Commissioners approve public defenders application for grant Wednesday
The public defender’s office is seeking an almost $100,0000 grant to contract a part-time case worker for clients receiving drug and alcohol or mental health treatment and an attorney to attend mental health commitment hearings.
The Butler County commissioners approved the effort to seek the grant at their Wednesday, May 8, meeting. The $95,243 would be used for the two employees and the purchase of new case management software.
According to chief public defender Charles Nedz, having a contracted attorney at their disposal to attend mental health commitment hearings twice a week would free up his staff.
He added that the case worker position would involve working with clients in need of treatment and even housing stability.
“A lot of our clients lack stable housing. I think that case worker could be very helpful in acquiring stable housing. A lot of our clients sit in jail because they don’t have stable housing,” he said.
The hearings occur on Tuesday and Friday mornings at either Butler Memorial Hospital or the county Long Term Structured Residence (LTSR). The attorney would also attend a similar hearing once a month at Torrence State Hospital in Westmoreland County.
The commissioners approved the request to apply for the grant. The deadline to apply is May 23.
“This grant can only be put toward new spending,” Nedz said.
During the meeting, the commissioners also approved the hire of attorney Kathleen Goldman of Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney to provide counsel for the county elections bureau during proceedings for a lawsuit filed by two county residents. She will be paid $505 an hour.
The suit requests that the two residents’ provisional ballots from the April primary be counted after their mail-in ballots were rejected due to lack of a secrecy envelope.
The board also approved the awarding of a contract to waste management consultant company Nestor Resources in Valencia to update the county’s municipal solid waste management plan.
The company would assist with the solicitation of proposals from landfills interested in providing space for municipal solid waste from the county throughout the next decade.
