Juvenile Court requests 3.37% budget increase, cites higher case load, detention mental-health costs and TANF reductions

Lucas County Juvenile Court officials told the Board of Commissioners that rising caseloads, higher costs to provide on-site medical and mental-health services in detention and a reduction in TANF funding have driven the court's requested 2026 budget increase of approximately $427,804, or 3.37 percent above the 2025 budget.

Court Administrator Sayid Oran, Administrative Judge Linda Nepp and staff presented the budget request and described operations the court is required by law to perform, including delinquency, traffic and custody matters and services that may continue until a child's 21st birthday. Oran said the court handled 12,551 civil and delinquency cases in 2024, up from 11,609 in 2023, and reported 9,852 cases already handled in 2025 to date.

Oran and other staff stressed three budget drivers: higher average daily populations in detention (ADP recently as high as 50 and currently averaging about 37), an increase in youth needing mental-health and psychiatric treatment while in custody (services the court said Medicaid does not reimburse for incarcerated youth), and an almost 10 percent reduction in TANF funding that had supported diversion staff. The court reported 20 youth held on murder or felonious assault charges, 15 on firearm specifications and eight on concealed-weapons charges and said separation of youth with conflicts (for safety) adds to staffing pressures.

The court detailed program outputs and savings: diversion efforts reduced official filings (1,205 unofficial filings diverted in 2024; 759 diverted through the current year) and the court reported a three-year total of 2,859 diverted youth. Officials said diversion is cost-effective and reduces detention costs, citing an estimated average daily detention cost nationally of about $646 per youth per day.

The Juvenile Court requested a 3 percent cost-of-living increase and continuation of step increases for employees, additional funding for detention food and medical services (noting the contractual nature of the food services increase) and roughly $267,570 to maintain 11 positions primarily funded by TANF. Oran stated the request is "reasonable and necessary for its legally mandated services and operations." Commissioners treated the presentation as part of the ongoing budget process and asked follow-up questions about salary savings from unfilled positions and the composition of fund balances; the court said some pandemic-era technology funds remain committed to upgrades and that salary-savings figures would be provided later.

The board did not make a final budget decision at the hearing; commissioners noted this was the initial hearing in the budget cycle and requested additional detail on salary savings and the potential use of capital fund balances to offset operating increases.