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2017-09-28 Budget mtg - Juvenile for 2018Budget meeting with Juvenile September 28, 2017 4:30 p.m. Present: Commissioner Stamper, Commissioner Fund, Commissioner Jackson, Becky Butler, Steve Walton, Shad Hail, Susan Wickert Guests: Justyna Tomtas, Mitch Townsend, Matt Brock, Bill Marshall, Anthony Ahrens, Linda Williams Recorder: Rieva Lester 2018 prelim budget Revenue: $604,399; expenditures: $3,185,900; FTEs: 30.18 Revenue review Most of the revenue is from grants and state funding, Becky Butler said. Expenditure limitation discussion Increase request: $33,500 • ER&R increase due to replacing a transport van, offset by increases in revenue ($4,000) • Working to reclassify position(s) in 2018 – there are no first-level supervisors in the probation group; JCA also has assumed the role of the former assistant administrator and lead PO positions, offset by increase in revenue ($7,500) • Projected increase in medical costs associated with the preapproved NW Peds partnership (this is the largest portion of the request) ($22,000) Shad said the juvenile court deals with every type of juvenile case: criminal, civil, dependency. He said his staff heard 2,700 cases in 2016. Shad said the Juvenile Court also has guardian ad litem programs. He said he has eight probation officers, two guardian ad litem coordinators and 24-hour coverage at the detention center. He said Lewis County will soon become the first in the state to offer holistic coverage for health services. Shad said truancy starts 6, criminally speaking they could have kids as young as 8. The average age in Juvenile Court as of last month was 15.37. Shad gave statistics for moderate and high-risk kids at Juvenile. Shad said the number of kids who have experienced trauma has skyrocketed in recent years. Shad said Juvenile Court is the hub that is connected to every agency – schools, law enforcement, etc. – throughout the county. He said the money invested today pays huge dividends in the future, not only monetarily, but by saving lives. Shad said Juvenile receives state block grant dollars as well as money for truancy and money from CASA. He said he now anticipates revenue to total $37,000, an increase over the $24,000 originally expected. Shad discussed the grants that Juvenile seeks and receives, and he discussed his request to spend ER&R funds on a new transport van. Becky asked about the use of rehab facilities located in Spokane. Shad said those were the facilities available. He said inpatient care is paid for through Medicaid. Becky asked if that funding couldn’t be put toward building a facility nearby. Shad said he is pursuing having mental health care provided locally. He said there is high need for those services. He said the troubles aren’t region-specific. He said it comes in waves. Shad said he currently is one position down. He said there has been astronomical turnover the past three years. Shad said burnout and the lack of growth potential are key factors in turnovers. Shad said he is asking to convert one position into a supervisory position. He said he has been filling multiple roles for 18-plus months, and the position change would relieve the burden. Shad also discussed the increase requested to cover the medical costs associated with NW Peds. He discussed the advantages the contract presents for helping the kids in his care. He said 24 nurses and doctors will be in and out of the detention center five days a week. Becky asked if Medicaid and other insurances can be billed. Shad said the county is responsible for coverage, but that the Juvenile Court can work on releases, etc. that allow the charges to be picked up by insurance. Shad discussed some of the things the kids are involved in: the work crew programs, pro-social outings, cleanup jobs, toy drives, etc. Shad said Juvenile views it as horizons. Commissioner Stamper said he knows of four kids in White Pass whose lives likely were saved by the efforts of Juvenile Court. Matt Brock asked if he could tour the facility. Shad welcomed him to call at any time to set up a tour. Becky said it would be good to have members of the public tour the facility to see first-hand the need. Shad said the current building is the second-oldest in the state. Shad said his best guess is that mental health, poverty, and cultural issues with the parents are the biggest factors contributing to the present-day crisis. Meeting adjourned at 5:41 p.m.