CITY OF CHARLOTTESVILLE, VIRGINIA CITY COUNCIL AGENDA Agenda Date: September 7, 2021 Action Required: Resolution to Appropriate Funds Presenter: Susan Morrow, Offender Aid and Restoration Staff Contact: Krisy Hammill, Senior Budget and Management Analyst Susan Morrow, Offender Aid and Restoration Title: Resolution to Appropriate Funds for the Charlottesville/Albemarle Adult Drug Treatment Court Grant Award - $240,000 Background: The City of Charlottesville, on behalf of the Charlottesville/Albemarle Adult Drug Treatment Court, has received a Supreme Court of Virginia Drug Treatment Court Grant in the amount of $240,000 for operations of the drug court program, which is operated by Offender Aid and Restoration (OAR). The City of Charlottesville serves as fiscal agent for the Supreme Court of Virginia Drug Treatment Court Docket Grant. Discussion: In its twenty-fourth year of operation, the Charlottesville/Albemarle Adult Drug Treatment Court is a supervised 12 month drug treatment program that serves as an alternative to incarceration for offenders. Drug Court is a specialized docket within the existing structure of the court system given the responsibility to handle cases involving non-violent adult felony offenders with moderate to severe substance use disorders. The program uses the power of the court to assist non-violent offenders to achieve recovery through a collaborative system of intensive supervision, drug testing, substance abuse treatment, and regular court appearances. The total program budget is $364,725 and includes three funding sources: • Supreme Court of VA - $240,000 • City of Charlottesville: $68,352, which has already been appropriated • Albemarle County: $56,373, which has already been appropriated Alignment with City Council Vision and Strategic Plan: This relates to providing support for persons interacting with the legal or criminal justice system and the City of Charlottesville’s priority Safety/Criminal Justice. Drug Court directly affects the community by reducing recidivism among Drug Court participants and graduates. Additionally, Drug Court mitigates risk by reducing drug and alcohol use among program participants and graduates. Reduction of drug and alcohol use fosters participant rehabilitation, public safety, and participant accountability; all of which are factors in helping the community achieve its stated goals. Reduced recidivism results in reduced public cost associated with re-arrest and incarceration, a reduction in potential victims of crime, and overall enhanced quality of life for community residents. As the writers of the Adult Drug Court Best Practice Standards state, “Drug Courts improve communities by successfully getting justice-involved individuals clean and sober, stopping drug-related crime, reuniting broken families, … and preventing impaired driving” Not only is Drug Court an effective agent of change, it is an extremely cost effective approach. Numerous meta-analyses have concluded that Drug Courts produce an average return on investment of $2 to $4 for every $1 invested. Because of the above, ensuring that the 24 year old Drug Court program remains available to residents of the City of Charlottesville and Albemarle County will help the community achieve its goals. Community Engagement: The Drug Treatment Court is a direct service provider and is engaged daily with non- violent criminal offenders with drug driven crimes who are at a high level of risk for reoffending due to active addictions and long standing patterns of criminal behavior. By collaborating with the Court system, Region Ten Community Services Board, and the Sheriff’s department, the Drug Treatment Court provides these offenders with a highly structured, rigorously supervised system of treatment and criminal case processing that results in a significant reduction in recidivism rates for program participants and graduates. Participants gain access to the Drug Treatment Court through referrals from police, probation, magistrates, defense attorneys and other local stakeholders. Participants have active criminal cases pending in the Circuit Court. If they successfully complete the program which takes a minimum of 12 months, participants may have their pending charges reduced or dismissed. If participants are unsuccessful and have to be terminated from the program, they return to court to face their original charges. Successful Drug Treatment Court participants return the community’s investment in them by maintaining full time, tax paying employment, providing for and taking care of their children and families including paying off back child support, behaving as good role models in the community, and supporting the recovery community in Charlottesville. Budgetary Impact: No additional City funding is required. The City’s match for this grant, $68,352, was appropriated as part of the FY 2022 Council Approved Budget as part of the City’s contribution to Offender Aid and Restoration through the Vibrant Community Fund process. Recommendation: Staff recommends approval and appropriation. Attachments: Resolution to Appropriate Funds RESOLUTION TO APPROPRIATE FUNDS FOR Charlottesville/Albemarle Adult Drug Treatment Court Grant Award $240,000 WHEREAS, the Supreme Court of Virginia awarded the Supreme Court of Virginia Drug Treatment Court Docket Grant in the amount of $240,000 for the Charlottesville/Albemarle Drug Court Treatment Court in order to fund salaries, benefits, and operating expenses; and WHEREAS, the City of Charlottesville serves as the fiscal agent for this grant program; and WHEREAS, the City of Charlottesville and Albemarle County both have dedicated local matches to this grant, totaling $124,725; and WHEREAS, the grant award covers the period July 1, 2021 through June 30, 2022. NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED by the Council of the City of Charlottesville, Virginia, that the sum of $240,000, received as a grant from the Supreme Court of Virginia, is hereby appropriated in the following manner: Revenues $240,000 Fund: 209 Internal Order: 1900431 G/L Account: 430120 Expenditures $240,000 Fund: 209 Internal Order: 1900431 G/L Account: 530550 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that this appropriation is conditioned upon the receipt of $240,000 from the Supreme Court of Virginia.