Ed Minardo, director of Genesee Justice, sent along the following e-mail to help clarify Genesee Justice funding and the budget situation.
We submitted our initial 2011 budget to the County Manager which called for a total appropriation of $697,418.
This appropriation accounted for our salary and fringe benefits for employees, contractual obligations and other expenses for the operation of our offender services, victim services and the Justice for Children Advocacy Center (JFCAC).
Due to the nature of our grants, $41,890 of the appropriation included rent and utilities for our occupancy at 14 W. Main St., a County building. This is used to demonstrate the County’s share of its in-kind contribution to match grant funds, and is not an actual County expenditure.
In 2011, we are due to receive $318,119 in victim service grants through the New York State Office of Victim Services (OVS), New York State Office of Child and Family Services (OCFS) and the National Children’s Alliance (NCA).
These funds exist to provide direct victim services to adults through our Comprehensive Victim Services and to the children and their families served through the JFCAC (281 total victims served). These grants have been consistently awarded to us because of the quality of service delivery to the above noted victims of crime in Genesee County.
We have excellent working relationships with the funding agencies and the dedicated professionals who work in those programs.
The receipt of these grants continues to minimize virtually all expenses to the County for these services. This includes the phenomenal work done by the JFCAC staff, contractual agents and members of the Multi-disciplinary Team to meet the needs of children who are physically and sexually abused in Genesee, Livingston, Wyoming and Orleans counties.
In 2011, we are due to receive $84,969 in offender services grants through the Office of Probation and Correctional Alternatives (OPCA) and the County STOP-DWI Program. The total number of offenders served through Community Service (419), DWI-CD Program (290) and RUS (245) was 954 in 2009. The above funding helps to offset some of our offender services, but ultimately results in the need for County funds.
For example, the Release Under Supervision Program (RUS) has been frequently recognized by Criminal Justice professionals as the critical component in keeping down our jail population. In 2009, we completed 518 bail evaluations for local Courts, which resulted in the placement of 245 defendants under our supervision in the RUS program.
This program is staffed by a full-time, exceptionally capable Case Manager, with back-up by the Assistant Director and Director of Genesee Justice. This is necessary because we provide bail evaluations within 24 hours of an offender’s placement in jail in order to expedite a review of their status for the Court.
The total grant funding for this program in 2009 was $7,700. This results in a County contribution of at least an additional $53,000, when salaries and program expenses are included. This is the reason that the Probation Department dropped this program in 2002. Probation was under no mandate to provide this service by NY State and the County was not recognizing their obligation to support the program, despite the obvious benefits to the County in reduced jail occupation. Here we are again!
To conclude, in 2011, we are scheduled to receive a total of $403,088 in grant funding for both victim and offender services. We had an initial anticipated County contribution of approximately $237,000. We have since made a considerable reduction of that amount; however, the County Manager is advising us that we must find a way to reduce our County share to ZERO for the next budget year.
We have scheduled a meeting of the Criminal Justice Advisory Council (CJAC) on Monday, Nov. 29, to determine if there may be any savings that can be derived from reducing, cutting or making more efficient use of criminal justice resources in order to provide us with the opportunity to remain in existence.
I can think of few uses of
I can think of few uses of this forum that are more worthwhile than it's use as a conduit for goverment transparency...thank you Howard and Mr. Minardo.
Sharing facts, information and opinions in a continuing dialogue on important issues is necessary to keep taxpayers/voters well informed and engaged in government participation and community betterment.
I can't help but wonder if
I can't help but wonder if the County Manager is looking at that grant money (which is quite a bit)to continue when the probation dept. takes over GJ?
Would that money still be available if it isn't separate from the probation dept.?
JoAnne, I totally agree with your comment. :)
Bea I not all that familiar
Bea I not all that familiar with Grantwriting however, what understanding I do have is that Probation didnt write the grants and is a separate functioning entity so most of them would not transfer over unless someone @ probation apploes for them.
As for the trasnparency of Govt, it helps but now we have to get off our butts and fill those county chambers indicating our feeling over this issue otherwise its just whispers in the wind to them.
To write to your
To write to your legislator
(Legislator Name)
Old Courthouse
7 Main Street
Batavia, NY 14020
I need to confirm this, but I believe the "committee of the whole" meets on a revised budget on Wednesday, so time is short. The final budget must be approved by Dec. 8.