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Commissioner moves to sign letter supporting regional juvenile detention center licensing to house DCF youth
Summary
Commissioners discussed a request from the regional juvenile detention center to sign a letter of support to obtain a license to house Department for Children and Families (DCF) youth; a motion to sign the letter was made and seconded but the transcript does not record a final vote.
Crawford County commissioners discussed and moved to sign a letter of support for a regional juvenile detention center seeking a license to house youth placed by DCF, though the transcript does not include a recorded final vote.
A commissioner said the regional center had asked the 11-county organization for letters supporting the facility's request to obtain a license that would allow it to house DCF youth when space is available. That speaker said the center believed it could add that service with "very minimal expense" and that it might generate roughly $500,000 a year for the 11-county organization.
Commissioners also discussed operational details raised by the center: that staff could separate different populations, that the facility has a kitchen but for several years had been buying meals rather than using it, and that Crawford County currently averages roughly eight youths at the facility with Crawford County's share of the facility cost described as about $15,000 (monthly) based on usage.
A motion to sign the letter of support was made; another commissioner seconded. The transcript does not include a recorded vote tally or explicit statement that the motion passed, though one commissioner instructed staff (Lisa) to sign the letter after the meeting.
The discussion noted that Montgomery County pays the largest share of the facility's expenses, another county (Linn County) had withdrawn from the multi-county arrangement, and the regional center's leaders said they believed existing staff levels would be sufficient to serve DCF youth without major restructuring of the building.
Next steps: commissioners requested that staff collect and sign the letters of support; the transcript indicates Lisa had the letters available for signature.
