funds without any state or federal grants.

“We are here to celebrate the accomplishment that seemed a bit impossible to so many,” said Leftwich. “And that was to raise local funds, up to $300,000 to fund the mental health deputy for three years, and we made that commitment because it was not in the budget.”

Mental health crisis began to become a rising issue in Colorado County, with 350 cases at Columbus Hospital and 70 cases at Rice Medical one year. Leftwich says law enforcement were left to handle these cases instead of a specialized mental health professional, often resulting in those individuals being sent to an emergency room instead of receiving the help they needed.

“Our law enforcement was being called over and over, pulled off their routes and left to handle situations they were not adequately trained for,” said Leftwich. “That is where the solution came from, we would make a change in crisis intervention by having a mental health deputy.”

Groups and organizations from all over the county aided in the fundraising of the $300,000 of the three years. One group of donors, Todd and Morgan Barten, aided in the funding for the officer massively, donating $100,000 in the first year of funding.

Leftwich said the Bartens felt compelled to do so due to their own unfortunate experiences with mental health issues.

“Both of their families had mental health crisis, and they both lost a brother to suicide,” said Leftwich. “They jumped in when the call first ran out, and from that point, it would set the spark. We have had the Billy Brown Foundation, Jabez Foundation , a number of individuals and families. We have had churches donate as well; seven churches pledged $100 a month for three years. We had Lions Club, Rotary club, Vietnam Veterans, Christian Women. It was just across the board, from Eagle Lake to Weimer, Columbus almost to Fayetteville. We have had such a great representation.”

Colorado County Judge Ty Prause praised the Wellness Council for accomplishing their goal of raising $300,000, feeling the “stars were aligned by the grace of God.” He reflects on individuals who have gone through the county system, remembering those he felt just needed help rather than repercussions.

“We had a tremendous need for this initiative in the county,” said Prause. “We saw in county court that there were repeat individuals that just needed medication or the right help, and they were in our justice system when they did not need to be. Along with that, we had a veteran in the Columbus community hospital who needed mental health help and resources, and resources were not there.”

Commissioners were also given a presentation by the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles, who recognized County Tax Assessor-Collector Erica Kollaja and her office for their work.

Annette Quintero, Director of Vehicle Titles & Registration for the Texas DMV, awarded Kollaja and her office with an award given to only three recipients a year by the state for their “dedicated quality customer service and performance.”

“For their work in 2023, the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles would like to recognize Erica Kollaja, Colorado County Tax Assessor- Collector, with the Bronze Level Performance Quality Recognition Award,” said Quintero. “Her office has prioritized performance and quality service to the residents of Colorado County. Through hard work and dedication, Kollaja and her staff were able to achieve this remarkable milestone.”

A land use agreement between Colorado County Commissioner Precinct No. 2, Simplicity Integration and Richard Lee Mendoza for a water level sensor device on the bank of West Sandy Creek, Precinct No. 2.

Ryan Brandt, Commissioner for Precinct 2, emphasized to fellow commissioners the high prone flooding area stemming from low water crossing on County Road 235, and how options were being looked at to monitor water levels in this area.

The sensor according to Brandt, would allow homeowners to get real time data on water levels and to be alerted of rising water before it is too late to leave that area.

“We started looking at other options for that area, and came up with a sensor,” said Brandt. “A water level sensor would be a very simple and effective device. We would install it on the bank of West Sandy Creek, and it would give real time available data through an app service that homeowners can be a part of. When they see that water alert on their app, they know, “hey, I’ve got this much time to potentially leave that area before that low water crossing is not passive.”