County council approves $150,000 reappropriation to launch local recovery housing program

Councilors voted to appropriate $150,000 from previously encumbered 'other services' funds to support DARP, a new program spun out of the county’s Drug and Alcohol Resource Team (DART) aimed at starting a women's recovery facility and related services.

Staff explained the money had been encumbered from prior budgets and the state board of accounts confirmed those funds could be reappropriated for the program; the county will reappropriate the funds formally and file the required state paperwork. The county emphasized it deliberately selected encumbered non‑opioid funds to avoid depleting opioid‑settlement resources reserved for other ongoing initiatives.

Lindsay (program director) and other speakers described DART’s community representation, the two‑year startup cost estimates (roughly $150,000 per year for operations initially) and the group’s plan to become self‑sustaining. Commissioners noted stakeholders including probation, the prosecutor’s office and the courts would need to be engaged and that court‑ordered participation is limited by separation of church and state — the planned program is faith‑based and participation would be voluntary or court‑referred by order when appropriate.

Motion and vote: Nick moved to appropriate the $150,000 from the encumbered line item; motion passed with one commissioner abstaining for a conflict of interest.

Next steps: Auditor/staff will file the required paperwork for reappropriation and the council will track program funding and any additional appropriations needed during the next budget cycle.