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Committee withdraws juvenile-facility budget amendment to allow 90-day redesign and reporting
Summary
The committee withdrew a pending budget amendment for a juvenile facility and agreed to allow a 90-day period for staff to redesign the facility plan toward a lower-security, rehabilitative model with monthly updates.
The Bedford County committee withdrew a pending budget amendment tied to a proposed juvenile detention facility and agreed to give staff 90 days to revise the design and budget toward a different facility model.
Architect/owner representative (name not specified) explained the redesign need: "Today we've to date we've designed a, what I would consider more of like a jail facility, more of a maximum facility opposed to, a facility that still meets the child or children's requirements," the architect said, describing a pivot from a higher-security construction type toward a lower-security, rehabilitation-focused facility that would better match current juvenile services trends across the state. The representative said the 90-day period would allow staff to prepare a different plan and, if needed, a revised budget amendment for committee consideration.
Committee members discussed options including monthly updates. One commissioner suggested deferring for 90 days with updates each 30 days; another recommended withdrawing the amendment for the stated period. The committee voted to withdraw the amendment from the current agenda so staff can pursue the redesign and return with updated information.
Staff emphasized the redesign would remain a locked juvenile detention facility but with construction changes to reduce maximum-security components and costs. No final budget figures were adopted during the meeting; committee members said staff will return with an updated design and budget after the 90-day work period.
