Board members received multiple program performance updates covering community corrections clients, pretrial diversion, drug court, jail population and Department of Child Services (DCS) caseloads.

On the agency's Q4 report, staff reported 87 clients in the quarter, 42 completions among those serviced in the quarter and five violations. The fiscal report for the last quarter showed billing activity and collections; staff said billed amounts and collections figures were presented in the fiscal report and that available fund balances were small (described in the meeting as "just above $400").

Nelson reported on pretrial diversion: 22 total defendants were supervised in 2024, 15 remained on the program with release dates into 2025, four of the 22 defendants were redocketed on new charges (about 18 percent), three defendants completed the program and had their cases dismissed, and no defendants were currently waiting for a plea agreement.

Drug court staff said the program had 10 participants across stages, and that the model is intensive and designed to focus on rehabilitation rather than minimal compliance. The board discussed keeping the drug court caseload small to preserve program intensity.

Sheriff's office reported jail population averages remain low; November's average daily population was reported at 135. The sheriff noted operating costs such as food are increasing substantially, reporting a notable rise in food prices compared with two years prior.

DCS reported local caseloads at the end of 2024 included about 60 children in care, a number that staff said had doubled since 2021 as reporting and referrals returned to pre-pandemic levels. DCS said it is operating regionally to assist neighboring counties and reported a new case manager, Shiloh Milner, starting on Tuesday and expected to complete training in roughly three months.

The board asked questions about employment barriers among the client population and noted challenges placing higher-level offenders into work; staff said employment barriers vary by charge and severity.