Harrison County juvenile detention director asks commissioners to add line items as state reimbursements rise

Melanie Whitehurst, director of the juvenile detention office, told Harrison County commissioners at a July 17 budget workshop that recent changes in supervision practices should trigger higher state reimbursements and support a planned expansion of residential services. "We're getting $654,285 from the state in addition to the 200,000 for the salaries," Whitehurst said, and she said the state has also identified roughly $210,698 as a salary reimbursement for the department.

Whitehurst said the department has shifted to a progressive-sanctions model — prevention and intervention, deferred adjudication, probation, intensive supervision probation (ISP) and then placement — so the county can document steps TJJD requires before a residential placement. To make reimbursements auditable under the state contract, she asked the court to create a county line item dedicated to residential placements and another line of about $50,000 to fund community-service projects and program start-up costs.

Why this matters: Whitehurst said the combination of state reimbursements, higher specialized-placement rates and the ability to lease beds to other counties could offset county expenses and improve services for an underserved age group. She described a prevention and intervention program aimed at 10- to 13-year-olds and said the county could be among the first in the region to offer residential services targeted to younger children.

Details and operations: Whitehurst said the county is now charging about $225 per day for residential placement and that specialized programs can attract reimbursements up to about $310 per day. She described using lower-cost electronic monitoring where appropriate — "Electronic monitoring is $7.50 a day," she said — to keep lower-risk youths at home while freeing beds for contract placements. Whitehurst also noted changes in intake rules for runaways, explaining the county generally will not hold runaways more than 24 hours unless the child is out of county and a parent cannot be located.

Whitehurst outlined other operational steps tied to compliance and liability: upgrading an electronic rounds system she called the "piping" system to make staff checks auditable, returning to paper files where TJJD requires hard copies, adding community-service liability insurance through an insurer she has used for years, and contracting with a local RN to provide required medical screening and 30-day assessments.

Revenue and contracts: Whitehurst said Bowie County is considering a bed-lease arrangement and described a potential $191,420 payment on Sept. 1 for three guaranteed beds as an example of up-front revenue. She told the court the renovated wing should be complete by the end of August, allowing the county to begin residential placements.

Budget impact: Whitehurst reported overtime reductions (she cited about $38,000 in cuts) and said state salary-adjustment funds would be used to raise pay for eligible staff; she said that money and projected placement revenue should offset the line-item requests. "It's a wash," she said of added salaries versus overtime savings, adding the new line item would still be needed to track placement costs.

Commissioner reaction and next steps: Commissioners asked for clarifications on timing, line-item detail and how previously allocated renovation money was reflected in the draft budget. No formal vote was taken; staff were asked to reflect the requested line items and amounts in the budget documents and to return with any needed follow-up. The court recessed briefly before continuing the agenda.

Ending: Whitehurst's presentation closed without a formal vote; commissioners directed staff to incorporate the proposed line items and to provide further budget detail at a future meeting.