Knox County delays transfer of juvenile center amid debate over conditions, subpoena effort fails

Knox County commissioners on Nov. 17 approved a six‑month extension for the mayor to hire a transition advisor and adopted an emergency ordinance delaying the transfer of the Richard L. Bean Juvenile Service Center to the Knox County Sheriff, continuing oversight by the county transition board while officials address staffing and facility deficiencies.

The vote followed lengthy debate after the recently published CTAS (County Technical Assistance Service) review cited multiple staffing and security deficiencies at the juvenile center. Commissioner Jay, sponsor of the extension resolution, said the amendment “literally just changes the timeline 6 months later” and preserves board oversight as the transition continues. Commissioner Jay argued the work was already under way and the extra time would allow the board to complete its recommendations.

Supporters said the extension provides stability for staff and youth while the county continues repairs and administrative improvements. “The staff needs stability and support,” Dwight Vandevate, a county transition official, told the commission, arguing that keeping operations steady was the immediate priority while longer‑term fact‑finding proceeds. Commissioner Jackson, who serves on the detention board, told colleagues the board was asking only for more time to continue the work and to hire new leadership.

Opponents pressed broader questions about whether the county should continue to operate the 120‑bed facility, which commissioners said is currently under‑utilized at roughly 30 youth. Commissioner Russell urged studying whether the county should keep running the facility at all, suggesting exploring options that include selling or contracting with other operators; Commissioner Russell said “the question we need to be asking ourselves is should we be doing this?”

Commissioner Fox sought to compel testimony from the recently resigned director, Brian Bivens, whose public statements raised concerns among some commissioners. Fox moved to add a subpoena to the agenda and issue it to Bivens; the motion to add the subpoena to the meeting agenda failed to win the required two‑thirds support, and a later attempt to issue a subpoena did not receive a second and therefore died. Several commissioners said they would invite Bivens to testify voluntarily in December instead.

After procedural votes to end debate, commissioners voted to approve the six‑month extension and the related emergency ordinance delaying the transition to the sheriff; the measures passed by voice vote and procedural roll calls described in the meeting record. Commissioners said the CTAS report and other materials previously distributed provide the factual basis for ongoing work, and invited other commissioners to review committee materials before the December meetings.

The commission directed the transition committee and mayor’s office to continue work on staffing, security fixes and a timeline for further decisions. No final decision was made on whether to sell or contract out operations; commissioners said those options would be explored in future committee meetings.