Press Release: MCDAC
For Immediate Release
Tuesday, March 5, 2019
The Medina County Commissioners and Medina County Drug Abuse Commission (MCDAC) were informed that the education and treatment components of the current funding model are inappropriate expenditures under the original levy passed in 1987 by Medina County voters. The original levy was adopted under ORC 5705.19 (J), which focuses on police department, law enforcement operations and services. For the last 32 years, the Commissioners and the Medina County Drug Abuse Commission have been allocating funds based on original ballot language that included law enforcement, education and treatment. However, under ORC 5705.19 (J) under which MCDAC funds are authorized, treatment and education expenses are inappropriate expenditures. The Commissioners and MCDAC Board have acted in good faith and are taking the appropriate steps to remedy the administrative oversight that was made in 1987.
Although the Commissioners and MCDAC strongly support the work of the many organizations who receive funding, MCDAC will no longer be able to fund activities pertaining to education and treatment. MCDAC will only be able to fund projects related to law enforcement agency operations and personnel, which include school resource officers, DARE officers, Drug Task Force, quick response equipment for officers, etc. The Commissioners and MCDAC are working with the Medina County Prosecutor’s Office on possible options for 4th quarter payments and the fiscal year to come.