Floyd County commissioners approve notice to terminate Pine View interlocal agreement, schedule June 24 public hearing

Floyd County commissioners voted May 20 to approve a resolution giving formal notice of intent to terminate the interlocal agreement with the Floyd County Youth Services Bureau that governs use of the Pine View Government Center and to hold a joint county-council public hearing on the matter June 24 at 5 p.m.

The resolution, filed as Floyd County Resolution 2025-13, sets a June 1, 2025, effective date for the commissioners’ notice, requires 90 days’ certified written notice to the county council and the Youth Services Bureau board and states the bureau may retain possession of the leased premises for 180 days after the final decision by the commissioners and county council, unless otherwise agreed.

County officials said the action begins a process the board has discussed for months as it evaluates county property holdings. “To say that somebody’s gonna be evicted is a little inflammatory,” a commissioner told the room, adding the county intends to follow the notice periods written into the interlocal agreement and that the board would consider extensions if the bureau makes demonstrable progress finding a new location.

Supporters of the youth shelter filled the assembly room during public comment, urging the board to delay any sale until the shelter secures an alternate facility. Dozens of residents, former residents and service providers described Pine View and Open Door Youth Services as the county’s primary residential resource for children facing homelessness, abuse, behavioral health problems or family crisis. “If you choose to cut funding for Open Door, the youth of Floyd County will suffer greatly,” said Abigail Russell, a former resident who described services she received from the shelter.

Shelter staff and volunteers asked the commissioners to make any sale contingent on the bureau finding a suitable replacement, to extend the written timetable or to give the bureau more active help locating a facility. Valerie Mulholland, who identified herself as an art therapist with Open Door Youth Services, said staff learned about the county’s timetable last week and asked only for more time to relocate programs and clients.

County Attorney Rick Fox and other staff read the resolution aloud at the meeting and clarified procedural steps required by the document. Fox said the commissioners will post notices and conduct the joint hearing required within 30 days of the bureau’s receipt of the written notice. He also said the county intends to enforce the terms of the interlocal agreement while the bureau remains in the building.

Several county officials noted the county’s records show the interlocal agreement was passed by the commissioners in February 2012 but that the Youth Services Bureau’s executed copy may not have been recorded in county files. Officials said they will ask the bureau to confirm and, if necessary, record the fully executed agreement with the county recorder and the State Board of Accounts as originally intended.

The board said it will assign a staff liaison, county employee Don Lobb, to coordinate with the bureau during the relocation process and that commissioners are open to extending the removal timetable—one commissioner said they would “push for a full year from June 1” if the bureau demonstrates good-faith progress locating a new site.

The resolution passed on a voice vote after a motion to add a stipulation setting the June 24 joint public hearing for 5 p.m. was approved. The commission said further public meetings and outreach will follow; county staff told the audience that agendas and notices will be posted in advance.

Public commenters and bureau representatives said they will continue to press the county for more time and for direct assistance finding new space. County officials said they will continue to meet with bureau leadership and that the interlocal agreement’s notice and possession provisions will guide the next steps.

The June 24 joint meeting at the Pine View Government Center Assembly Room is the next scheduled public opportunity for comment on the resolution.