Advisory board approves revised 2025 budget to meet state deadline

A majority of the Vanderburg County Community Corrections advisory board voted Aug. 8 to approve a revised 2025 budget so staff could meet a state submission deadline.

Ain, director of Vandenberg County Community Corrections, told the board the revision does not add new items but moves money from grant categories into user fee or project income lines to cover payroll and other expenses. "We need this newly revised budget approved today so that we can get it in by the August 15 deadline," Ain said.

Ain said the office originally requested approximately $2.8 million for work release and $454,000 for treatment court in March and that the state sent an approval letter on July 15. The transcript records the state-approved figures as "1.976 million for work release and 3.7 1000 for treatment court"; the treatment-court number in the transcript is unclear and is recorded here as stated in the meeting. Ain also said the revised state submission mirrors the county budget filed in June and that staff expect to revise the state budget again after county budget hearings and return to the advisory board for final alignment later in the year.

Board members asked whether expected user fees will cover expenses not funded by the state; Ain stated the program anticipates those fees will cover the gap. The board took a voice vote to approve the revised 2025 budget; the motion passed with ayes recorded and no named opposition or roll-call counts recorded in the transcript.

The board’s approval authorizes staff to submit the revised budget to the state by the Aug. 15 deadline. Officials said they expect to reconcile the county and state versions after county budget hearings in October or November and to bring a final revision back to the advisory board in December.