Both Benton and Washington counties were awarded $550,000 grants for mental health court programs from the federal government.
\r\nDistrict Judge Terra Stephenson has been working on a mental health court proposal for Washington County. Circuit Judge Tom Smith in Benton County said that county has also received notice the grant has been awarded. Benton County will start training employees in January, and the mental health court should be up and running by the end of 2024, he said. Bridget Russell, grants administrator for Washington County, said she expects a similar timeline for the Washington County mental health court.
\r\nThe grant money comes from the federal Bureau of Justice Assistance through the Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program.
\r\nThe money is meant to assist in planning and implementing the mental health court programs over a three-year period. Michelle Barrett, with the specialty court programs in Benton County, said the grant money will be distributed in three phases, with $100,000 available the first year and $225,000 in both the second and third years.
\r\nThe money awarded to Washington County for the mental health court planning and implementation must be expended by Sept. 30, 2026. According to Russell, the award requires an escalating percentage or in-kind match. The federal money may not cover more than 80% of the total project costs in the first two years and no more than 60% in the third. The planning phase of the grant award is expected to last no more than the first 12 months. The counties can reapply for money beyond the initial three-year grant period.
\r\nAlso Tuesday, the justices of the peace reviewed an ordinance to set the county\'s 2024 budget.
\r\nThe Quorum Court\'s Finance and Budget Committee took no action on the ordinance other than to agree some budget cuts were needed.
\r\nAccording to information presented at Tuesday\'s meeting, the total 2024 budget is now about $112 million, compared to about $97 million for 2023. If everything currently included in the budget ordinance were approved, the county\'s unappropriated reserves would be about $483,000. County Treasurer Bobby Hill said his personal preference is to have around $3 million in unappropriated reserves but he could accept a budget that reduced that to about $1.5 million.
\r\nThe unappropriated reserve is money available to unexpected expenses during the year. County Judge Patrick Deakins referenced to the ice storm of more than a decade ago as an example of the kind if events the county needs to have money set aside for.
\r\n"This is our rainy day fund," Deakins said.
\r\nThe justices of the peace agreed to continue discussion of the budget with a "goal" of increasing the unappropriated reserve amount to a minimum of $1.5 million to a maximum of $3 million.
\r\nThe next regular meeting of the Finance and Budget Committee is in November but Deakins said the panel could have one or more special meetings to discuss the budget if needed.
\r\nThe Quorum Court is required to approve the final county budget by the end of the year.
\r\nThe Finance and Budget Committee has been meeting since August reviewing budgets from the county judge and the departments under his authority, the 2024 budget requests from the Sheriff\'s Office and jail and the budgets presented by other elected officials.
\r\nMental health court requirements
Treatment plans will include requirements such as:
\xe2\x80\xa2 Mandatory attendance at frequent court appearances
\xe2\x80\xa2 Random drug/alcohol testing
\xe2\x80\xa2 Group and individual counseling
\xe2\x80\xa2 Intensive community supervision by court staff and mental health case managers
\xe2\x80\xa2 Other requirements that are determined to be appropriate by the mental health court team The mental health court may order an individual to be prosecuted for their original offense if there\xe2\x80\x99s a lack of compliance with the court\xe2\x80\x99s instructions.
Source: Washington County
October 11, 2023 at 2:00 a.m.
FAYETTEVILLE -- Washington County's justices of the peace on Tuesday endorsed an ordinance accepting a $550,000 federal grant to establish a mental health court program in the county.
Both
