McAlester city councilors have added a $5 fee for conviction of municipal offenses.
City councilors passed an ordinance with the new $5 fee with the idea of benefitting the Pittsburg County Child Abuse Response Effort, also known as PC-CARE.
McAlester Mayor John Browne said he put the matter on the council’s Tuesday night meeting agenda.
He said after he attended the recent dedication of the PC-CARE and Ryan’s House Child Advocacy Center in its new location, he became aware of funding issues faced by PC-CARE.
“Their state funding has been cut most dramatically,” Browne said. That gave him the idea of trying to find a way how the city could help, since the McAlester Police Department is part of the Child Abuse Response Effort and utilizes its building and services when investigating child abuse cases.
“I came up with the idea of putting a $5 fee on traffic tickets,” Browne said. That should generate from $30,000-to-$35,000 a year, he said.
PC-CARE Executive Director Cindy Ledford said the city’s actions will be helpful.
“It really means a lot to have the local support of our community,” Ledford said Thursday.
She said PC-CARE’s funding has already been cut by the state and she’s concerned that cuts in federal funding may be forthcoming as well.
“We’re really grateful to the mayor, city manager and city council for supporting us,” Ledford said.
McAlester Police Chief Kevin Hearod spoke of PC’-CARE’s importance to the city when he addressed city councilors prior to their voting on the ordinance.
He said since PC-CARE has been in McAlester, the McAlester Police Department has utilized its services numerous times.
“We use it for forensic interviews,” Hearod said, citing one example.
“I had one officer use it three times last week,” he said.
“It is a serious resource for the police department,” said Hearod. “This is real important for community as a whole.”
City Manager David Andren recognized how vital PC-CARE is to the community.
“They clearly provide the services we need,” Andren said. Ward 2 Councilor Justin Few asked if the $5 increase is enough.
“This will cover a big chunk of it,” Andren said. “I don’t want to make it burdensome. In my eyes, this is a great way to offset the cost.”
The ordinance passed by city councilors states the city of McAlester is establishing a child abuse response fund “for the express and sole purpose of funding child abuse investigations and child abuse preventative services in the city, including contracting with a third-party agency to provide such services.”
“There shall be a child abuse response fee in the amount of $5 assessed by the clerk of the court in addition to fees assessed on every citation disposed of in municipal court except those that are voided, declined for prosecution or on which the defendant is acquitted,” the ordinance reads.
“All revenue collected pursuant to the child abuse response fee will be deposited into the response effort fund, which shall be deposited in a non-transferable interest-bearing account,” the ordinance states.
The Pittsburg County Child Abuse Response Effort and Child Advocacy Center moved into its new location, last September, prior to holding its official dedication in December.
The dream by Child Advocacy Center staffers for the facility to someday have its own home began its way to fulfillment on October 2021, with a $200,000 donation from the McGowan Family Foundation, led by Nancy and Mike McGowan. The McGowans made the donation specifically so the Child Advocacy Center could have a home of its own, instead of renting smaller buildings.
With that donation and others, the organization purchased the former Vera McCoy House on Short Stonewall Avenue, near the Pittsburg County Justice Center. The refurbished building has 17 rooms.
The new facility is named in honor of Ryan Luke, the 2-year-old McAlester boy who died in 1995 from blunt force trauma to the head. Numerous changes have occurred in the child care system since the child’s death led to passage of the Ryan Luke Bill in the state legislature.
The Ryan Luke Bill, filed as House Bill 2053, mandated that a multi-disciplinary team be organized in each district attorney’s district to include representatives from the district attorney’s office, law enforcement and child welfare, along with mental health and medical representatives.
That resulted in the formation of the PC-CARE multi-disciplinary team in 1996, followed by establishment of the Pittsburg County Child Advocacy Center in 1998.
Since then, the Child Advocacy Center has sometimes struggled with funding, especially in the wake of state budget cuts in recent years.
As PC-CARE’s executive director, Ledford works with a multidisciplinary team which includes the McAlester Police Department and Pittsburg County Sheriff’s Office; the District 18 District Attorney’s office, child welfare and the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma. Mental health and medical representatives are also included.
The PC-CARE Child Advocacy Center was created to provide a central location where professionals can conduct medical examinations and forensic interviews on allegedly abused or neglected children.
That allows medical and law enforcement procedures to occur at the same site. It’s also meant to provide a safe and child-friendly place for children when an investigation is underway, officials said.
