County OKs DUI Court grant
Jul. 13—VALDOSTA — Lowndes County Board of Commissioners has approved another cash match for the Accountability Courts.
The purpose of the Accountability Court Grants program is to provide grants to local courts and judicial circuits to establish specialty courts or dockets to address offenders arrested for drug charges and mental health issues.
Lowndes County's DUI Court is receiving an accountability grant from the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council for $132,193 which requires a 12% match from the county.
The match will be in the amount of $18,026. The DUI Court specifically requested a total of $42,495 from the county for the 2022-23 grant period as the grant only pays a portion of the salary and benefits of the surveillance officer's contract salary.
Additionally, the grant is only covering a portion of treatment costs incurred annually. The grant does not fund the random call-in service for drug screens, the cost of office equipment needed for the program case manager or the cost of translated documents.
The DUI court's budget detail breaks down how the award will be allocated, excluding the additional $24,469 requested:
Personnel:
Program Coordinator
$41,600
Program Coordinator Fringe Benefits
$20,640
Law Enforcement/Surveillance Officer
$7,000
Law Enforcement/Surveillance Officer Fringe
$3,000
Program Case Manager
$18,720
Program Case Manager Fringe Benefits
$1,495
Total: $92,455
Contract Services:
Treatment Provider
$20,000
Total: $20,000
Drug Testing Supplies:
Drug Testing Supplies
$10,000
$10,000
Supplies /Other Costs
Reconnect
$0.
Total: $0
Equipment
$0.
Total: $0
In State Training and Travel
CACJ Annual Conference
$4,738.
Total: $4,738
Transportation Funding:
Public Transportation
$5,000.
Total: $5,000
Total Budget Award: $132,193
County Match: $18,026
The Lowndes County DUI Court began operating in January 2017 and is currently at maximum capacity with 30 active participants in the program.
