County accepts reduced state grant to restart recidivism program, cautions on fringe-cost gap

Kent County agreed to accept a state grant to restart a recidivism-reduction program run by the state's attorney’s office, but presenters warned the final award was smaller than the county requested and could create a gap for employee fringe benefits.

Joanne and Brian, representatives of the state's attorney’s office, told the commissioners that their successful grant application sought roughly $250,000 but the state awarded about $207,000. The program envisions two full-time positions (a program manager and a case manager) who would coordinate participant services and link people to workforce development, mental health and transportation supports. County staff said the two positions are central to the program’s success and that reducing staffing would likely reduce outcomes.

Presenters described uncertainty about fringe-benefits costs because the grant limits how much fringe the state will fund. If hires choose the least-expensive benefits package, county costs could be minimal (presenters cited an example range as low as about $2,000); if hires enroll in more expensive family coverage the county’s exposure could be much higher (estimates discussed ranged up to several tens of thousands of dollars). Commissioners asked whether the positions could be contractual to limit post-grant liabilities; county counsel and HR staff discussed legal limits such as COBRA and Affordable Care Act constraints and warned that classification as independent contractors would require genuine contractor control over work.

Given the timing and the program’s prior success, commissioners voted to accept the grant award and approved a motion that included authority to request additional county dollars later if benefit costs required it. Commissioners also emphasized the county will continue applying for future state funding rounds to close any gaps.