Beltrami County shifts $20,000 in attorney salary savings to keep juvenile diversion program running

The Beltrami County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to allow $20,000 in unspent County Attorney salary funds to be used as a stopgap for the county’s juvenile diversion program after a state grant administrator said the grant would not be issued for 2025.

County Attorney Dave Hanson told the board the diversion program is “one of the most robust in the state” and is run in collaboration with the Bemidji Area Services Collaborative (BASC). Hanson said the program is partially funded by a $10,000 county levy and, for more than a decade, by a state grant previously administered by the Minnesota Department of Public Safety that is now being folded into the Department of Youth and Family Services. Hanson said BASC has been told the 2025 grant will not be issued this year and that funding might not resume until 2026.

The board’s vote buys time while Hanson and BASC seek other funding and plan for next year.

Hanson described how the program operates and the immediate funding problem: BASC administers the diversion classes and a staff position that the grant helps pay. Hanson told commissioners that because his office has been short-staffed, he has unspent salary dollars in the 2025 budget and asked to redirect $20,000 of those funds to the diversion program as a temporary measure. He said he is seeking foundation support — including meetings with the Nielsen Foundation and the Northwest Minnesota Foundation — and hopes the state will allow a later application for 2025 funding.

Commissioner John Carlson asked what would happen in 2026 if the state grant remained uncertain. Hanson said he had no guarantee but expected the grant sequence could resume in 2026; he warned that without permanent funding the county might need to reduce service or place costs on the levy. Commissioner Sumner said he would like BASC and the attorney’s office to present options to the board later, and Hanson agreed to return with updates.

Commissioner Carlson moved to allow the County Attorney Office salary savings to be diverted to the juvenile diversion program run through BASC; Commissioner Wenger seconded. The board approved the motion on a 5-0 roll call vote.

The diversion program’s operating gap was described at roughly $80,000 for calendar year 2025; the $20,000 shift is intended only as temporary gap funding while staff pursue grants and other sources. Hanson told the board the county typically does not receive the state grant until March or April, and BASC often carries the position early in the year until grant dollars arrive.

The board asked to be updated before the county’s 2026 budget cycle and asked Hanson to return with fundraising or alternative funding options.