Dunn County’s new Crime Prevention Funding Board met to establish how it will operate, decide who may apply for grants from a court-assessed surcharge, and set a timeline to distribute nearly $12,000 the county has accumulated for crime-prevention purposes. Acting chair called the inaugural meeting to order and county staff reviewed the statute that narrowly limits fund uses to law-enforcement-focused crime-prevention activities.

Sarah, a county staff member who guided the meeting, said the statute specifies membership that includes the presiding judge, the district attorney, the sheriff, the county executive or county board chair, the chief elected official of the largest municipality, a representative chosen by the county’s chiefs of police, and the public defender. She said the funds are held by the county treasurer after transfer from the clerk of courts. “We have just shy of $12,000 currently in the Scribe Prevention Fund,” she said, noting the surcharge proceeds have been collected since late 2022 and stem from the $20 assessment added to court costs.

Marshall Moltoff, identified in the meeting as a chief deputy and the law-enforcement liaison to Crime Stoppers, said the statute was written with organizations like Crime Stoppers in mind and clarified that Crime Stoppers is a separate nonprofit organization that can apply if it meets statutory criteria. Moltoff described his role as liaison and said such organizations generally run tip-reporting programs and related operational costs the fund is intended to support.

The board formally recognized Chief Greg Colossus as the law-enforcement representative chosen by county chiefs and approved a motion to make that seat an indefinite appointment — that is, the designated chief will serve until they step down — after a voice vote with no opposition recorded. Members discussed procedures for delegating seats when representatives cannot attend and agreed members should notify staff when delegating permanently.

Sandy Frigo presented a proposed process flowchart for the grant cycle: applicants complete an online form; the criminal justice office reviews submissions and forwards qualifying applications to the board; the board convenes to award funds; the county treasurer disburses awards; and recipients complete a statutory annual recipient report detailing expenditures and any remaining balance. Staff said the online application and recipient form were built in Microsoft Forms and would go live November 1 to allow a full month for applications.

Board members debated how much to award this year. With roughly $12,000 on hand and an estimated ongoing intake of about $4,000 annually, members discussed whether to make smaller annual awards that preserve a balance or to issue a larger initial grant to draw the fund down. The board approved a motion establishing a $10,000 initial award this year and leaving approximately $100 as a seed balance; the motion was seconded and approved by voice vote with no recorded opposition.

Members also set the application deadline and review timeline: open the application immediately, close submissions December 1, allow the criminal justice office to review and forward candidates, and hold a board meeting in mid-December to decide awards. The group agreed to align the funding-board vote with the Criminal Justice Coordinating Committee’s schedule and targeted a December 10 meeting at noon to review applications and finalize awards.

The meeting included a brief exchange on whether outside donations should be accepted into the fund. Some members said donors could make contributions through the county treasurer, but Moltoff advised the statute’s intent was to use the court surcharge as the funding source and that donations were not part of the statute’s design; he noted donors can still contribute directly to nonprofit Crime Stoppers organizations.

The board closed with staff committing to make the website and application live and to circulate application materials to members ahead of the December review. The next meeting was scheduled for December 10 at noon to consider the applications and award funds.