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Vernon County committee approves up to $47,197.50 to sustain domestic-violence program after federal grant ends
Summary
After the Department of Justice terminated a 2023 rural violent crime reduction grant effective April 22, the Vernon County Finance Committee approved using up to $47,197.50 in unallocated funds to keep offender-assessment and group-intervention services running through year-end, with invoices to be submitted for reimbursement.
The Vernon County Finance Committee on June 17 approved using up to $47,197.50 in unallocated county funds to continue a domestic-violence reduction program after federal reimbursement stopped.
Amy Oliver, who introduced the Rural Violent Crime Reduction Initiative (RVCRI), told the committee that Vernon County had received $200,000 in 2023 after applying for $150,000 and that the Department of Justice informed LISC, the grant manager, that "the Department of Justice has terminated this grant program effective April 22... and no activities after April 22 will be reimbursed by the Department of Justice." The committee was asked to authorize county funding on a reimbursement basis so work already under way and participants in diversion agreements could continue to receive assessments and group interventions.
Program lead Susan Townsley described the program's components and need: the county has trained two in-county sexual-assault nurse examiners, established a 24-member volunteer response team and provided healthy-relationship training to roughly 200 students. She said the offender-assessment and group-intervention component — intended to reduce recidivism — had been halted by the funding termination and that "we currently have 16 people waiting for assessments and we're getting about 5 referrals a month." Townsley estimated the program could be pared down to key services but still needed funding to pay clinicians and staff.
Committee members asked whether perpetrators could be required to pay for assessments; Townsley said most participants are in diversion agreements and often cannot afford fees. Members also discussed alternative private funding sources and a pending UW Madison partnership; Oliver said the county had submitted a letter of intent for private UW funding and expected to hear in late June if it would be invited to apply for a three-year grant.
A motion to approve the requested county funding on a reimbursement model was made, seconded and carried. The county will accept invoices and time records and reimburse eligible costs through the department managing the grant.
