Johnson County County Attorney Rachel presented the office’s fiscal year 2026 budget priorities on Jan. 6, highlighting victim services, community-based programs and uncertainty in state grant revenue.

Rachel, the County Attorney, told the Board of Supervisors the office continued to serve roughly 1,000 victims a year and emphasized an ongoing partnership with the Domestic Violence Intervention Program (DVIP) that provides weekly open hours at the courthouse. “The most important thing is that they get connected with DVIP,” Rachel said, describing the “warm handoff” process in which a DVIP staff person meets victims on-site.

The office requested 2.5 budgeted victim-witness coordinator positions tied to a pass-through federal grant administered through the state Attorney General’s office. Rachel said the county has historically budgeted roughly $180,000 in revenue related to the grant but warned that actual awards have fallen short and timing is uncertain: “We go into the fiscal year not knowing what we’re actually gonna receive from the grant.”

Delaney Dixon, assistant executive director at DVIP, described how advocates differ from victim-witness coordinators: “Victim advocates...are 100% focused on the victim and what they want and their goals and their feelings,” while victim-witness coordinators “maintain a database of protective orders, no contact orders, specifically, criminal no contact orders,” and help victims navigate the criminal process.

Board members questioned whether to budget the full expected grant revenue or to budget a lower, conservative figure and make up any shortfall from county funds. After discussion, supervisors signaled consensus to instruct staff (Dana and Adam) to reduce the revenue estimate tied to the victim-witness coordinator grant to $90,000 for budgeting purposes, with the understanding the county would cover staffing obligations if the award is lower or delayed.

Rachel and staff also described program developments and grant activity: a now-operational Community Violence Intervention (CVI) program co-located at Neighborhood Centers of Johnson County; an ASAP program linking individuals identified by sheriff’s staff to rapid mental-health treatment through a state grant and GuideLink partnership; and a planned SAMHSA-funded sequential intercept assessment scheduled for April to review county diversion and behavioral-health pathways.

Assistant County Attorney Ryan Moss told supervisors he had not received official notice of legislative moves that would change allowable uses of opioid-settlement or similar funds; he said the set of currently permitted uses for opioid settlement funds is “pretty explicit, comprehensive and restrictive.”

Supervisors also pressed Rachel on diversion and juvenile truancy: the County Attorney’s office continues marijuana diversion and pretrial-release coordination, and juvenile truancy referrals remain handled through the juvenile division with opportunities for parents to correct attendance before charges are filed. Rachel said the office’s approach is intended to keep children in school rather than pursue punitive measures.

The presentation included budget notes that the county’s collections division contributes roughly $1 million annually in delinquent court-debt collections and that funding for some positions comes from state pass-through grants that may be reduced. Supervisors and staff agreed to proceed with a conservative revenue estimate and to revisit appropriations if and when grant amounts are confirmed.

Ending: The County Attorney’s budget discussion concluded with staff direction to lower the grant revenue estimate in the draft budget and continue monitoring award notices and program developments, including the upcoming SAMHSA assessment.