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Fremont County treatment courts seek funding clarity as staff hiring and juvenile assessments continue
Summary
Treatment courts director asked the board to consider converting a part‑time administrative assistant to full time to support documentation and data collection; director said 75% of treatment court positions are reimbursed by the state and requested a full budget estimate for local authorization.
Casey Murray, executive director for Treatment Courts and Juvenile Justice Services, told the Fremont County Board of Commissioners that the office is seeking clearer budget authority and interagency coordination to manage adult and juvenile treatment referrals.
Murray recapped operations and said the treatment courts program pays positions at 75 percent reimbursable through the state. Murray asked the board to consider converting an existing 30‑hour‑per‑week administrative assistant position to full time to handle increased documentation, data collection and case management; the full‑time salary range discussed was $41,301 to $51,641.
“Part of what comes with the work is a lot of documentation that must go into the state system,” Murray said, describing the workload that supports state funding. Murray told commissioners she would provide a complete budget impact number so the board could determine local authorization for the additional county share.
Commissioners pressed for a broader, multiagency work session to clarify responsibilities. Murray and commissioners said they need participation from courts, the prosecutor’s office, the public defender and the jail to understand who will perform assessments, who will fund services, and how juveniles and adults in custody will be evaluated and referred.
Murray gave program metrics: the office collected $650 in adult fees for December, recorded three adult program entrants last month and had one recent graduation; juvenile treatment court collected $45 in fees for December and had one graduation and additional juveniles approaching completion. Murray said juvenile detention figures for 2024 showed four juveniles in custody at the Montgomery Detention Center at some point during the year; she said she completed five ASI assessments for juveniles in custody in 2024 and that juvenile numbers tend to be smaller because placement decisions are often made by the courts.
Commissioners asked Murray to convene a work session with the justice partners and return with a complete budget number for the requested staffing change and any contracting decisions, including any requests for bids from providers such as Fremont Counseling.
