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Board of Community Guardians continued; chair asks for budget increase amid rising demand
Summary
Kootenai County accepted the Board of Community Guardians annual report and voted to continue the board for another year. Chair Dave Levine told commissioners the board is seeing more applications from financially vulnerable people and requested an increase in the annual county allocation from $25,000 to $30,000.
The Kootenai County Board of Commissioners accepted the annual report from the Board of Community Guardians and voted to continue the board for another year on March 11.
Chair Dave Levine of the Board of Community Guardians told commissioners the number of applications to the court for guardianship is increasing (six last year, a 50% increase from prior years) and that many petitioners have very limited financial resources. Levine said the board had requested a budget increase from $25,000 to $30,000 to meet rising demand and noted that 100% of the board's funds go directly to individuals rather than overhead.
Commissioners asked how the board would proceed if the budget increase were not approved; Levine said the board would first seek additional funds after the budget closed and, if funds ran out, would stop accepting new applications and continue serving existing cases. Commissioners thanked board members for their work on behalf of vulnerable residents, noting the board handles difficult, resource-intensive cases, sometimes for younger adults with cognitive impairments.
The board's annual report and the motion to continue the Board of Community Guardians were approved by vote.
Ending: The Board of Community Guardians will continue operations; county budget discussions later in the cycle will determine whether the requested funding increase is granted.
