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Community corrections director outlines $2.0M expected grant loss; proposes earning interest on project income
Summary
Brett Barton reported an abrupt $7 million statewide cut to community corrections funding that will likely reduce the county's grant by about $2,025,000; he proposed placing project income in conservative interest-bearing accounts to recoup modest revenue and reduce the shortfall.
Brett Barton, speaking for the county's community corrections program, told the council a late statewide budget cut reduced community corrections funding by $7 million and resulted in shifts favoring central office and parole. He estimated Clinton County would likely lose about $2,025,000 from its grant and described steps taken to identify compensating revenue.
Barton reviewed last year's grant of roughly $309,000 and the current year's figure of about $317,000, then said the new allocation change will be meaningful for county operations. "I pulled up every statute I could find on our project income, every guideline, every policy... and there's nothing in there that says we can't earn interest on that money," Barton said. After checking with the community corrections field auditor and state legal counsel, he said state officials confirmed counties may place project income into conservative savings or certificates of deposit. Barton estimated a conservative approach could generate roughly $10,000 to $15,000 annually in interest.
Barton asked the council if it had objections to the approach and said he would bring a formal request to his board later. Councilmembers responded positively to the idea and complimented the initiative-style approach to mitigating the grant reduction.
The council did not take formal action at the meeting on investing project income; Barton said he would present formal board action once the county-level plan is developed.
