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Board approves START pilot funding to unify county treatment courts; $860,000 in freed-capacity funds authorized
Summary
The Board of Commissioners authorized county funding to launch START (Substance Treatment, Advocacy and Recovery to Thrive), a two-year pilot consolidating specialty treatment courts, and directed staff to pursue state and other grants and to return with an evaluation.
The Cumberland County Board of Commissioners voted May 19 to fund a two-year pilot to consolidate several specialty treatment courts into a single county-administered initiative called START (Substance Treatment, Advocacy and Recovery to Thrive).
Justice Services Director Courtney McCullough and Assistant County Manager Heather Steens presented the proposal. START is meant to bring sobriety/DWI, adult drug, family opioid, veterans, juvenile and (under the proposal) two additional courts — mental-health court and human-trafficking court (Worth Court) — under a coordinated, county‑administered structure with common intake, data collection and unified standard operating procedures. McCullough told the board the county’s goal is to reduce detention center population and recidivism by providing coordinated treatment and referrals to community services.
Staff proposed a two‑year pilot and asked the board to fund personnel and operating needs for the two new courts while continuing to pursue grant dollars. The presentation identified a county request of $430,000 per year for two years to support personnel and operating activities for the newly added mental-health and human‑trafficking courts and said the county would continue to apply for grant funding.
Vice Chairwoman Sheryl Jones moved a modification of the staff proposal that authorized the use of freed‑up capacity (one-time) funds up to $860,000 for the pilot; the motion explicitly allowed the county manager and staff to reduce the net county appropriation if expected state grant funding (discussed informally during committee meetings) materializes. The motion passed after deliberation.
The board directed Justice Services to return an evaluation of START’s effectiveness after 18–20 months that would inform any request for continuing funding. McCullough said the county already administers certain grant-funded court coordinator positions but that START would consolidate administrative, data and operational functions under Justice Services and add the mental‑health and human‑trafficking courts into the managed structure.
Why it matters: START aims to reduce jail population and recidivism by integrating specialty courts with a single administrative structure and common performance measures. The pilot also seeks to create standardized data collection and reporting so the county can demonstrate outcomes to funders.
What’s next: staff will expend authorized freed-capacity monies to hire or contract for positions and operating needs as specified in the pilot, continue grant-seeking activities, and report back with a formal program evaluation in roughly 18 months.
