Chehalis City Council approves agreement with Lewis County for treatment court funding, awaits county approval

Apr. 29—The Chehalis City Council approved the creation of the city's own Treatment Court program modeled after Lewis County Drug Court last month.

On Monday, April 22, the council moved to officially adopt and sign an interlocal agreement with Lewis County for the court.

The Chehalis Treatment Court was proposed by Chehalis Municipal Court Judge Allen Unzelman last month. It would aim to help rehabilitate repeat offenders of non-violent crimes related to homelessness, mental health issues and drug abuse. The move would also save the city money on jail costs when the repeat offenders are arrested.

Chehalis and Lewis County staff have been drafting the interlocal agreement since last month.

"It has not been officially approved by the county, but the county asked that it be finally approved by the city before they take it before the (Lewis County Board of County Commissioners)," Chehalis City Attorney Kevin Nelson told the council on April 22.

The interlocal agreement's terms dictate that the City of Chehalis will pay Lewis County up to $50,000, with $40,647 going to pay for one or more personnel to assist the Chehalis Municipal Court with case management in its Treatment Court.

An additional $9,353 will be available to pay for more case management if needed by the city. The total $50,000 allocated for the Chehalis Treatment Court is being taken from the city's non-appropriated budget funds.

Nelson added Lewis County will match the money Chehalis is putting into the program, though the match is not officially written into the interlocal agreement.

"So the city is providing 50%, and then the county, through some state funding, is providing the other 50%," Nelson said. "... We can ask to modify (the interlocal agreement) ... We intentionally left it somewhat vague because it is a brand new program, and we don't have all the pieces in place yet."

He anticipates Chehalis Treatment Court, once up and running, to have between 10 and 20 participants in its first year.

Currently, it costs the City of Chehalis $94.27 per day to house someone who has been arrested in jail.

For those who are charged with a misdemeanor, the maximum penalty is 90 days in jail, costing the city $8,484.30 to house an inmate.

For a gross misdemeanor charge, 364 days is the maximum penalty, which can result in $34,314.28 in jail costs for the city.

Though the Lewis County Drug Court continues to operate, only those charged with felonies are eligible to participate. Chehalis Municipal Court only processes those charged with misdemeanors and gross misdemeanors.

Nelson explained that, currently, while Chehalis Municipal Court can require treatment as part of sentencing, the city lacks the resources to ensure people actually get it.

"In many cases, the problem is that they don't even know how to get the treatment. They're people who are from out of the area or they have conditions that prevent them from being able to do this on their own," Nelson said. "The idea is we provide some support to get them out of this cycle that they're in."

The Chehalis City Council voted unanimously to officially sign and enter into the interlocal agreement with Lewis County for the Treatment Court program, which will mirror the county's Drug Court.

Lewis County Drug Court was created in 2004 and is a voluntary program for addicts charged with a felony, according to Drug Court Program Manager Stephanie Miller.

The program targets offenders with a poor prognosis for success on their own, and aids them with structure and support using a three-phase recovery program. Drug Court lasts a minimum of 16 months with most participants graduating after 19 to 22 months.

To graduate, a Drug Court participant must have a full-time job and stable housing, complete recommended treatment, be clean for at least six months and in the program for at least 16 months, have a sober mentor and pay any court-ordered fines and restitution stemming from their case, according to Miller.

Once someone graduates from Drug Court, their charges are dismissed.

----Editor's note: Chehalis Municipal Court Judge Allen Unzelman is also an attorney for The Chronicle in his private practice.