Local Coordinating Councils

The Governor's Commission has developed a network of local coalitions called Local Coordinating Councils (LCC's) in each of Indiana's 92 counties. The name of the LCC for Hamilton County is The Hamilton County Council on Alcohol and Other Drugs..

Drug-Free Communities Funds
The Drug-Free Communities Funds are collected from local dollars through offender fees. 75% of the court fees collected are deposited in the County's Drug-Free Communities Fund.

Methods of Distribution
Though methods for the distribution of these funds may vary from county to county, there are 2 uniform stipulations:
  • These funds can only be used to carry out recommended action steps contained in the comprehensive drug-free communities plan approved by the Commission for a Drug-Free Indiana.
  • At least 25% of these funds must go to each of the following 3 service areas, with the remaining 25% going to 1 or more of the 3 areas:
    • Prevention and education
    • Intervention and treatment
    • Criminal justice.
Comprehensive Community Plan
Each LCC must establish its own agenda to best suit the needs of its county. One important role of the LCC is its involvement in comprehensive planning.

Comprehensive Community Plan Elements
A Comprehensive Community Plan primarily consists of 4 elements:
  1. An assessment of the local alcohol and other drug abuse problems in the county, including problem identification and supportive information
  2. A compilation of existing services and programs already in place in the county to address alcohol and drug problems;
  3. A listing of proposed action steps to help alleviate the stated problems
  4. An evaluation component designed to measure the success of the Plan's strategies. LCC's are encouraged to make this a community-wide process, including input from a broad spectrum of the population, including: schools, churches, law enforcement, treatment providers and lay citizens through Community Committees.
Community Coalition Initiatives
Finally, it is important to note that this process has kept Indiana in the forefront nationally of the community coalition initiatives. It is a process that works because of its dependence on local commitment and involvement, with the state acting as a helping partner. It is truly a grass roots effort.