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MARSHALL -- The Lyon County Attorney's Office will be moving forward with hiring a person to help victims of crime - even though state grant funding for the position didn't come through.
Last week, Lyon County commissioners voted to approve hiring a Crime Victim Services Coordinator for the county attorney's office. The move would help fill an important need for the county, commissioners said.
At last week's county board meeting, Lyon County Human Resources Director Tegan Lindsley said the county had advertised for and interviewed applicants for Crime Victim Services Coordinator. The victim services coordinator would help communicate with crime victims, inform them about their legal rights and help explain court procedures. The coordinator would also help attorneys with preparing witnesses, and help raise awareness of issues affecting crime victims in the county.
Lyon County is currently one of the only counties in the area that does not have a victim services coordinator.
"We had a handful of really good applicants," Lindsley told commissioners. However, the county was faced with a question on whether to proceed with hiring a victim services coordinator.
Earlier this year, the County Attorney's Office applied for a Crime Victim Services grant from the state Office of Justice Programs, which could help fund the new position. Lindsley said Lyon County did not receive funding.
County Attorney Abby Wikelius said they could apply again, but she wasn't sure it would help. Wikelius said currently the grant program has prioritized funding to sustain existing victims services programs, and not to start new ones.
Commissioners were still supportive of hiring a victim services coordinator for the attorney's office. Commissioner Todd Draper said the county personnel committee thought filling the position would be good for both the county and the attorney's office.
Draper moved to approve hiring a Crime Victim Services Coordinator, and the motion passed unanimously.