The Hill County Commissioners Court heard a presentation from CASA (Court-Appointed Special Advocates) of Hill County during a regular meeting held Tuesday, July 23.
Local CASA Executive Director Sarah Gardner thanked the county for its previous support and told the court that Hill County CASA’s state funding continues to be cut as the need for its services grows.
Gardner said that 2023 grants from Texas CASA, which provides the bulk of the local organization’s funding, were down $21,000 in 2023. Hill County CASA has already been told to expect another 15% cut in its funding for the coming fiscal year.
The organization is seeking additional grant funding and continues to hold successful fundraisers to help fund its efforts, but additional money is needed.
Last year, CASA served 113 abused and neglected Hill County children. So far in 2024, 95 children have already received assistance.
Providing some background on the local organization, Gardner said that a local group of concerned citizens came together to form Hill County CASA after McLennan County CASA stopped serving Hill County in 2017. It was incorporated in 2018 and admitted as the 72nd program in the Texas CASA organization.
Hill County CASA started with one volunteer and has continued to grow. Gardner said that thanks to the county’s financial support last fiscal year, an office manager and recruiter was hired and five new advocates have been sworn in already this year, with another five preparing to take their oaths.
“We have increased the number of advocates that are serving our kids here in Hill County, but unfortunately, we have increased the number of Hill County kids that we are serving,” Gardner said.
CASA’s advocates are volunteers from all walks of life who go through extensive training and background checks before being appointed by a judge to be the voice of abused and neglected children. The advocate speaks to teachers, doctors, family members and others involved in a child’s life to make recommendations to the court. They support the child through the system, working to advocate for what is in the best interest of the particular child or sibling group.
Gardner gave a few examples of the type of work that advocates do, including one instance in which an advocate assisted as a mother turned her life around to reunite with her child. In another situation, children taken from their home are now set to be adopted by a loving family, supported by an advocate throughout the process.
County Court-at-Law Judge Matt Crain emphasized the importance of CASA’s role in court cases and making sure children receive the care that they need. “They’re valuable resources to the court,” he said. “They help me make better decisions, and any help you can give them is a good thing,” he told the court.
With county budget discussions underway for the fiscal year beginning October 1, Gardner asked the court to consider entering into a new agreement and providing $30,000 to the CASA program. She presented a detailed financial audit to the court showing that the organization had a clean audit.
In other action, the court voted to select Curative for employee healthcare for the next two years after Anco Insurance presented proposals from Blue Cross Blue Shield and Curative at the last meeting. In addition to a significant cost savings to the county and employees, the new insurance comes with several benefits, including no out-of-pocket costs in network and a waived deductible when adults on the plan participate in a Zoom screening.
The court also approved Guardian as the county’s ancillary services provider, including dental, vision, long-term disability and similar coverage.
The county will also partner with MASA, a medical transportation coverage provider, to offer county employees an option to pay $14 per month to cover any emergency medical transports for their family. Anco Insurance reported that any air or ground transport is covered.
Commissioners also observed and recorded the Community Supervision and Corrections Department (CSCD) budget for Fiscal Year 2025, approved an agreement with the Department of Public Safety for access to driver records to facilitate required CDL oversight and observed and recorded assistant county auditor salaries.
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