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County staff say amended victim-services awards increase total funding but reduce local match requirement; budget amendment needed
Summary
Staff reported an amended award for victim-services funding that raises total award dollars while changing distribution across funding streams and cutting the county match requirement; staff asked commissioners to accept the amended award and to authorize budget adjustments for multiple line items.
Weston County staff told commissioners on Sept. 2 they have received an amended award notice that reallocates state grant funds for victim services, increasing some award lines and reducing the local cash-match requirement.
Grants staff said an email from Megan Hughes explained the state adjusted awards to ‘‘replace a portion of your VOCA award with increased victim witness and surcharge awards’’ in order to spend down reverted state dollars. Staff said the change produces a modest increase in overall funding to the county while lowering the match obligation that the county must provide.
Staff reported the most material changes as: the VOCA award reduced from approximately $37,500 to $12,002.75; one victim-services award increased from about $23,096 to $43,013.80; the surcharge award increased from about $4,333 to $14,005.87; and the county match requirement was reduced from about $9,375 to $3,068.75. Staff said the net change leaves the county with an approximately $5,180.65 improvement in the matching account compared with the prior projection.
Grants staff requested the board’s approval to accept the amended awards and to allow the county clerk and finance staff to amend the 2025–26 budget and related line items. The board discussed how the change affects retirement and insurance payments that the county had planned to pay from grant match accounts; staff said the adjustment would require reassigning line items and working with Amber in the clerk’s office to make the required budget changes.
County finance and staff questions focused on whether the reduced match will cover planned retirement and benefits costs for the victim-services position; the county’s Rick clarified the county may choose to leave more than the minimum match in the matching account, noting, "You just have to have at least that 3,000 in a match." (transcript excerpt).
What happens next: Staff said they will return with the formal budget amendment and revised line-item allocations for the board to approve. No formal roll-call vote approving the amended award was recorded in the transcript; the discussion closed with staff and commissioners agreeing to proceed with the paperwork required to accept the award and amend the budget.
Ending: The amended awards increase total program funding while changing how funds are allocated across VOCA, victim-witness and surcharge streams; county staff will present a detailed budget amendment for formal approval and to address retirement and benefit accounting.
