At the August 4 Lancaster County Commissioners Work Session, Children and Youth Agency (CYA) Director Crystal Gingrich presented the Commissioners with the CYA’s 2009-2010 budget implementation as well as the 2010-2011 needs-based budget request. 2010-11 budget expenditures are projected to increase by about $1.1 million; however, the County share is projected to decrease by more than $400,000.
David Mueller, who directs the Juvenile Probation Office, described some of the ways that the agency has refined its services to “find every avenue to save dollars and keep the community safe at the same time”:
“This budget includes, in the needs-based year, an idea of our evening reporting center, which is an alternative to secured detention, where juveniles report and are supervised and receive social services while they are pending court. So, instead of being at the detention center, they’re at this reporting center….We also continue to use multi-systemic therapy, which is an evidence-based program….Last year we utilized it with over 80 kids with an 85% success rate.”
The CYA works toward the stated mission to “protect the health, permanency, safety, and emotional well-being of children at risk….” Some other key services provided are abuse and neglect investigations, in-home protective services, out-of-home placement services (foster care), adoption, and parent eduction support. (To learn more about the CYA, read this NewsLanc article about Gingrich’s April 29 presentation to the Commissioners.)
Also at the Work Session, Deputy Court Administrator Tom Weaver requested that the Commissioners approve an agreement to lease a 3,204 square foot office space as the new location for Magisterial District Court. The space is located at 796 New Holland Ave, within Grandview Plaza.
According to Weaver, the arrangement at Grandview comes at the end of a long and laborious search for a tenable location within the 2nd or 6th ward of Lancaster City. Many landlords simply did not want their space used for a district court. Previously considered locations include the Burle complex, the Red Rose Transit authority, and the former police station.
It was also announced that, pending a Wednesday vote, the County’s Chief Clerk, Andrea McCue will temporarily serve as the County’s Human Resources Director.
