Commissioners delay $11.2 million transfer to move Youth Justice Education Center from Sheriff to Corrections

Shelby County commissioners on July 23 declined to approve an immediate $11,226,461 appropriation the administration said was needed to transfer supervision of the Youth Justice Education Center from the Shelby County Sheriff's Office to the Division of Corrections, instead directing the measure back to committee without a recommendation.

Administration officials told the committee the sheriff had said he would stop supervising the facility on Sept. 30 and that the county needed the appropriation immediately to recruit, hire and train staff and to buy equipment and vehicles required for youth transport and services. "The Shelby County Sheriff's Office decided that at the end of September they will no longer provide supervision," Chief Administrative Officer Harold Collins said. "In order for us to begin the process ... we have to recruit individuals to serve in the facility."

Deputy Director of Administration and Finance Danielle Schombaugh and Director Audrey Tipton presented cost details and a funding plan that included restricting $6.5 million of the sheriff's FY26 budget as vacancy savings to partially offset the request. Tipton said the full FY26 cost to operate the center under Corrections would be roughly $14.6 million, including salaries, fringe and operations. "Net, the impact to the FY '26 budget is $8.1 million," she said in a briefing on the appropriation exhibit presented to commissioners.

Commissioners pressed administration officials on timing and process. Several members said the county is still closing FY25 books, that auditors are being retained for this year's audit after the prior auditor declined to continue, and that using fund balance for recurring costs is generally poor practice. "We are using fund balance now, and we still have other things to report," Schombaugh warned earlier in the meeting when the county's May financial report was presented.

Director of Corrections Anthony Alexander described a multi-step staffing and training timeline that includes job postings, testing and 12-week training classes for many positions. "You simply can't do it in four weeks or two weeks," Alexander said, explaining why immediate hiring and procurement would be required to meet the Sept. 30 handoff.

Commissioners offered alternatives and asked for more analysis. Several said they were sympathetic to the goal of uninterrupted supervision and services for youth but wanted the administration to return with additional options, budget detail and confirmation of impacts to county maintenance-of-effort obligations. Commissioner Ford moved to send the item down without recommendation so the committee could gather more information; the motion was seconded and accepted.

The administration's request will be reconsidered at a future committee meeting after the county completes additional review and returns with supplemental information and options, officials said. The transfer remains planned to take effect Oct. 1 unless the sheriff and county agree otherwise.

The action taken on July 23 was procedural: commissioners did not adopt the requested FY26 amendment and instead postponed final action to allow more time for fiscal review and alternatives analysis.