Bannock County commissioners approve application for federal domestic‑violence court grant

Kimberly Talbot, domestic violence coordinator, told the Bannock County Board of Commissioners on July 7 that staff would like permission to apply for the Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women Improving Criminal Justice grant and kept the request at $499,990 to remain under the $500,000 threshold.

Talbot said the county’s domestic violence court has produced measurable results since 2019: about 225 participants have completed the program, staff have held roughly 2,400 review hearings to monitor offender progress, and 314 people completed a domestic‑violence class focused on the effects on children. She illustrated the program’s impact by describing a recent participant who “told us that she'd been sober for nearly 20 months” and who had reunited with family and sustained employment.

The context: Talbot and Ariane Despain, family court manager, said grant funds would fund trauma‑informed treatment, substance‑use services and support designed to increase victim and community safety. Talbot told commissioners the combined federal and Idaho Supreme Court substance‑use funds previously helped a participant complete a 52‑week trauma‑informed nonviolence program.

The board handled the request by voice vote. Commissioner [speaker 2] moved to approve signature on the grant application; the motion carried. Talbot said staff will return with a memorandum of understanding that will require the commissioners’ signatures.

The next steps are administrative: staff will complete the application and bring the required memorandum of understanding back to the board for signature. The county did not provide a full grant budget or match requirements at the meeting; those details will be included in the application materials and the forthcoming memorandum of understanding.