Logan County has signed an agreement to rejoin the Central Ohio Youth Center (COYC).
“We think this is a good thing,” said Union County Commissioner Chris Schmenk.
COYC is a 38-bed, juvenile detention facility at 18100 state Route 4 servicing youth from Union, as well as Madison, Delaware and Champaign counties.
Earlier this year, Logan County leaders decided to close their local juvenile detention center (JDC) at the end of the year.
At a recent meeting, Natalie Landon, COYC superintendent, said officials are “still working” on details of the transition.
As part of the agreement to rejoin the COYC agreement, Logan County has agreed to pay a one-time $195,000, its portion of the cash reserve. Additionally, Logan County will pay its portion of the 2022 budget, $501,315.
Originally, Logan County was part of the partnership of counties that came together to create and build the COYC in 1971. In 2002, Logan County pulled out of the agreement and built JDC. At that time, the move came as a surprise to the other counties. Schmenk said Logan County’s decision “made it difficult” for the other counties because they had planned on Logan County paying its share of the budget. Additionally, Logan County asked for a payout of its portion of the facility’s financial reserve. Eventually the partnership paid Logan County $100,000.
Schmenk said she was not on the board at the time, but knows things were “contentious.”
Since the move, however, Logan County officials said changes in state priorities for juvenile justice changed the way their facility operated and its finances. Officials said the center would require more than a million to operate in 2022.
For more than two years, however, Logan County officials have been exploring options to cut costs and keep the facility open. While the center can host as many as 36 juveniles, last year it averaged just eight detainees per day. The center has, in the past, taken juveniles from other counties.
The commissioners, as well as juvenile judges in the county, said it would be a better use of taxpayer money to close the facility, partner with COYC and use some of the savings to fund creation and expansion of alternative programs to help at-risk children and families.
Burke and Schmenk said there are still people who remember Logan County’s decision to pull out of COYC. They stressed the county has new judges and new commissioners.
Schmenk said the agreement requires a one-year written notice and includes financial terms of a withdraw along with other, “provisions in there should they want to leave again.”
Union County Commissioner Dave Burke said “everyone is a winner.”
Logan County is going to going to save money,” Burke said. “Their juveniles are going to get the care and the quality reform that we all thing a juvenile facility should be.”
Schmenk said the agreement will, “allow us to spread the cost.”
“We hope there will be a decrease in cost to the taxpayers of Union County as we add a partner,” she said.
Burke said the move will also help COYC “shore up some of our staffing issues through increased salaries.”
During discussions about the future of the JDC, Logan County Sheriff Randall Dodds, whose office staffs and manages the facility, said he has struggled to staff it and the Logan County Jail.
“There is really no negatives that has happened here,” Burke said.
He added that he believes Logan County rejoining the agreement is “one of the most positive things that has happened in this space.”
Schmenk told Landon that Logan County’s decision is “a testament and a compliment to the way you run COYC.”
She said the communities and the judges share similar “philosophies” about juvenile justice.
“We do feel like we have really good relationships with them already,” Schmenk said, citing that Union County already works with Logan County on a variety of projects.
Logan County officials say they hope the JDC facility can be used to house some of the planned alternative programs.