Lebanon County officials warn children-and-youth overages will widen 2026 budget gap

Lebanon County leaders approved final and implementation budgets for Children and Youth and Juvenile Probation on Sept. 18, while officials warned that overspending in juvenile probation and rising placement costs will increase the county’s 2026 budget shortfall. Erin Moyer, administrator for Children and Youth, told the Board of Commissioners that the fiscal 2024–25 final report showed total expenditures of $15,332,605 against a certification of $13,615,725, producing an overexpenditure of $1,716,880 and raising the county share by $301,437 to $3,799,869. Moyer said Children and Youth spent $10,733,711 (an overage of $139,572) and Juvenile Probation spent $4,589,894, which represented an overspend of $1,577,308. Commissioners approved the fiscal‑year 2024–25 final report and the fiscal‑year 2025–26 implementation budget by voice vote. Why it matters: commissioners and department leaders said the overspend will add to the open 2026 budget. County staff estimated the combined effect of the 2025–26 implementation and the 2026–27 needs‑based request will produce a starting deficit of several million dollars for the 2026 county budget. Moyer attributed the juvenile probation overspend to a rebound in referrals since 2024, new access to two detention beds and sharp increases in per‑diem rates for residential and detention services. Juvenile detention per‑diem costs cited during the meeting were about $800 per bed per day. Commissioner discussion underscored two funding risks: (1) the state budget impasse that has delayed quarterly payments to counties and (2) no unconditional guarantee that the state will cover county overexpenditures in future years. Moyer told the board that historically the state has reimbursed its share of overexpenditures but cautioned there is “no unconditional guarantee” that will continue. Formal approvals and next steps: the board approved the 2025–26 implementation budget, which the county certified at $16,302,741 and the department projects to spend about $18,283,780, producing a projected county share increase of $666,286. Commissioners also approved the fiscal‑year 2026–27 needs‑based budget request of $20,979,041 with a requested county share of $5,304,205. The board recorded the motions and approved them by unanimous voice votes. Officials noted possible downstream consequences: the county finance staff said the combined changes could add roughly $2.1 million to the initial 2026 budget pressure and that total county deficit impacts could be larger as other departments complete their submissions. The board instructed staff to include these figures in upcoming budget work sessions. Ending: Commissioners and Children and Youth leaders said they will continue to track referrals, placement utilization and state reimbursement trends as the county moves into formal 2026 budget deliberations.