Burnet County launches jail mental health program

Burnet County is launching a program that could be at or near the cutting edge of mental health working with jail inmates.

County commissioners on Tuesday approved an unpaid intern pro- gram that would put a mental health worker in the county jail to work with prisoners with mental health problems.

The project will start June 1 and end in Au- gust, said Chief Coun - ty Magistrate Tamara Tinney, who spoke to commissioners about the program.

“I know there are counties that have some kind of mental health program, but I don't know of one that's exact ly like this one,” Tinney said.

"What we're hop - ing to do is divert those people who don't really belong in the criminal justice system."

Tinney said her of- fice, which includes in - digent defense and drug abuse, is working with the county crisis intervention team as well as mental health counseling

agencies.

“Once (mental health patients) get into the criminal justice system, they continue to deteriorate,” she said.

While Tinney wouldn't commit to pushing the county to finance a mental health worker for the jail, she held out hope that the pilot program approved Tuesday could some day become full-time.

Commissioners also proclaimed April as Child Abuse Awareness and Prevention Month.

The proclamation notes that “Burnet Coun- ty has an extraordinary number of children who suffer some form of abuse or neglect each year” and calls on “all citizens to join in a na tional effort to raise awareness and to help prevent child abuse and neglect." Continuing the child care topic, the court ap- proved a tax exemption for properties utilized as a child-care facility ac- cording to Texas Proper ty Code. The resolution setting the exemption cited the statewide lack of adequate child care facilities and noted that the shortage has an impact on early childhood development as well as the ability of parents to find jobs.

The exemption in Burnet County starts this year and has no end date. Qualifying properties can get a tax break of between 50 and 100 percent of their tax bills.