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Polk County social‑services budget strained by juvenile detention stays, DART and meal‑service cost increases
Summary
Polk County Community, Family & Youth Services said longer juvenile‑detention stays—driven by court decisions—are pushing care‑and‑keep costs up and that DART and congregate‑meal rate increases will raise FY2027 expenses; staff proposed decision packages and potential savings from a long‑term shelter project.
Eric Cool, director of Polk County Community, Family & Youth Services, told supervisors the department could not meet a required 1% reduction in its resource allocation for FY2027 and outlined a mix of cuts and decision packages to avoid reducing direct services.
"We did not come in within our resource allocation and the 1% reduction," Cool said, adding the department absorbed some increases and proposed eliminating two positions and cutting certain program contributions. He described four decision packages including congregate meals, detention care, general…
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