Social Services & Public Safety (SSPS) Committee

Summary

Meeting Overview

The Social Services and Public Safety (SSPS) Committee met on February 17, 2026, at 1:00 P.M., with J. Reynolds presiding. The meeting covered 2 agenda items, including routine administrative business and an informational update from an outside organization. The committee approved the January 13, 2026 Committee Summary and received an informational presentation from the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). A total of 1 vote was taken during the meeting, and no public comments were heard.

Attendance

The following 13 members and participants were present at the February 17, 2026 Committee meeting:

• J. Reynolds
• W. Baxter
• D. Wu
• C. Ellinger
• T. Morton
• S. Lynch
• L. Higgins-Hord
• J. Hale
• A. Beasley
• Whitney Elliott Baxter
• Hilary Boone
• Emma Curtis
• Dave Sevigny

No members were recorded as absent or late.

Votes and Decisions

The committee took one formal vote during the February 17, 2026 meeting.

• Approval of the January 13, 2026 Committee Summary 3:36: A motion to approve the January 13, 2026 Committee Summary was made by C. Ellinger and seconded by L. Higgins-Hord. The motion passed unanimously. The approval included a non-material correction to Section 12-1C of the summary. No roll call vote was recorded; the motion carried without dissent or abstention.

Approval of January 13, 2026 Committee Summary

3:03

The committee took up the approval of the summary from its January 13, 2026 meeting. J. Reynolds spoke to this item, noting that a non-material correction was needed to Section 12-1C of the summary before it could be adopted.

• Speaker: J. Reynolds
• Correction noted: A non-material correction to Section 12-1C of the January 13, 2026 committee summary
• Outcome: The summary was approved with the noted correction incorporated

No substantive debate or additional concerns were raised regarding the contents of the prior meeting's summary. The committee moved to approve the January 13, 2026 summary as corrected.

National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Update

4:06

Connie Milligan and Judge John Tackett presented an update to the Committee on the Fayette Mental Health Court. The presentation was also joined by Emma Curtis as a key speaker.

The update focused on the Fayette Mental Health Court's outcomes, with the presenters highlighting the program's success in two primary areas:

• Reducing recidivism among program participants
• Improving housing stability for individuals served by the court

The item was informational in nature, and no formal action or vote was taken by the Committee as a result of the presentation.