Millage rates in Leon County are going up, but the county will have millions less to work with... and some programs have to cut back or be discontinued.
But one program that should weather the county cut-back is a new mental health court. It's funded through a state grant by the Department of Children and Families and the Department of Corrections. The court only deals with criminal cases that involve defendants with mental health issues.
Kendra Brown and Beth Mueller help coordinate the mental health services and recommendations for the court.
"Processing mentally ill defendants through a specialty court actually is time - cost effective simply because the case... the time it takes to dispose the cases are significantly decreased," says Brown.
"They cost eight times more than a regular defendant so if we can identify, streamline and you know, help resolve their case expeditiously, everybody wins," says Mueller.
Leon County is the third county in Florida to receive a grant for a mental health court. The grant lasts for three years.