Montcalm judge asks county to fund full-time probation officer to launch veterans, misdemeanor drug courts

District Court Judge Adam Eggleston urged the Montcalm County Board of Commissioners to approve converting a part-time probation officer position to full time to support a planned veterans treatment court and an expanded misdemeanor drug court.

Eggleston said the county has seen a rise in cases with substance-abuse elements and a growing share of matters that begin as felonies and are later pled down to misdemeanors. He described the candidate, Mikaela Sattler, as “a great addition” and said full-time supervision would allow the court to pursue problem-solving courts and seek grant funding.

Sattler, who introduced herself to the board as a district court probation officer and a U.S. Army veteran, said the veterans treatment court is planned to launch in March 2026. She told commissioners that the SCALE grant initially funded a part-time position and that SCALE prefers a full-time onsite staffer; county funding for full-time status would allow grant dollars to be used for participant services rather than salary.

The judge and Sattler discussed program design and constraints. Eggleston and Sattler noted differences between district- and circuit-court authorities: district court probation terms are generally shorter and cannot be used for the same multi-year specialty programs as some circuit-court problem-solving courts. They said a full-time county position could be used across both the veterans treatment track and a new misdemeanor drug court to reach people earlier in the criminal process.

Commissioners pressed for numbers and budget options. Sattler provided a salary range for conversion: base pay estimates $49,000–$57,000 and, with fringe benefits estimated at about 29 percent, total annual cost roughly $63,000–$74,000. The judge said the position had been budgeted for fiscal 2026 at about $31,003 for continuing the current part-time arrangement and noted the possibility of supplementing county funding with opioid-settlement or marijuana revenue but warned those sources can be temporary.

Board members asked how success would be measured. Sattler and Eggleston said SCALE and Michigan specialty-court reporting would track recidivism and other program outcomes; SCALE reports were cited as showing problem-solving courts reduce recidivism and can provide a financial return if participants succeed. Commissioners asked for follow-up data and suggested the judge and staff return with a formal budget request and potential funding scenarios.

No formal funding decision was made at the Sept. 8 meeting. Commissioners took the request under advisement and asked staff to provide additional budget detail and grant options before any vote on converting the position to full time.

Ending: The board did not vote to create the full-time position at the meeting; members asked the judge and probation staff to return with clearer budget options and outcome metrics for consideration when preparing the 2026 budget.