Huge DJJ cost increase forces Marion County to weigh one-time funds, tax impact

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 described criminal and juvenile case changes that he and local law enforcement say contributed to the DJJ rise. Gladson told commissioners he and county law enforcement pressed the state Department of Juvenile Justice and that a statutory change by the Legislature gave judges broader authority to extend detention while placements are identified. Gladson said that, combined with more targeted identification of high-risk juvenile offenders and cooperation with DJJ staff, led to more juveniles remaining in secure placement rather than being released immediately.

"Once we identified the offenders, then we were able to kind of focus on them," Gladson said, describing more juveniles being held longer while placement was found. He added that some of the increase may reflect more pretrial detention and the legislative change allowing judges additional extension authority.

Commissioners pressed for more data. Chairman Bryant and other commissioners asked finance staff to pursue short-term options so the county would not have to raise the fine and forfeiture millage. Budget director Fowler said the county currently has about $6.2 million in reserve cash carry forward (roughly two months of operating expenses) and about $1.47 million in nonrecurring general-fund reserves. Fowler said the board could use roughly $475,000 of nonrecurring general-fund money to lower the proposed general fund millage from 3.37 to 3.35, while noting staff did not recommend reducing the nonrecurring reserve below $1 million.

Commissioners directed staff to seek more information from DJJ about near-term placement and detention trends, and to ask the county's DJJ contact, Randy Reynolds of the Fifth Circuit, for an update on current counts and expected changes. Commissioner Curry asked for a six-month trend analysis comparing January'June activity to help forecast whether the DJJ cost spike is temporary.

The board also flagged that three long-running juvenile cases were approaching sentencing and that those removals from local custody would reduce local detention days, though commissioners and staff noted the county's overall juvenile detention-day totals remain much higher than last year.

Why it matters: The DJJ increase is a multi-million-dollar, recurring cost driver that is already shifting decisions the board must make about using one-time reserves versus raising dedicated millage and that could affect services and requests from outside agencies.

What's next: Staff will contact the Fifth Circuit DJJ representative for detailed counts and durations, return projected six-month trend data to the board, and present options to use nonrecurring reserves for FY2025-26 before the board finalizes millage.