Jackson County may soon have another court option for people charged with alcohol or drug related crimes.

The Jackson County Executive and Finance Committee gave preliminary approval Monday to provide $7,500 in start-up funds for a Drug Court. The money is a transfer from Teen Court, which recently received some additional funds for its programs.

The intent of Drug Court would be to provide alternative sanctions and assistance for people and save the county money at the same time.

Four Jackson County residents attended Drug Court Training in Portland, Ore. - Judge Gerald Laabs, Drug Court Coordinator Joni Thur, District Attorney Gerald Fox and Deputy Scott Bluedorn. Those four appeared Monday in support of the program.

"I was a prosecutor back in the early 1970s and now being judge, I've seen a huge change in that era to this era," Laabs said. "Back then people stole because they wanted money. Now almost 100 percent of our cases that we face deal with alcohol and drugs. That's why we think this is an alternative that will help the public and put people back into their jobs."

Fox said the intent of Drug Court is to intervene in people's lives and stop the underlying addiction that drives their criminal behavior. Just putting people in jail does not solve the problem and ends up costing more money because it results in lost jobs or a strain on other social services.

"The send them to jail model does not work," Fox said. Drug Court allows people to get treatment and support from their families, yet still holds them accountable, he said.

Public defender Bill Poss was emphatic that Drug Court will save the county money. "There's no ifs ands or buts about it," Poss said. Some of the savings comes from avoiding court-appointed attorneys' fees.

Thur cited the example of a recent third-offense drunken driving case, where the defendant went on to a fourth DWI conviction, resulting in jail costs for the county of $12,900 and alcohol treatment costs more than $10,000. Had that person been offered Drug Court, the cost would have been about $3,000, of which $1,000 would be borne by the offender.

All participants in Drug Court would be subject to much close monitoring and random testing and would agree to help pay for some of the costs through a phased-in plan that would help make it more affordable.

"We would start small and scale it up later based on our successes," Fox said.

All of the participants in the Drug Court are volunteering their time to help get the program started.

Fair park funding

When and how should the county provide funds for the Fair Park project was discussed by the committee. The county board in April approved paying up to $500,000 for the estimated $5.2 million Jackson County Fair Park renovation.

County legal counsel Mark Skolos told the committee that he would like to set up a meeting with the Fair Park board or some of its representatives to discuss the project.

The fairgrounds themselves are owned by the city of Black River Falls, which was determined several years ago after there was some confusion between the city, county and the Jackson County Agricultural Society, which has a lease to use the property.

Skolos said Carl Holmquist, who represents the Lunda Family Trust, wanted the county to consider joint ownership. That proposal was rejected by the committee, which unanimously voted to decline any ownership or maintenance responsibilities for the fair park.

Committee chairman Dennis Eberhardt said the county can protect its investment by having two members sit on the Fair Park board. Committee member William Cornell said he would like to see a project timeline so the county can schedule disbursements appropriately.

The committee voted to have Skolos set up a meeting to discuss the plan.