The Wallowa County Board of Commissioners on July 28 authorized the Director of Court Services to sign County Program Agreement No. 2560362787 with the Washington Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF) to reimburse the county for short-term juvenile detention bed days. Greg Ward, representing Court Services and the Juvenile Justice Center, told the board the state uses the county facility when there is a short window (often two to three days) between a court commitment to a state juvenile rehabilitation (JR) facility and state transport.

Key details: DCYF increased the bed-day reimbursement rate from $150 to $250 per day. Ward said the JR administrators are open to future discussions about revising reimbursement to reflect actual per-bed-day costs, which the county believes are higher than the current rate. The county receives reimbursements for youth placed by the state and for parole-return detainees who may be held for short periods after local arrests if parole is revoked.

Why it matters: The agreement provides a formal reimbursement mechanism for a service the county provides as part of the state juvenile justice system. Ward told commissioners the county receives relatively few such bed days per year (a couple thousand dollars' worth in revenue historically), but the reimbursement helps offset operational costs and documents the county–state relationship.

Board action: The board voted unanimously to authorize the Director of Court Services to sign the agreement; commissioners asked clarifying questions about who the youth would be transported to (Echo Glen or Green Hill) and how parole revocations are handled.

Next steps: The appointed county signatory will execute the agreement; Court Services will provide follow-up reporting and engage in state-level conversations about bed-day cost accounting during the next biennium.