Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Accountability Courts topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
DeKalb courts to use state subgrants to fund housing for accountability court participants
Summary
Superior and state court officials told the DeKalb County Finance, Audit and Budget Committee they will use subgrants from the Council of Accountability Court Judges largely for housing and program needs; DUI court reported a 10% reduction covered by internal reallocation and a $4,000 technology award.
At a meeting of the DeKalb County Finance, Audit and Budget Committee, Superior Court Administrator Lenora Hawkins Ponto said the courts will accept subgrant awards from the Council of Accountability Court Judges and use most of the funding to support housing for accountability court participants.
The grants “will go towards housing,” Hawkins Ponto said. She told the committee the council does not anticipate additional cuts to those grants for the next fiscal year.
Edwin Veil, state court administrator, introduced Phoenix Gaston, the county’s DUI Court program director, who said the DUI Court received a funding reduction of about 10 percent because of a late submission. “We did have a reduction, due to a late submission. However, we are good in covering our funds,” Gaston said, adding the program reallocated internal funds to cover the shortfall and that the grant reduction affected a drug-testing line item.
Gaston said the DUI Court operates one of the state’s only Spanish-speaking tracks for DUI treatment and has been in operation about 20 years. “Our participant numbers are continuously rising. We have about 65 participants in the program as of right now,” she said, and asked the committee to note an upcoming graduation next month. Gaston also said the program was awarded a $4,000 technology grant and that they were finalizing the paperwork to accept it.
When a committee member asked whether the awards were state funds, Gaston answered that they were. Hawkins Ponto said the courts have been in contact with the Council of Accountability Court Judges and do not expect additional cuts for the coming fiscal year.
No formal vote was taken on the grants at the committee meeting. Committee members asked the courts to provide high-level information in the meeting and to forward any additional documents or materials for committee review.
The presentations covered both program trends and funding mechanics for accountability courts; the committee did not take action during this session to change grant acceptance or program budgets.
