DDEPARTMENT: Office of the County Manager
FILE TYPE: Regular Action
TITLE
title
Adoption Of Resolution Of Support For Efforts Of Community Supervision Work Group
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PURPOSE/ACTION REQUESTED
Adopt a resolution of support of the efforts of the Community Supervision Work Group and urge the legislature to pass a new funding formula and significant appropriation during the 2023 legislative session.
SUMMARY
Dakota County supports changes to the community supervision funding model so that state fund allocations are transparent, needs based, and equitable among county and state supervision providers. Counties need a substantial increase in community supervision funding to achieve this model. Community supervision is a fundamental part of the criminal justice system in Minnesota and funding sufficient to ensure effective services is vital to public safety in all communities across the state community supervision includes services such as probation, supervised release, and intensive supervised release.
Minnesota’s counties provide essential community supervision services both as mandated by M.S. Chapter 244.19 and also as delegated by the Department of Corrections under M.S. Chapter 401; When the Legislature decided that community supervision was best delivered through a state-county partnership, it stated a clear intent that the state would provide significant funding to the counties for the operation of local programs. Over the past 20 years, Minnesota has become the state with the lowest level of corrections funding in the nation because the Legislature has not upheld its promise to provide adequate state resources to support community supervision. The Legislature’s failure to adequately fund community supervision has increased local property taxes on residents and businesses.
A revised community supervision funding formula is necessary to ensure that all communities in Minnesota have enough state funding to provide a consistent standard for effective, evidence-based community supervision services, regardless of local capacity to pay. The Association of Minnesota Counties assembled the Community Supervision Work Group including county leaders and experts in community supervision from all three supervision delivery systems to study the needs of community supervision departments statewide and develop a single funding formula that is transparent, needs based, and equitable among county and state supervision providers. The Community Supervision Workgroup has taken up its charge to convene stakeholders across the three probation delivery systems to oversee a study to create a unified recommendation for an equitable and adequate funding formula and appropriation.
The percentage of the Community Corrections budget to provide probation supervision covered by the CCA subsidy has decreased from 42% in 2012 to 36% in 2022. If Dakota County was reimbursed by the state at the 42% rate, our CCA subsidy would need to increase by $834,701. The State of Minnesota does not provide funding for County operated adult or juvenile facilities so the costs to operate the Juvenile Service Center were not included in this analysis. Both branches of the state legislature attempted to increase funding for Community Corrections in 2022 but failed to come to an agreement. The increase for Dakota County would have been $1.4 million in the Senate version and $2.9 million in the House version.
The board of directors of the Association of Minnesota Counties that represent the diverse interests of Minnesota’s 87 counties voted to support a new funding formula that provides counties with the resources needed to keep communities safe.
RECOMMENDATION
recommendation
Staff recommends that the Board adopt the proposed resolution.
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EXPLANATION OF FISCAL/FTE IMPACTS
There is no direct fiscal impact as the result of adopting the resolution of support. If certain positions are adopted by the State Legislature, the budget for County activities may be affected. In such cases, budget amendments will be recommended for the Board’s approval.
☐ None ☐ Current budget ☒ Other
☐ Amendment Requested ☐ New FTE(s) requested
RESOLUTION
body
WHEREAS, community supervision is a fundamental part of the criminal justice system in Minnesota and funding sufficient to ensure effective services is vital to public safety in all communities across the state; and
WHEREAS, community supervision includes services such as probation, supervised release, and intensive supervised release; and
WHEREAS, Minnesota’s counties provide essential community supervision services both as mandated by M.S. Chapter 244.19 and also as delegated by the Department of Corrections under M.S. Chapter 401; and
WHEREAS, when the Legislature decided that community supervision was best delivered through a state-county partnership, it stated a clear intent that the state would provide significant funding to the counties for the operation of local programs; and
WHEREAS, over the past 20 years, Minnesota has become the state with the lowest level of corrections funding in the nation because the Legislature has not upheld its promise to provide adequate state resources to support community supervision; and
WHEREAS, the Legislature’s failure to adequately fund community supervision has increased local property taxes on residents and businesses; and
WHEREAS, a revised community supervision funding formula is necessary to ensure that all communities in Minnesota have enough state funding to provide a consistent standard for effective, evidence-based community supervision services, regardless of local capacity to pay; and
WHEREAS, the Association of Minnesota Counties assembled the Community Supervision Work Group including county leaders and experts in community supervision from all three supervision delivery systems to study the needs of community supervision departments statewide and develop a single funding formula that is transparent, needs based, and equitable among county and state supervision providers; and
WHEREAS, the Community Supervision Workgroup has taken up its charge to convene stakeholders across the three probation delivery systems to oversee a study to create a unified recommendation for an equitable and adequate funding formula and appropriation; and
WHEREAS, the Board of Directors of the Association of Minnesota Counties that represents the diverse interests of Minnesota’s 87 counties, voted to support a new funding formula that provides counties with the resources needed to keep communities safe.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the Dakota County Board of Commissioners hereby endorses the efforts of the Community Supervision Work Group and urges the Legislature to pass a new funding formula and significant appropriation during the 2023 legislative session.
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PREVIOUS BOARD ACTION
None.
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment: None.
BOARD GOALS
☐ A Great Place to Live ☐ A Healthy Environment
☐ A Successful Place for Business and Jobs ☒ Excellence in Public Service
PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT LEVEL
☐ Inform and Listen ☐ Discuss ☐ Involve ☒ N/A
CONTACT
Department Head: Matt Smith
Author: Nathan Hanson