Mike McFadzean, director of the county’s restorative justice program, told the Belknap County Commissioners on an evening meeting that he has submitted his letter of resignation but expects program operations to continue. “I turned in my letter of resignation,” McFadzean said, adding that staff Jackie and Shannon will manage the caseload temporarily.

The program is tracking near budget projections through midyear, McFadzean said. “We’re at 56% through the year. The department has expended, at the rate of 54%, so we’re right on par,” he told commissioners, noting office-supplies and drug-screening supply lines as specific expense items. He said one outstanding WB Mason bill will draw the office-supplies line close to zero once paid, and that saliva drug-screen kits are likely to be purchased in September or October.

The program reported 59 active cases comprising juvenile, felony and misdemeanor referrals. McFadzean said three individuals on his caseload were scheduled to graduate in the coming weeks and that several new referrals had arrived by email.

On revenue, McFadzean said the New Hampshire Juvenile Diversion Network—which operates on the state fiscal year—has approved money for juvenile diversion programs but had not yet provided contract terms or amounts for fiscal year 2026, which began July 1. “We did get approval of money… they just haven’t sent a contract or what the expected amount will be for fiscal year ’26,” he said, and he expects the state to backdate payments once contracts are signed and to distribute funds, possibly in October if the usual timeline holds.

McFadzean described how he and staff had managed the program since 2014, with him serving as director since 2017, and thanked commissioners and county staff for support on budgeting and program matters. Commissioners praised McFadzean’s work and said the department had been run efficiently. He said that, until a new hire is made, Jackie and Shannon would split the cases (about 30 cases apiece) and that when a third case manager is hired individual workloads would return to roughly 20–25 cases each.

Discussion-only items included staffing contingency planning and the anticipated timeline for purchasing supplies; a formal personnel decision about McFadzean’s replacement was not taken at the meeting.