Staff says Boundary County typically uses about one bed; Bonner can refuse placements that raise staffing needs
Summary
Operations staff reported Boundary County youths occupy roughly one bed about half the month; directors said the county maintains the right to refuse placements that would push staffing past safe ratios and cited a recent denial of a violent youth placement.
Devin, an operations staff member, told commissioners the facility typically hosts one Boundary County youth at a time and estimated that "probably 14 out of those 30 days, 1 bed goes to a Boundary County kid," indicating utilization is low and sporadic.
Justice Services staff explained the facility is staffed to support up to 16 residents without raising baseline staffing levels; exceeding 16 would trigger higher staffing and overtime costs. The director said the county has previously denied placements when a youth presented a significant violence risk and noted in at least one instance a placement from Lincoln County was refused and routed to Missoula instead.
Staff framed the higher proposed per‑day rates for out‑of‑state or sovereign partners as an "on‑call" availability fee to offset the cost of maintaining beds and staff ready to accept placements even when those beds are not used. Commissioners took the operational data into account as they weighed how large any discount to Boundary County should be.
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