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Grant County DWI prevention program warns of budget shortfall; commissioners ask for data and consider county support
Summary
Daniel Graves, the county DWI program administrator, told commissioners the program faces a projected funding shortfall for FY2027 as state distribution funds fall and requested options including raising probation fees and possible county supplemental funding; commissioners requested law‑enforcement arrest data and a one‑page statutory summary to guide any decision.
Daniel Graves, administrator of Grant County’s DWI prevention program, told the county commission that the program faces a likely budget shortfall for FY2027 driven by lower distribution funding tied to decreased alcohol sales and higher caseloads. Graves said the program requested $104,000 from a state grant pool but that statewide requests exceed available funds (he cited roughly $6.1 million requested versus about $3.3 million to award), meaning many counties will receive less than requested.
Graves said program caseloads have risen this fiscal year from about 187 clients to roughly 240 — a 31% increase — and that the change means the program may have to reduce payroll or services unless other revenue is found. He said misdemeanor clients are being handled by the program but receive no separate funding from the state, which increases pressure on local resources.
To offset a possible reduction, Graves suggested several options discussed with commissioners: raising probation fees (he proposed increasing monthly fees from $30 to $40), seeking additional state or legislative fixes for misdemeanor funding, and asking the commission to consider a one‑time or ongoing county supplement. Commissioners pressed for better operational data — not only the Youth Risk and Resiliency Survey (YRRS) self‑reported figures Graves cited, but law‑enforcement arrest counts and court dispositions — to assess the program’s effectiveness and the impact of possible county funding.
Commissioner discussion emphasized the tradeoffs. Several commissioners said cutting services such as community safe‑ride options (noted as a county prevention feature) could increase DWI incidents and downstream costs to the county; others urged caution about adding recurring county obligations without clear outcome metrics. County manager Webb and staff asked Graves to provide a one‑page summary of statutory program duties and to gather law‑enforcement and court statistics so the commission could review options before committing additional county dollars.
Graves also described program services that would be affected by funding reductions: probation supervision, random urine monitoring, ankle monitoring, coordination with local treatment providers, and youth prevention work in schools. He said treatment resources are contracted locally and that some treatment pools exist for uninsured clients but that those resources are limited.
The commission did not take a final vote on funding during the meeting; members asked staff and the DWI program to return with clarified statistics and a short statutory summary to inform any formal request for county budget supplementation.
