Lake County commissioners consider 'bare bones' Community Corrections plan as budget deadline nears

Community Corrections Director Jake Greer told the Lake County Board of Commissioners on Sept. 17 that he was presenting a two‑year "bare bones balanced budget" for the 2025–2027 biennial plan and that the budget must be submitted by the end of September.

Greer said most grant funds had already been approved and that delaying submission would not change the outcome. He said, "nobody only works 40 hours," and that he was "dead set on moving forward with the plan." Community Corrections staff member Rachel Frederick told the board that filing for an extension had been encouraged by the Department of Corrections but that staff had not had the time to prepare one.

Commissioner James Williams questioned whether reducing Greer’s scheduled hours to 32 per week would achieve any operational savings, saying the director "would still do over 40 hours of work" under the proposed schedule. Vice‑Chair Barry Shullanberger said the board did not want to remove leadership from local law enforcement and moved to approve the Lake County 2025–2027 Community Corrections Biennial Plan as submitted; the minutes record the motion but do not include a vote tally or final recorded outcome for that motion.

Why it matters: the biennial plan and associated staffing levels shape how county corrections services are delivered and funded over two years; local officials said cuts are being considered across county corrections programs statewide.

Greer told commissioners he would return to the board if circumstances changed. The minutes note the budget filing deadline as the end of September and list no further action on the plan at the Sept. 17 session.