Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Juvenile Detention topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
DHHS reports nearly $1 million detention overtime deficit in 2024; county says higher census and remodeling drove costs
Summary
DHHS officials told the finance committee that a spike in youth detention center population and ongoing remodeling of housing units led to a roughly $966,000 overtime deficit in detention for 2024; administrators said the department covered the deficit from an overall DHHS surplus and is taking steps to reduce future reliance on overtime.
Kelly Pethke, administrator for Children, Youth and Family Services (CYFS) in the Department of Health and Human Services, told the finance committee that DHHS recorded an overtime deficit of $966,000 in the youth detention center for 2024, with smaller overtime deficits elsewhere in the department. She said the primary driver was an increased census: the 27‑bed detention center served more than 50 youth at one point, which required additional staff and overtime coverage.
Pethke said other contributors included construction and remodeling of MCAP housing units (part of the secure residential care center project), which temporarily required housing youth in the gym and required additional staffing and movement logistics. She added that mandatory training, hospital transports and staff leave (FMLA) also contributed to overtime costs.
Financial outcome and mitigation: Pethke said DHHS ended 2024 with an overall surplus projected at $5–6 million, which offset the overtime deficits and avoided additional county levy impact for 2024. The department plans to hire an internal RN position to reduce reliance on temporary nursing contractors and is monitoring population and staffing closely to prevent recurring deficits.
Why it matters: The youth detention overtime driven by population pressures highlights the county’s limited control over demand for mandated services, and it adds pressure to departmental budgets. Supervisors asked questions about the drivers and staffing responses; DHHS emphasized that many factors (court orders, capacity and mandated services) constrain local control over census levels.
Next steps: DHHS will continue monitoring census and overtime, implement internal staffing adjustments where feasible (creating an RN position) and report back as needed during budget planning and oversight.
