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Commission hears updates on drug and mental‑health courts and a federal expansion grant
Summary
Presenters told the commission the drug court receives a $103,000 state grant plus roughly $26,300 in participant fees this year; the mental‑health court has a $180,000 state grant with some unspent carryover; commissioners were briefed on a five‑year federal expansion grant funding counseling, IOP and case management across the judicial district.
Hamblen County commissioners heard budget presentations June 1 on the drug court, the mental‑health court and a federal expansion grant aimed at expanding treatment and case management services across the judicial district.
The drug‑court presenter told commissioners the program is funded in part by a $103,000 state grant and by participant program fees of $1,000 each; staff reported roughly $26,300 in fees collected so far this year, and said participants generally have 18–24 months to complete the program and pay the fee. The presenter said the fees ‘‘don’t even cover the cost of their drug screens, the time of the program,’’ but that they do contribute to program costs.
On the mental‑health court, staff said the program is supported by a $180,000 state grant and noted that an open case‑manager position has resulted in some unspent funds; staff said the state has previously reallocated unused funds to other programs when a jurisdiction could not spend its full award and that the county expects to fill the vacant position in July.
Commissioners also discussed a federal expansion grant for drug‑court services (described in the meeting as a multi‑year federal award). Finance staff said the grant runs on a federal fiscal year that differs from the county’s accounting cycle and that the county currently has a carryover of roughly $86,000 from the grant's first year to spend in the current federal year. The staffer described allowable uses as counseling, intensive outpatient programs (IOP) and case management, and said the grant funds multiple personnel positions needed for expansion.
Commissioners asked about allowable uses, carryover and whether unspent state funds could be lost if not expended; staff said the state or federal program offices have reallocated funds in the past when jurisdictions were not on track to spend the award, and confirmed the county had in some years returned or reallocated portions of grant awards.
No formal commission action was required on the presentations; departmental budgets for the courts were taken up later in the agenda.
