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The Troup County Commissioners approved multiple grant applications Tuesday evening during the commission meeting. 

Accountability Courts Director Denise Robinson was approved to apply for the annual grants through the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council and the Council of Accountability Court Judges for fiscal year 2022. 

The grants will fund the DUI / Drug County, Coweta Judicial Circuit Mental Health Court and a new Veteran’s Treatment Court. 

Robinson said the DUI/Drug Court grant request is in the amount of $202,219 with a 10 percent match of $20,939 from the DATE Fund. The Mental Health Court grant request in the amount of $327,536 will have a 10 percent match funded by the city of LaGrange and Carroll County in the amount of $36,393. 

She added that the new Veterans Treatment Court grant request is in the amount of $146,516 and will have a 10 percent match funded by the city of LaGrange and supplemented through the DATE Fund totaling $16,280. 

“This provides for the majority of the funding for of our programs,” Robinson said. “We put together as good of an argument as I think we can for these applications. I know there’s a lot of support in the state for the better veteran treatment courts. They have a tendency to fund those. I actually feel pretty good about it, and I think we’re going to get it.” 

Commissioner Morris Jones questioned whether or not the lack of a Service Delivery Strategy agreement would have any effect on the accountability courts.  

“Certainly, we potentially could see a loss of funding because this money does come directly down from the state to the county,” said County Manager Eric Mosley. 

“This is a reimbursement grant so we potentially could have a frozen reimbursement. We believe that we’re solid through the end of the fiscal year because we’re committed to those funds. Any future funding could be a problem. If we were no longer a certified local government, we would not be eligible to apply for this money.” 

Mosley noted that it could potentially be a detrimental problem for the court service programs in the future.

Coordinator Hill Daniel, was also approved to apply for grant funding for Felony Adult Drug Court and Family Treatment Court.  

These grants would fund the Felony Adult Drug Court in the amount of $201,113 with a 10 percent match of $22,346 from the DATE Fund and the Family Treatment Court in the amount of $255,357 with a 10 percent match from the DATE Fund in the amount of $28,373. Daniel noted that the Family Treatment Court is expanding and funding will be used to create a part-time case manager position. 

“Family Treatment Court is all about keeping parents and children together through the rehabilitation process in conjunction with DFACS case plans that are created,” Daniel said.