Youth commission asks board to fund two full‑time positions by adding $18,000 per locality

A representative of the county's youth commission urged the Augusta County Board of Supervisors during public comment to fund the Office of Youth's request for $18,000 per locality to convert two part‑time positions into full‑time roles and to support program supplies and in‑person class expansion.

Steve Grips, speaking for the youth commission, said prevention programs are more cost-effective than crisis interventions and outlined the office’s staffing and program needs. He said the Office of Youth currently employs seven full‑time, five permanent part‑time, and five additional outreach staff, with a part‑time coordinator vacancy in the personnel responsibility education program. Grips asked the board to split an additional $18,000 per locality to convert two part‑time roles (a part‑time coordinator and a program assistant) back to full time.

Grips described program changes driven by Virginia Department of Education requirements that have added classroom time for some students and said the Office of Youth's work includes family‑life education, substance‑abuse prevention, internet safety, human trafficking prevention and truancy programs. He also said costs for supplies, incentives and meals have increased and that increased in‑person programming requires more staff time.

Grips provided participation figures for fiscal year 2024: family services participants were approximately 30% from Augusta County, 30% from Stanton and 30% from Waynesboro, with 10% from other localities. He said crime‑control youth served were about 51% Augusta County, 20.6% Stanton and 20.3% Waynesboro; truancy programs served roughly 50.5% Augusta County, 30.5% Stanton and 9% Waynesboro.

No formal vote on the budget request was taken at the meeting; the representative said the request was already in the proposed budget and asked the board to support making the positions full time to sustain prevention programming.