Carbon County officials narrowly voted to establish a position that will oversee treatment court operations, as well as work on grants for the courts.

On Tuesday, the salary board, in a 3-2 vote, created the position of treatment court coordinator/court grant manager at a rate of $18.99 per hour. Commissioners Rocky Ahner and Chris Lukasevich voted against the measure, while President Judge Roger Nanovic, Controller Mark Sverchek and Commissioner Wayne Nothstein voted in favor of it.

Nanovic said that he was told by Judge Joseph Matika, who is in charge of the two county treatment courts, that if the position wasn’t approved, there was a possibility both treatment courts would be forced to cease operating.

The reason for this was the previous coordinator of these two courts was the chief adult probation officer Richmond Parsons, but after his departure, the new chief adult probation officer couldn’t take on the responsibility.

Nanovic said that Parsons had been spread too thin and the current chief doesn’t have the time and ability to do this.

Lukasevich questioned this, asking why the existing adult probation officer chief assumed his new position knowing full well of these responsibilities and the salary that was set for him was based on these tasks as well as his other duties.

He added that he felt that there isn’t someone in the adult probation office who could assume the responsibility of coordinator of treatment court activities.

“It’s just unrealistic to think that bandwidth is not available in one person in that office,” Lukasevich said.

Nanovic disagreed, saying that the adult probation staff is already overworked with the caseload the county handles.

He cited an audit where the department was told the ratio of probation officers to people being supervised are multiples of what is recommended by that state.

“They are understaffed,” he said. “To say they do have the bandwidth is not being realistic of the volume of cases they are supervising.”

Carbon County, which is a sixth class county, handles the caseload of a fifth class county.

Nanovic again stressed the need for the position, saying that through conversations with Matika, the position is of “critical necessity” to help write grants for treatment court and coordination.

Lukasevich cited Genesis in the Bible, specifically the word begat, to speak about grants.

He noted that grants may be awarded but long-term plans for after grant funding runs out is not always determined up front.

Nanovic said that ceasing these two specialty courts would be detrimental in the fight against reducing recidivism.

“So the question is do treatments courts have a value? ... Treatment courts are probably the best form of treatment we have in this county. They’re not getting the equivalent treatment at the prison and you’re not getting treatment elsewhere. So treatment courts are important.”

Lukasevich said that Nanovic misrepresented his thoughts about the importance of drug treatment court, adding that he sees the value of them firsthand by attending sessions. But, he believes that the work could be absorbed.

Carbon County has utilized treatment courts since January 2017, when veterans treatment court began.

Two years later, the county also started its drug treatment court.