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Behavioral health treatment court asks county for gap funding and permanent coordinator position
Summary
Judge Wendy Hazleton asked commissioners for bridge funding to retain court coordinator Melissa Miller from April 2026 until the county budget covers the position, and requested that the county hire the coordinator permanently and include recurring funding for the court in future budgets.
Judge Wendy Hazleton briefed the board on the Pitt County Behavioral Health Treatment Court, which began in July 2020 and serves justice‑involved residents with serious mental illness and substance use disorders. Hazleton said the court is one of two in North Carolina focused on combined mental‑health and substance‑use needs and described recent staffing changes that increased program participation.
Hazleton told the board that hiring Melissa Miller as court coordinator led to a substantial increase in participants (Hazleton described court participation as at “200%,” noting nine to ten participants at a time). She asked commissioners for three actions: short‑term gap funding to support Miller’s position from April 2026 until the county budget is adopted, county employment of the coordinator thereafter, and recurring line‑item funding for the treatment court in the annual budget.
Hazleton emphasized the court’s role in supporting people with mental‑health and substance‑use disorders who are justice‑involved and urged the board to allocate resources to avoid losing the coordinator. The request was framed as a funding and staffing decision for the board and county manager to consider during budget planning.
