Chickasaw supervisors authorize three‑year public‑safety app contract and opioid‑prevention spending

The Chickasaw County Board of Supervisors on Jan. 26 authorized county leaders to sign a three‑year contract for a public‑safety mobile application and approved spending from opioid prevention funds to support the work.

County staff and the opioid advisory committee recommended purchasing a nationwide, customizable app that can host tabs for opioid resources, jail rosters, Amber alerts and weather notifications. Ryan (identified in the record as a county staff member speaking in favor of the purchase) said the app qualifies for opioid funding and described examples of features: "It can be used a lot of those different things," and "it's beneficial based on some sheriffs I've talked to." The vendor provided cost estimates for a three‑year deployment and an option to prepay to avoid future budget shortfalls.

The board authorized the chair to sign a three‑year contract and approved using opioid fund balances to pay up to $30,000 for the contract and related fees. Separately, the board approved up to $10,000 from the opioid fund to support an opioid‑prevention program offered by the county public‑health department. The motion to authorize the contract and the funding passed with the board's affirmative votes.

Why it matters: the contract and the prevention funding will give the sheriff's office and public health a single, county‑branded channel to distribute emergency notices and opioid‑prevention resources to community members on smartphones. County staff said paying upfront reduces the risk of the bill falling due in a year when grant or fund balances might be lower.

What’s next: Staff will finalize the contract documents and return any required signature authorizations to the board; the county will also track expenditures from the opioid fund for audit and accountability.