Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Dependency Services topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Graham County ratifies limited-representation contract for dependency alternative cases
Summary
The Graham County Board of Supervisors ratified a fiscal-year contract to pay a flat fee for limited legal representation in certain dependency cases as part of the county's dependency alternative program (DAP). The board approved the renewal after Superior Court described cost and time savings from the earlier year.
Graham County supervisors on July 7 ratified a fiscal-year contract to provide limited representation under the county's dependency alternative program (DAP), approving a flat-fee arrangement intended to resolve some child-dependency cases more quickly and at lower cost.
Mindy, a Superior Court representative, told the board the renewal covers July 1 through June 30 and that the county used the program in the prior fiscal year. "This is a renewal," Mindy said. She described the arrangement as an alternative to appointing a dependency attorney for every parent in certain straightforward cases in which the parties agree to guardianship or other settlement terms. Mindy said Attorney Channing Day (referred to in the transcript also as Shannon Day) handles those cases, mediates among the parties, files settlement paperwork the same day and charges a flat $1,700 per case.
Mindy reported that about five cases were successful last year. She summarized the county's cost split: $1,500 from the general fund and $200 from Title IV-E (federal) per successful case; she said the prior-year savings were roughly $17,000 compared with paying full counsel for each parent in those matters. Board members addressed both cost and time savings, with one supervisor noting the program reduces scheduling delays and another saying it helps keep children with family when appropriate. The board voted to ratify and approve the agreement for limited representation with Attorney Channing Day.
Action and next steps: The contract will operate under the described fiscal-year term and the county will continue to use the DAP limited-representation option for appropriate cases. The board did not attach additional conditions to the ratification during the meeting.
Context: Supervisors characterized the program as an efficiency measure for a subset of dependency cases in which informal family-based resolutions are possible. The transcript does not specify whether the court or county will track long-term outcomes for families served under the limited-representation contract.
