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District Attorney seeks commission guidance on $750,000 federal grant for West Tennessee Drug Task Force
Summary
The District Attorney's Office asked the commission to accept a $750,000 VCIF grant that would fund a new position and vehicle for the West Tennessee Violent Crime & Drug Task Force. Commissioners asked why finance/legal signoffs were missing; the DA said compressed timelines and an upfront (non-reimbursement) funding model complicated the pre-approval process.
The Shelby County District Attorney's Office appeared before the commission to explain a $750,000 grant from a state-administered Victims of Crime/VCIF program that was awarded to the West Tennessee Violent Crime & Drug Task Force and routed through the DA as fiduciary.
Jessica Ningaro, the DA's chief administrative officer, said the application arrived in mid-November, required an expedited response and included an up-front (non-reimbursement) payment format. The grant would create one new, grant-funded position in FY26 (Fund 110), fund a passenger vehicle through a state contract and supplement payroll for existing task-force positions in later fiscal years. Total FY26 adjustments in the DA's packet showed salary and benefits lines that rise in FY27 and dip in FY28 as grant cycles and fund mixes change; the task force board expects to decide on continuity in later fiscal years.
Several commissioners pressed staff about process: why the grant did not receive standard finance sign-off and legal review before the item was placed on the committee agenda. Ningaro said she circulated the award as soon as it was received and had engaged auditing and trustee staff about how to place an upfront federal/state payment on the county's books; she also said she requested that county finance begin investigating mechanisms in October but the department preferred to wait for the final contract.
Deputy Director Schonbaum said the grant presented atypical financial issues (e.g., the requirement for an interest-bearing account to hold up-front funds) and that finance had flagged legal issues that needed resolution before final sign-off. Commissioners ultimately voted to send the item down to the full commission without recommendation so finance and legal can complete their reviews and provide written answers on fiscal impact and vehicle/title arrangements.
Why it matters: The grant would add drug-task-force capacity but raises questions about county-level handling of upfront, interest-bearing grant funding and appropriate pre-approval steps.
Provenance: Presentation and Q&A to Law, Enforcement, Corrections & Courts Committee.
