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Restorative justice director outlines merger with pretrial services, projects net county savings
Summary
Trish Thompson described a plan to move pretrial functions into restorative justice, eliminating one full‑time position and consolidating services; staff projected a 2026 savings of about $137,627 compared with leaving programs separate, contingent on budgeting shifts from corrections.
Trish Thompson, director of restorative justice services, presented a proposal to merge pretrial functions into the restorative justice program and said the consolidation would eliminate one full‑time position and yield net savings for the county.
Thompson presented labor cost comparisons showing 2025 labor costs for the combined programs and a 2026 projection if left unchanged versus a consolidated 2026 budget. She said the projected 2026 cost to leave both programs as separate line items would be about $3,373,170, while a merger would lower the combined outlay and produce a projected one‑year saving of about $137,627 when corrections funds are shifted.
Thompson explained the change would eliminate a full‑time pretrial position (the role is currently vacant) and retain a part‑time position (0.8 FTE). "The sooner it starts, the sooner the savings start," she told commissioners, adding the transition would take about a week to 10 days once approved.
Commissioners sought confirmation that savings would appear as reduced corrections wages; staff and Thompson said the corrections budget would be reduced correspondingly and that the county would reflect the personnel moves in wage detail lines so the delegation can see the net effect.
One commissioner offered conditional approval pending confirmation at Saturday's budget meeting that the corrections reductions match the restorative justice increases. Thompson said she would proceed with notices and transition planning if commissioners give final clearance after that reconciliation.
