Judge tells county board diversion mentorship program will expand countywide; board adds $25,000 to childcare fund

Judge Gilner told the Presque Isle County Board that a local diversion mentorship program has been successful and proposed expanding it to juveniles on formal probation and the consent calendar. The current grant covers diversion youth for three months; the judge said mentors make strong connections and some youths need longer support than the grant now allows.

The grant backing the original diversion program runs through September 2026 and provides grant funding for certain diversion participants. Judge Gilner said expanding the program countywide and allowing mentor support to continue for the period each youth needs would require putting the program into the county childcare fund. Under the plan presented, 75% of eligible program costs would be reimbursable by the state, leaving an estimated county share of about $25,000 for the year.

Board members asked whether contractor mentors were in place and whether the added cases would require new personnel. The judge said the mentors are contracted local providers (two mentors named as located in Rogers City and a nearby area) and that existing contracted mentors could absorb the expanded caseload without additional county personnel costs, though the estimate could change based on actual usage.

A motion to increase the childcare fund by $25,000 to expand the mentorship program was moved, supported and approved by roll call. The board asked staff to bring back additional budget detail at the next budget approval cycle and said it will report on program statistics as the expansion proceeds.