County committee delays vote on shifting juvenile Redeploy program to county management after staff and provider concerns
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Summary
Champaign County committee postponed action on creating county staff positions tied to moving juvenile Redeploy program management from Cunningham Children’s Home, after program staff and Cunningham leadership warned the transfer was rushed and risked continuity of care. Stakeholders will meet with the state; the item was tabled to the full county board.
Champaign County’s Policy, Personnel & Appointments Committee on Jan. 26 voted to postpone consideration of new county positions tied to a proposed transfer of the juvenile Redeploy program from Cunningham Children’s Home to county government.
The committee’s one-week tabling followed public comment from program staff and Cunningham leadership raising concerns about notification, staff retention and legal and fiscal risk if state grant coordination shifts without a planned transition. "If in fact the grant coordination needs to move to the county, we would not object to that," said Marlon Livingston, president and CEO of Cunningham Children’s Home, but he warned that the state had not followed contract notice obligations and that "clarity is needed on whether clinical services, case management, and family engagement will shift to the county."
The Redeploy program’s on-the-ground coordinator, James Benson, told the committee the program needs to remain neutral and not be housed under police or prosecutorial offices; he urged a careful transition that preserves staff and continuity of services. "We want to continue to provide excellent programming and excellent service," Benson said. Benson noted the state expects juveniles’ Redeploy grants to be administered by a county unit of government, which motivated the conversation.
Board members said they wanted more time for stakeholders to meet with state representatives before creating positions that would effectively place program management under the county executive. Several members urged a short delay to allow a stakeholder call already scheduled with the state to provide clarity; others said longer tabling might be needed if the group couldn’t assemble. The committee’s motion to table to the full county board was seconded and carried.
What happens next: committee members and program stakeholders said they will hold the scheduled state stakeholder call and aim to reconvene with clearer information. Committee members emphasized the priority is keeping the program’s staff and services intact while resolving governance and contract-notice questions.
