Settlement reached. Franklin juvenile offenders to be sent 100 miles away
Tri-Cities leaders have reached a settlement to dissolve the bi-county juvenile justice services partnership.
The move paves the way for teens arrested in Pasco to be taken to a regional detention center more than 100 miles away in effort to save Franklin County millions of dollars.
The agreement was reached after Benton County filed a lawsuit in Yakima County Superior Court to stop Franklin from immediately exiting the partnership, despite opposition from the Benton Franklin Superior Court and a 10-year contract in place through 2033.
Franklin County Commissioners voted Tuesday at a special called meeting to agree to a settlement with Benton County on dissolving the contract.
The juvenile services agreement will run through the end of March, and Franklin will be able to start shifting to Martin Hall in Medical Lake by April.
Franklin County Administrator Brian Dansel said there was still work to be done when it came to getting the Superior Court judges on board, and it will take some time to officially end the lawsuit.
Dansel said it will benefit taxpayers and allow both counties to operate autonomously, eventually allowing Franklin the ability to save enough money to build its own juvenile facility.
Under a plan sent to the Superior Court, Franklin County intends to set aside a portion of the estimate $2.5 million savings each year. If they’re able to save the high end of that range, they could begin facility planning in five years.
Franklin County Jail Commander Keilen Harmon also submitted a plan to silo off an intake area of the current adult jail for juveniles.
State law allows juveniles to temporarily be held in adult facilities until they can be evaluated and transferred, but they cannot be within “sight or sound” of adult inmates.
Settlement agreement
The settlement offer from Benton County would see the bi-county agreement end at midnight on March 31.
Benton County Administrator Jerrod MacPherson wrote to Dansel last Thursday to discuss the settlement.
MacPherson said it was evident that Franklin County was intent on pursuing a path toward independent administration of juvenile services, and it was in both parties’ best interest to find a solution.
“Given this clear direction, Benton County believes there is no benefit to the taxpayers of either jurisdiction being forced to endure protracted litigation or expensive, time-consuming mediation if the parties can resolve their differences sooner,” MacPherson wrote.
Franklin County will continue paying its regular $215,000 payments to Benton County during that time period.
They also agreed to share the cost of negotiating with the union for bi-county juvenile services employees. Franklin County will pay an estimated $100,000, which will be offset by an $85,000 credit owed to Franklin County, leaving them a $15,000 bill.
The resolution directs Franklin County staff to work with the Benton Franklin Superior Court judges to ensure a seamless transition of services. They also committed to working with Benton County staff to ensure the “clean break” in services rolls out smoothly.
The next step will be finalizing and filing the negotiated settlement to send the lawsuit filed in Yakima County Superior Court.
