Board declines to renew juvenile detention bed contract with Houston County for 2026; transportation concerns cited

The Goodhue County Board of Commissioners on Nov. 4 voted not to contract with Houston County for juvenile detention beds for 2026 after probation staff described problems arranging transportation to out‑of‑county facilities and underuse of the contracted beds.

Probation staff (identified in the meeting as Rhonda) told the board the county had not used the beds as much as anticipated because law‑enforcement partners — specifically Red Wing police in several instances — lacked the staff to transport adolescents two hours to the contracted facility. As a result, several detention orders could not be fulfilled. The county has established its own sentence‑to‑serve program and now intends to call around to secure beds as needed, prioritizing closer facilities (Dakota County) and using Houston County as a fallback if necessary.

Staff estimated potential savings on the order of tens of thousands of dollars for 2026 (staff discussed figures of roughly $36,000 to $50,000 but noted the actual savings depend on case volume; high‑profile or long detentions could eliminate the savings). Commissioners pressed on transportation responsibility and discussed working with local law enforcement to ensure juveniles can be transported when detention is ordered; by law, the arresting agency is responsible for transport.

After discussion the board moved and seconded a motion to deny contracting with Houston County for juvenile beds for 2026. The motion passed by voice vote. Commissioners directed staff to continue efforts to locate appropriate placements when needed and to follow up on transport issues with partner agencies.