Commissioners approve FY27 grant submission for Carroll County adult drug treatment court

The Board of Carroll County Commissioners voted Thursday to approve submission of a Fiscal Year 2027 discretionary grant application and to accept the award for the county's adult drug treatment court.

Judge Hecker, accompanied by Dina Black, the program's coordinator, told the board the grant request totals $371,343.60, including a county contribution requested at $4,745 to cover costs not reimbursed by the Office of Problem Solving Courts. Judge Hecker said the local drug court, which opened in April 2007, has enrolled just under 600 participants to date and aims to help residents achieve long-term sobriety and avoid future criminal behavior.

Commissioner Kyler praised the program's preventive and treatment work and said local multi-agency prevention efforts have driven down overdose deaths. Judge Hecker described the program's weekly multidisciplinary reviews of participants and acknowledged staff contributions from the State's Attorney's and Public Defender's offices.

Commissioner Kyler moved that the board approve submitting the FY27 Office of Problem Solving Courts discretionary application and accept the award; the motion was seconded and carried unanimously.

The approval allows staff to finalize the county's application and proceed with any required acceptance steps if the grant is awarded. No additional conditions or amendments to the request were recorded in the public discussion.

Next steps: county staff will submit the application to the administrative office and report back to the board with award details and program implementation updates as needed.