Larry Kleinhenz
A county official is expressing concern about the amount of money being provided in one program to fight drug abuse.
A total of $33,099 was made available for grants through the Bartholomew County Substance Abuse Council’s Comprehensive Community Plan, according to Drug Free Communities program coordinator Rachel Flohr David. Every year, recommendations are made by the council to allocate the money to help fund various nonprofits to combat substance abuse.
But County Commissioner Larry Kleinhenz, who has been in office since 1992, questioned why the total amount for local grants is substantially less than the $67,566 announced last year.
Flohr-David said the amount made available to the county has steadily decreased over the past several years.
But some of what appears to be a 51% drop in funding was actually the result of the state changing the program’s fiscal year from a normal calendar year to April 1 to March 31, Flohr David said.
Due to that change, part of the money expected this year was actually allocated last year and remains untouched, she said. Her organization was unaware of that situation until the fiscal year was changed, Flohr David said.
By changing the fiscal year, organizations in Indiana’s 92 counties will be allowed to request money after Dec. 31, according to Flohr David. The money comes from specific fees collected through our local courts, but the funds are first sent to the state, which takes 25% to fund their programs before reallocating 75% back to the county, she said.
However, Kleinhenz continued to express his concern that Bartholomew County was not getting its fair share of money.
“Those funds are generated here and our not-for-profits depend on them,” Kleinhenz said. “It seems to me that we are being shorted by $36,000.”
Flohr-David say she is satisfied with the amount provided, adding that anyone with questions on the matter should contact her for further details.
Funds are allocated to nonprofits in three categories. No one category can have less than 25% or more than 50% of the total amount provided, Flohr David said.
The following recommended allocations from the Bartholomew County Substance Abuse Council are rounded to the nearest dollar.
Prevention/education: ($12,410)
- Big Brothers/Big Sisters: $4,000
- Recovery Cafe (school for recovery support): $1,500
- Recovery Cafe (monthly sober social events): $3,000
- Recover Out Loud (recovery leadership workshop): $1,910
Flohr-David said she is requesting that the council’s prevention team retain $2,000 for community education and awareness.
Treatment and Intervention ($12,410)
- Bartholomew Consolidated School Corporation: $4,500
- Community Church of Columbus / Community Downtown: $3,757
- Turning Point Domestic Violence Services: $4,152
Law Enforcement and Justice ($8,273)
- Columbus Police Department: $2,554
- Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department: $2,988
That leaves $2,732 to be allocated at a later date when law enforcement requests additional funds that meet with the goals of the Comprehensive Community Plan, Flohr-David said.
The recommendations will still need to be approved by the seven-member Bartholomew County Council when they meet at 6 p.m. on Tuesday.
Substance abuse prevention funding
Amount provided by the state to support programs in the Bartholomew County Substance Abuse Comprehensive Community Plan.
2023 – $33,099
2022 – $67,566
2021 – $44,815
2020 – $36,890
2019 – $38,492
