Board approves full-time administrative assistant for Treatment Court and new services

The Fremont County Board of Commissioners voted Jan. 14 to convert an administrative assistant position in the Treatment Court and New Services office from part time to full time.

Casey Murray, executive director for Treatment Court and New Services, requested the change after reorganization and said the salary range would be $41,301 to $51,641 (estimated benefits raised the total cost range). Murray said the county receives 75% reimbursement for the court portion of the position, and she was proposing to split the position 75% treatment courts and 25% new services. "The administrative assistant helps with getting the things done so that I can focus on getting more money and kind of looking at other grant opportunities," Murray said.

Commissioners asked about the projected budget impact. Murray said the immediate fiscal-year impact could be between about $9,566 and $22,422 compared with the previously budgeted amount but that she was under budget in several line items and expected the net effect in the current year to be modest. She told commissioners she could adjust the position to 0.75 FTE if necessary to avoid layoffs.

A commissioner moved to approve conversion to a full-time position with the stated salary range; another commissioner seconded the motion. The board voted in favor; the motion passed with no recorded roll-call tally in the transcript.

Why it matters: The position adds administrative capacity for treatment-court recordkeeping, increased data collection needed for grant applications, and for growth in higher-acuity clients being referred to the program. Murray said if client volume continues to increase she may need to return to request another case manager in a future budget cycle.

No amendment or additional personnel requests were made at the meeting.