County OKs planning funds and authority to arrange Criminal Justice Coordinating Council training

The committee authorized county counsel to pursue and finalize training proposals for the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council (CJCC) and directed that any spending decision be made with input from the committee chair, vice chair and the County Executive.

The CJCC is composed of judges, the sheriff, district attorney, public defender representation, human services leadership and other criminal justice stakeholders. County counsel said the group needs foundational training to understand criminal justice system functions and a facilitated strategic-priorities session to set the council's work plan; the National Institute of Corrections initially offered assistance but later indicated budget uncertainty might preclude their support. County counsel then sought private providers; one quoted a baseline price that was too small in scope and another, the Justice Management Institute, provided proposals that staff said could exceed $10,000 depending on scope.

Because the exact cost and scope were not finalized, the committee authorized county counsel to continue negotiating proposals and to work with the County Executive, the Executive Committee chair and vice chair to decide on a fiscally appropriate amount to spend from strategic priority funds and to proceed with contracting. Supervisor Kelling moved and Supervisor Chadron seconded the motion; the motion passed on a voice vote.

Ending: County counsel will return with final contract proposals and a recommended amount to allocate; the chair, vice chair and County Executive will review and approve the selected proposal under the authority granted by the committee.