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Commission approves $11.2M to shift youth-justice operations to County Corrections
Summary
The commission approved a $11,226,461 FY2026 allocation to support transferring the Youth Justice & Education Center from the Sheriff’s Office to the County Division of Corrections; supporters said it was needed to avoid emergency vendor hiring, critics pressed for funding detail and fund-balance impacts.
After prolonged debate over funding and operational responsibility, the Shelby County Commission approved Item 31, a FY2026 appropriation of $11,226,461 to transition Youth Justice & Education Center operations from the Sheriff to the county Division of Corrections.
Juvenile Court Judge Tarik Sugarman outlined history and operational consequences of the transfer, saying past transfers of funds and positions in 2015 did not bring money or staff back to the court today. Harold Collins, the county’s Chief Administrative Officer, and corrections officials said the appropriation is necessary to allow the Division of Corrections time to hire, train and meet state standards before the sheriff’s oversight ends Sept. 30. Chief Administrative Officer Harold Collins told commissioners the funding had been included in initial budget presentations but was removed by the body before adoption, prompting the current request.
Opponents questioned fiscal procedure and fund-balance policy. Deputy CFO Michael Thompson said FY2024 fund balance was about $108 million and that the county was "hovering around the 20%" level of its fund-balance policy; he could not definitively state post-appropriation position until year-end close. Sheriff’s Office representatives said the sheriff’s office budget for the youth center was limited after reductions and that operations beyond Sept. 30 would be impossible without new funding.
The commission adopted the appropriation with eight ayes and two abstentions. Commissioners directed administration and finance staff to provide updated fund-balance figures ahead of upcoming meetings and to return with more detailed accounting.
