Delaware County Clerk of Courts Natalie Fravel asked the Board of Commissioners on June 9 to approve using an excess balance in the county’s title administration fund to support a pilot driving diversion program for first‑offense juvenile moving violations.

The program, explained on the record by Judge David Hemenowski of the probate/juvenile court, would offer an alternative to the historic practice of suspending juveniles’ licenses after minor moving violations. Hemenowski said the court would continue to require license suspensions while offering the diversion as an option and that the county prosecutor’s office must agree before a case can be diverted into the course.

The pilot would purchase blocks of seats in a six‑hour course that combines three hours of classroom instruction and three hours of on‑surface driving drills. Hemenowski described exercises that simulate wet‑braking, skid avoidance and lane‑change drills and said the program operator needs “almost 4 acres of uninterrupted blacktop” to run the driving exercises. “We’ll come out to around $158 per session,” he said, adding that families would pay roughly three‑quarters of the cost under the proposed fee scale.

Why this matters: motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for teenagers in the U.S. and a frequent cause of serious injury and death locally, the court noted. Hemenowski told the board he keeps a rolling list of local teen fatalities and said, “there are 19 names on that list right now,” to explain the program’s public‑safety rationale.

How it would work: the county would offer the diversion only for first‑offense minor misdemeanor moving violations (for example, low‑level speeding, red‑light or stop‑sign violations, and minor weather‑related loss‑of‑control crashes). Cases would remain eligible for diversion only with prosecutor approval; more serious offenses (including speeding more than 30 mph over the limit, leaving the scene, fleeing, DUIs, driving under suspension and second or third offenses) would be ineligible. If a juvenile accepts the diversion, the court would hold an admission and, on successful program completion, the prosecutor could agree to the diversion disposition. If the juvenile fails to complete the diversion, the suspension and other penalties would be imposed as if the diversion had not been chosen.

Risk and safeguards: Hemenowski said the prosecutor’s office and county civil counsel reviewed the program’s liability exposure and helped draft a liability waiver and proof‑of‑insurance requirements. He said the prosecutor’s civil division — led in the work by Chris Betts — signed off on forms and the memorandum of understanding with the driving school, and that parents would sign waivers and provide insurance documentation before participation.

Funding and next steps: Clerk Fravel asked the board to approve a supplemental appropriation and transfer from the title administration fund to cover the county’s share for the pilot (resolution 25‑427). Hemenowski said the county’s contribution might not exhaust the transferred funds and that the program will be reviewed after 12 months to assess participation, cost structure and the need for outside grants or other support.

The record in the provided transcript excerpt shows the program presentation, the clerk’s funding request and detailed discussion of eligibility, cost and liability; the transcript did not include a recorded vote on resolution 25‑427 in the excerpt provided.