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HomeMy WebLinkAbout05-04-2023 Public Protection & Judiciary Minutes MEETING MINUTES PUBLIC PROTECTION & JUDICIARY COMMITTEE May 4, 2023 8:00 AM St. Croix County Government Center - Room 1284 Government Center - 1101 Carmichael Road, Hudson, Wisconsin CALL TO ORDER ROLL CALL Attendee Name Organization Title Status Arrived Cathy Leaf St. Croix County Supervisor Present Paul Adams St. Croix County Supervisor Present Bob Feidler St. Croix County Chair Present Mark Carlson St. Croix County Supervisor Present Tim Ramberg St. Croix County Supervisor Present APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1. Public Protection & Judiciary Committee – Regular Meeting – April 6, 2023 8:00 AM Ramberg motioned, Adams second to approve minutes of April 6, 2023. RESULT: APPROVED [UNANIMOUS] MOVER: Tim Ramberg, Supervisor SECONDER: Paul Adams, Supervisor AYES: Cathy Leaf, Paul Adams, Bob Feidler, Mark Carlson, Tim Ramberg PUBLIC COMMENT BUSINESS ITEMS 1. The Impact of the Usage of Alcohol on Public Safety & Protection in St. Croix County In January 2023 at the meeting of this committee, because of data provided by the medical examiner reflecting an increasing number of alcohol related deaths in the county, the committee determined to do a further educational event or hearing on that subject. Working with the Health and Human Services Department it was ultimately decided that this committee would gather information as to the impact of alcohol on public safety thus underscoring the importance and critical nature of the topic. The HHS Dept and Board will conduct their own event on May 17 in New Richmond with an emphasis on the mental health and disease aspects of alcoholism. Wisconsin is among the leading states in alcohol consumption and St Croix County is among the leading counties in Wisconsin in indicia of alcohol abuse. The overall economic cost to the county is estimated to be over $65 million. The departments and speakers represented at the PPJ hearing today are: Judges Waterman and Nordstrand; District Attorney Karl Anderson; Chief Deputy Brent Standaert; Child Support Administrator Lisa Plunkett; and Justice Support Director Phil Galli. The Medical Examiner will be providing separate data to the committee next week. The speakers covered several areas ranging from the impact of alcohol that they observe from their various perspectives, statistical data, financial issues regarding treatment, timing issues regarding treatment, and related observations. It was noted that St Croix County used to have a substantial time delay giving assessments of alcohol treatment needs but that this has been substantially corrected. The timing of the actual delivery of treatment is still lagging relative to other counties. Common themes addressed by the speakers were that alcohol is a contributing factor in a huge number of the cases that enter the criminal justice system. Mental health issues also seem to go together with alcohol abuse issues. The need for continued opportunity for treatment for those released from prison or jail was noted, but it was also emphasized that the abuser had to want to seek a cure. It was also agreed that we could not “arrest” ourselves out of the problem, that more preventive care and actions were needed to prevent the problem from ever be ginning. It was suggested that the county look further into offering an Intoxicated Driver Intervention Program (IDIP). The JSS Director is going to research the issue, determine if a TAD grant might be available, and report back to the committee in two months. Other early prevention efforts suggested included more education on alcoholism in our schools, adding incentives for people to seek out treatment programs, and possibly seeking outside funding to create and distribute literature on the topic. RESULT: DISCUSSED REQUEST FOR FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS For future agenda items, discuss the modification of the fee's to Justice Support Services and the zoning ordinance. ANNOUNCEMENTS & CORRESPONDENCE ADJOURN The meeting adjourned at 9:20 am. DATE OF NEXT MEETING Next meeting is June 1, 2023.