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Montgomery County Commission asked to approve $490,000 state grant for juvenile diversion program
Summary
A memo from Circuit Judge Calvin Williams asks the Montgomery County Commission to place a $490,000 Alabama Department of Youth Services grant on the agenda; the award would fund a diversion program serving about 60 youths annually, administered locally with The Bridge, Inc. as the contractor.
Circuit Judge Calvin Williams asked the Montgomery County Commission to place a proposed Fiscal Year 2025–26 grant agreement with the Alabama Department of Youth Services on the commission’s information-session agenda, the grant documents show.
The agreement would award Montgomery County $490,000 to support non‑residential diversion services for juveniles who otherwise might be committed to the Alabama Department of Youth Services (DYS), including CLIMB. The documents estimate the program will serve about 60 youths annually with an ongoing capacity of roughly 30 at any given time.
The grant text says the Montgomery County Juvenile Court will develop or collaborate on a diversion program that may identify community providers; the county plans to contract with The Bridge, Inc. to administer the services. The program is described as offering individualized needs assessments and treatment plans, clinical group and individual therapy, in‑home services, parenting education, transportation and supervision for community service projects, family counseling, anger‑management therapy and follow‑up care.
The agreement sets eligibility and operational limits. It specifies service to males and females ages 12–18 who present a medium to high risk of re‑arrest and limits participation by children in need of supervision (CHINS) to no more than 10% of participants. The DYS contract requires monthly data reporting into its Grantee Information Management System (GIMS) and an annual report for the October–September fiscal year, due to DYS by Nov. 30; DYS may consider those reports when deciding whether to renew grants.
The documents establish fiscal controls and a population‑based funding rule: quarterly reviews will check program population against maximum capacity, and an initial shortfall below 50% triggers a warning; if enrollment remains below 50% in a subsequent quarterly review, the program could face a 25% funding reduction for following quarter(s). The agreement also reserves termination rights for DYS and the county and requires program records and financial documents to be made available for review and for DYS representatives to conduct announced or unannounced site visits.
The contract language includes administrative clauses that the award is payable subject to availability of state funds and states that nothing in the agreement shall be deemed a debt of the State of Alabama in contravention of state law. It also contains a certification that contracting parties will not violate federal immigration law and that violations could constitute a breach of the agreement.
The DYS signature block in the packet lists Steven P. Lafreniere as executive director for the Alabama Department of Youth Services; the acceptance section includes signature lines for a Diversion Program director/agent and for the Montgomery County Commission, indicating the county must sign to accept the award. The memo from Judge Williams requests to be heard on the matter of executing the grant.
The item appears as a grant‑approval request to the Montgomery County Commission; the packet does not record a vote or formal commission action. The commission’s next procedural step will be whether to place the item on the agenda and, if approved for the agenda, to consider formal acceptance and signing at a subsequent session.
