Juvenile detention director asks for computer upgrades and gets pay increase added to budget

Ryan Weber, the Woodbury County juvenile detention director, told supervisors the detention center is carrying heavier workloads and higher-cost residents and cited payroll coding errors that were corrected before the board packet was printed.

Weber said revenue generated by housing out-of-county and out-of-state youth partially offsets operations but that payroll and overtime remain the largest cost pressures. He told the board he had reduced other line items where possible, salvaged equipment from the jail where usable, and that the facility needs a new camera computer system and replacement furniture, not discretionary items. Weber said the facility now must hold some higher-acuity youth longer, which increases staff needs and overtime.

During the review Weber asked the board to include a $10,835 increase to incorporate a proposed salary adjustment for the detention director into the levy maximum; a supervisor moved to receive the budget with that amendment and the board approved the receive motion with the $10,835 increase. Weber said the daily reimbursement rates from other states vary (he referenced approximate state reimbursements) and that overtime correlates with the number and acuity of youth housed.

Board members and staff discussed audit and payroll coding issues, and Weber described using outside billing for some services and the state requirement that a licensed auditor perform the fiscal audit. The board voted to receive the juvenile detention budget materials with the $10,835 amendment for the director salary.