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Drug court funding in flux as county plans for end of mental health tax revenue
Summary
County finance staff and commissioners discussed Drug Court’s budget performance and the county-wide plan to replace mental-health-tax funding set to expire after 2025; staff scheduled workshops to explore bridge funding and billing models with health providers.
County finance staff briefed commissioners on Drug Court’s year-to-date finances and warned the county that mental-health-tax funding that underwrites several programs will "no longer be available after 2025."
"Drug court, they are part of the general fund, so budgeted revenues will not equal budgeted expenses," Susie, finance manager, told the board while reviewing revenue and expense lines. She provided program details: intergovernmental revenue of $60,000 budgeted (about $28,000 received so far), supervision fee revenue, and personnel budget and vacancy details.
Commissioners and staff said they had been alerted across departments that mental-health-tax funds would end, and urged program leads to develop replacement strategies. Kathy Funk Baxter, finance director, said the county will hold budget workshops starting in mid-September, including a session specifically on mental-health-tax funding and what remains for 2026 and 2027.
Staff and commissioners also discussed potential service-billing models tied to local health-care partners. Gina James, Health and Human Services, noted early discussions with a local hospital group about incorporating drug-court services into a broader wraparound approach that could be billable: "they felt that, drug court would be something that they could wrap into that." Staff cautioned such arrangements will take time to negotiate and implement, leaving a potential funding gap when tax revenue ends.
Separately, Drug Court’s current fiscal-year figures showed some lines under target and others impacted by one-time payments such as software licensing and internal service billings; staff said departments must present options during upcoming budget workshops.
No formal board decision to close or expand Drug Court was made in the briefing; commissioners directed staff to include the issue in the county’s budget workshops and explore interim funding options.
