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Kosciusko County Opioid Committee approved Judge Karin McGrath’s $40,000 grant request for Reentry Court during a meeting Thursday.
McGrath answered questions from the committee regarding her request.
Committee member and County Commissioner Sue Ann Mitchell asked whether Shanna Wallen, Kosciusko County Resource Program resource navigator; and Casey Trombley, Jail Chemical Addiction Program coordinator, were involved in Reentry Court. McGrath responded Sheriff Jim Smith, Wallen and Trombley attend nearly every Reentry Court trial day and have been "amazing resources" for the program, but they have their own responsibilities and are not officially a part of their program to prevent them from being obligated to the court.
A major argument was regarding $10,000, a quarter of the grant request, being earmarked to pay for drug testing for participants. This was explicitly not permitted by the restricted funds the opioid committee typically drew from for grant requests.
McGrath said funding for drug testing was vital to the program because their participants are just starting to get back on their feet and “those costs add up so quickly.”
When they first join Reentry Court, participants need to be drug tested three to four times a week. McGrath described these tests as an assessment used to determine whether their therapy is working and “adjust treatment accordingly.”
While the funding was not permitted from the restricted funds, Committee ember and County Council President Tony Ciriello pointed out it would be possible for the committee to appropriate funds from the unrestricted budget for this purpose.
Mitchell was concerned regarding funding earmarked for Reentry Court Coordinator Stephanie Godsey’s pay. McGrath responded Godsey was absolutely vital for the program's success, especially since she had received her master’s degree in forensic psychology.
Mitchell, who also serves on the wage committee, asked whether Godsey was considered a parole officer. Parole officers receive a bump in pay if they have a master's degree. McGrath responded Godsey does not have the certificate required of parole officers. She is housed in the parole department because, as described by McGrath, “she needed to be somewhere.” However, she performs many of the same functions as a parole officer. When Godsey was hired in July 2025, she had not yet completed her master’s degree.
This issue was determined to be a "gray area." Mitchell stated this will be a topic of discussion at the next wage committee meeting.
There was also concern over the Reentry Court’s request for laptop computers to be used by participants. Mitchell was not sure they counted as a material directly related to the “detection, prevention, harm-reduction and recovery services.”
McGrath explained the computers would be owned by Reentry Court and be loaned to the participants to use for job hunting, job training and certifications. Additionally, in the case a participant is unable to go to therapy in-person, they can virtually attend.
Ciriello said, “I think it will fit in with recovery services, no problem.”
Ciriello moved to approve the grant request, with $30,000 coming from the restricted fund and $10,000 for drug testing from the unrestricted fund, with the caveat that the $10,000 for Godsey’s pay would not be available until reviewed by the wage committee at their next meeting for final approval. This was approved unanimously.
LITE Recovery, Fellowship Missions and Serenity House were also supposed to present for their grant funding, but their representatives did not attend the meeting. These three grant requests were tabled until the next meeting in September.
Mitchell ended the meeting by asking whether there were any programs in the community reaching out to children or teenagers who are in situations where they potentially have to deal with drug use at home. Mitchell said she would like to potentially provide a grant to an organization or program serving this purpose.
