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Huge DJJ cost increase forces Marion County to weigh one-time funds, tax impact
Summary
County staff and the state attorney told commissioners a 61.6% rise in the county's Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) bill is driving a $1.66 million increase in FY2025-26 costs and creating pressure on the county's fine and forfeiture fund and property tax millage options.
Marion County budget staff and the State Attorney's Office told county commissioners that a large increase in DJJ-related detention and placement costs is reshaping the FY2025-26 budget picture.
Audrey Fowler, Marion County budget director, said the DJJ obligation rose 61.6%, from about $2.7 million to $4.3 million'a $1,663,000 increase that has tightened the county's margins and put pressure on the countywide fine and forfeiture fund.
The increase has immediate tax implications, Fowler said: with the county's current assumptions a homestead property owner would see between a $45 and $55 annual change depending on whether the county retains a countywide 0.04-mill fine and forfeiture allocation and on other general fund millage choices. Fowler said the 0.04 mills equals about $6 on the tax bill and an additional 0.02 mills in the general fund would be roughly $4.
State Attorney Bill Gladson…
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