2023-06-20 Drug Court vehicle requestLEWIS COUNTY DRUG COURT
& Family Recovery Court Programs
345 WEST MAIN, 2a^ FLOOR CHEHALIS WA 98532
PHONE (360) 740-1179 FAX (360) 740-2739
June 20, 2023
J.ANDREW TOYNBEE, Drug Court Judge
JOELY YEAGER. Fam11y Recovery Court Judge
STEPHANIE MILLER, Drug Coon Manager
ANGEIA COTHERN, FRC GAL/ Case CmrdNiror
CAITLIN ROGEM Cmununay Ourm6 work r
Breaking the Chains o(Addiction a Rebuilding Healthy Family Bonds
Lewis County Board of County Commissioners
351 NW North Street
Chehalis, WA 98532
Re: Justification for purchase of vehicle, Drug Court Office
Dear Commissioner Swope, Commissioner Pollock and Commissioner Brummer,
The Lewis County Drug Court and Family Recovery Court Programs operate out of the Superior Court We
serve up to 45 Drug Court participants and up to 16 Family Recovery Court families, at any given time. We have
three full-time employees located within our office —Stephanie Miller (Manager), Angela Cothern (FRC GAL &
Case Coordinator), and Caitlin Rogers (Community Outreach Worker). Our office is open traditional business
hours, but each of us have work duties that are frequently met out of the office setting.
While we have had a housing program since 2016, it was not until recently that the County purchased our Drug
Court House. All three of us take great pride in the day to day operations of the Drug Court house. In order for
the house to fun¢ion smoothly, we often need to be present immediately when issues arise there —whether it be
with participants or any other reason (Ring camera issues, dishwasher, etc...). We also meet up Mere weekly for
a house meeting with all current residents.
The program has many givehacks and community events. The Community Outreach Worker is frequently running
errands, making contact with potential community partners and employers and has the need to be present at
locations outside of the office --for program and alumni purposes.
In addition to the above needed reasons for access to a vehicle is the needs of the Guardian Ad Litem (GAL). The
GAL is expected to meet with the children in the program at minimum one time per month. This is most often
done in the home, daycare, school, or other community setting. There are times when emergent issues arise and
immediate community visits with children are needed. She currently tracks mileage for reimbursement.
In addition to the community visits, the GAL also attends regular meetings at the Department of Children, Youth
and Families (DCYF) Office. These meetings are normally prescheduled and each family has them frequently to
determine case progress. These meetings are also set on short notice when there are emergencies.
When it comes to the funding for this purchase, our department (Drug Court and Family Recovery Court
combined) has used roughly 20%of our current operations budget We have sufficient funds in our operations
budget to support this purchase. Primarily due to the inability to attend the National Drug Court Conference. The
National Drug Court Conference was originally budgeted for and planned for. However, we were unable to make
reasonable hotel accommodations and therefore are not attending. Typically, we send anywhere from three to five
team members, any given year.
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Justification for purchase of vehicle, Drug Court Office
As a manager, it is challenging to request employees to use their own vehicle for work purposes on such
a frequent and regular basis. We have reached the point where the benefits outweigh any potential
disadvantages. I would request that you approve the purchase of the vehicle from motor pool, for use by
the Drug Court Office for official duties.
If you have any further questions, I am happy to answer them. Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Stephani Miller
Program Manager
Cc: Honorable J. Andrew Toynbee
Honorable Joely Yeager
Stacey Werner
Becky Butler
Josh Metcalf