8/25/2010
By DAVID CLOUSTON Salina Journal

A plan that taps criminals to help pay the cost of their court-ordered supervision was approved Tuesday by Saline County commissioners.

The 28th District Community Corrections is reimbursed for various services it provides offenders it supervises, such as drug testing and program fees. Each year, Community Corrections must submit a plan to the Kansas Department of Corrections, approved by county commissions in Saline and Ottawa counties. The two counties make up the 28th Judicial District.

Ottawa County commissioners have already approved the request, Community Corrections director Annie Grevas told commissioners.

"The reason we collect reimbursement dollars is so we can afford to provide more services," Grevas told commissioners.

The reimbursement account totals $268,419.92. Community Corrections typically spends between $50,000 and $60,000 annually from the account to supplement its operating budget.

Extra dollars from the account will pay for employee overtime, gasoline and transportation costs, staff training, drug testing offenders and other client services, Grevas said.

Commissioners on Tuesday also approved a request to transfer funds within the agency's 2010 budget. The funds, totaling $33,587.96, were left over from salary and benefits not paid due to the county's salary freeze and lower-than-anticipated insurance costs.

The fund transfer will cover the cost of updating computer equipment, offender drug testing supplies and office expenses, Grevas said.

Both the reimbursement budget and fund transfer request are to be forwarded to the Kansas Department of Corrections for approval before they can take effect.

Grevas also spoke to the commission about the agency's fiscal year-end report to the corrections department on outcomes from its offender intervention programs.

The agency exceeded its goal of reducing by 20 percent the number of offenders in fiscal 2006 who were revoked and sent to prison for violating the terms of their supervision. The 2006 number was a benchmark set for community corrections agencies by state lawmakers, Grevas said. That year there were 90 offenders revoked by her agency. For fiscal 2010, which ended June 30, there were 56 offenders revoked, a reduction of about 38 percent.

n Reporter David Clouston can be reached at 822-1403 or by e-mail at dclouston@salina.com.

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