Public defender requests creation of Title 4E fund to cover drug screening for problem‑solving courts

Gretchen Ettling, chief public defender for Vigo County, asked the council to create a new fund (Title 4E Fund 8817) and a budget line to pay for drug screening that courts use to support misdemeanor participants on problem‑solving tracks.

Ettling said the federal reimbursement program (administered through DCS) provides partial reimbursement for counties that pay for public-defense work in CHINS and TPR cases and that the county has accumulated roughly $112,000 in the fund. The immediate request would allow courts to begin screening about 10 participants twice weekly for about six months while Ettling and auditors include the ongoing need in the 2027 budget.

“No money has been budgeted out of this before,” Ettling said, describing the request as a mechanism to start operations and reimburse participating court units. She said the fund should allow the courts to continue admitting misdemeanors into problem‑solving tracks where appropriate.

Next steps: Council will take the request under advisement and consider budgetary details during the forthcoming hearings.