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Juvenile court warns proposed cuts would reduce supervision, training and electronic‑monitoring capacity
Summary
Spokane County juvenile court leaders told commissioners proposed budget cuts for 2026 would eliminate positions, reduce supervision and training capacity in the juvenile detention center, and could increase out‑of‑county placements and use of Martin Hall under a fixed 99‑year contract.
The juvenile court director told the county commissioners that a proposed set of cuts to the juvenile court’s 2026 budget would remove staff and services the court considers high‑risk to public safety and to the juvenile case model used in Spokane County.
The presentation said the juvenile department has 88 full‑time positions (68 county funded and 20 state funded), with four current vacancies. The department told the board it needs roughly $8.0 million to maintain current operations; the budget office’s target reduced that request and the department proposed a package of cuts to reach the target. The department characterized the net proposed cut as an 8.5% operational reduction (about 10% including position removals taken in 2025), and said that would materially affect…
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