DATE: September 22, 2026
TO: Board of Supervisors
SUBMITTED BY: Kirk Haynes, Chief Probation Officer
Susan Holt, Director for Department of Behavioral Health
SUBJECT: Amendment I to DUI Treatment Court Staffing Agreement with Superior Court
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):
TITLE
Approve and authorize the Chairman to execute First Amendment to Agreement No. 25-487 with the Superior Court of California, County of Fresno, for Driving Under the Influence Treatment Court Staffing, extending the term by one year from October 1, 2026 to September 30, 2027 and increasing the maximum by $352,799, to a total of $770,924.
REPORT
There is no additional Net County Cost associated with the recommended action. The Superior Court of California, County of Fresno (Court) was awarded a grant by the Office of Traffic Safety. The award will be used to fund the Driving Under the Influence (DUI) Treatment Court, where defendants may enter treatment instead of incarceration. Approval of the recommended action will authorize the execution of the First Amendment to the DUI Court Staffing Agreement, enabling the Court and the Fresno County Departments of Probation and Behavioral Health to continue to provide staff to deliver services for the DUI Treatment Court through September 30, 2027. This item is countywide.
ALTERNATIVE ACTION(S):
If the recommended action is not approved, the Probation Department and Department of Behavioral Health (DBH) will not be able to participate in the DUI Treatment Court. In addition, these departments will need to find an alternative funding source for the positions funded by this grant, or delete the positions.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no increase in Net County Cost associated with the recommended action. The recommended agreement will provide funding in the amount of $352,799 for the first extension year period of October 1, 2026 to September 30, 2027.
The following is a list of funding and positions provided by the Court:
• DBH - $136,299 for 1.0 full time equivalency (FTE) Substance Abuse Specialist (SAS).
• Probation - $216,500 to fund 1.5 FTE Deputy Probation Officer (DPO) positions. Probation will fund the remaining .5 FTE DPO, estimated at $72,167 annually. Sufficient appropriations and estimated revenues are included in Probation’s FY 2026-27 Adopted Budget and will be included in future budget requests.
Grant funding reflects a reduction of approximately $65,000 from prior year. To accommodate the reduction in funding, DBH will no longer provide a Community Mental Health Specialist for this program.
DISCUSSION:
Fresno County has a high number of driving while impaired and DUI cases (collectively, “DUI”). In order to prevent recidivism, the Court provides treatment rather than simply incarceration for defendants in these cases. Defendants who wish to enter DUI Treatment Court must agree to plead guilty to their DUI criminal charges. Once the Court accepts their pleas, defendants are sentenced and enter the DUI Treatment Court Program in lieu of incarceration. The County has been partnering with the Court to participate in the DUI Treatment Court since 2020. The Board approved the current Agreement No. 25-487 with the Court on September 23, 2025, enabling DBH and Probation to continue to provide DUI Treatment Court staffing and services, for a total compensation amount of $418,125 for the first year of the agreement. It should be noted that the current recommended grant agreement before your Board is a reduction in approximately $65,000 in funding from the Court. To accommodate this reduction in funds, the recommended agreement no longer includes a community Mental Health Specialist position from DBH.
The DUI Treatment Court Program will take a minimum of 12 months and consist of two tracks, during which participants attend court regularly, engage in substance use disorder treatment and mental health therapy, attend self-help groups such as Narcotics Anonymous/Alcoholics Anonymous, check in with their probation officers regularly, and participate in frequent drug testing. The frequency of treatment sessions and court appearances in each track is based on the individual participant's progress or relapse.
The Court and County will each provide staff to assist in the success of the treatment Court. The Court will provide one DUI Court Coordinator, DBH will provide 1.0 FTE SAS, and Probation will provide 2 FTE DPOs (1.5 FTE to be covered with grant funds and .5 FTE to be covered by the Department). The Court will ensure participants are provided with linkages to after-care services and post-graduation resources. The SAS will be responsible for DUI Risk and Needs Triage (DUI-RANT) results. DBH staff will report to the DBH Collaborative Court’s Team Clinical Supervisor, while Probation staff will report directly to the Assistant Deputy Chief Probation Officer of the Drug Suppression Unit under the Adult Probation Services Deputy Chief Probation Officer.
The recommended amendment will allow DBH and Probation to continue to provide staff, support, and services to the DUI Treatment Court.
OTHER REVIEWING AGENCIES:
The Behavioral Health Board was made aware of the recommended Agreement during its August 19, 2026 meeting.
REFERENCE MATERIAL:
BAI #42, September 23, 2025
ATTACHMENTS INCLUDED AND/OR ON FILE:
On file with Clerk - Amendment
CAO ANALYST:
Samantha Buck