Discussion and possible action to authorize the acceptance of a Victim Coordinator and Liaison Grant (VCLG) grant award in the amount of $49,500 for the salaries and applicable fringe benefits for the Crime Victim Advocate; authorizing the Webb County Judge to execute all relevant documents, and any other matters incident thereto. This grant does not require a cash match. All required documents were sent for review through the Economic Development Department and the solicitation is compliant with the Webb County Single Point of Contact (SPOC) procedures. [Requested by Isidro "Chilo" Alaniz, District Attorney]

Issue: Victims of violent crime suffer significant financial duress, emotional trauma, and physical injuries. While the State of Texas has set up a system to compensate these victims for their expenses and financial losses due to death, disabling injuries, and emotional trauma utilizing collected court costs from convicted offenders, the victims often must navigate the complex state compensation system and extensively document their benefit eligibility while still under emotional and physical distress.

Solution: The Webb County District Attorney’s Office grant funded Crime Victim Advocate will offer critical support the local community.

Result: Victims of violent crime in Webb County will be provided with direct victim services.

The purpose of the Victim Coordinator and Liaison Grant (VCLG) program is to fund the mandated positions described in the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure, Article 56.04, specifically Victim Assistance Coordinators (VAC) in prosecutor offices and Crime Victim Liaisons (CVL) in law enforcement agencies.

On March 27, 2023, the Webb County Commissioners’ Court voted to authorize the submission of this grant application by the Webb County District Attorney’s Office to the Office of the Texas Attorney General (OAG).