By Howard Fischer
Capitol Media Services
PHOENIX -- Details over how to make counties responsible for juvenile offenders are slowing efforts to enact a new state budget.
Lawmakers are unwilling to adopt the proposal by Gov. Jan Brewer to simply shutter the Department of Juvenile Corrections this summer and ship the youngsters now housed there back to their home counties. Senate President Bob Burns, R-Peoria, said there are too many details to be worked out to do it that quickly.
Burns said the process could take a few months longer.
But Sen. Russell Pearce, R-Mesa, said even that is overly aggressive.
He wants the transition delayed until at least next March. That would give lawmakers a chance to come back next January and make adjustments if necessary.
Actually, Pearce doesn't want the change at all. He would prefer to have the state keep running the facilities and simply bill the counties for youngsters they commit to the state.
That, however, isn't the direction the state appears to be heading.
Brewer had proposed immediate abolition of the agency in an effort to save $63.3 million.
But she said it wasn't only about the money. Brewer said there is evidence to believe that the rehabilitation programs work better when youngsters remain closer to home as opposed to being housed in one of the three state facilities, two in Maricopa County and one in Pima County.
That brought immediate complaints from county officials who said they not only don't have the money but don't have the facilities. Various federal laws prevent juveniles from being housed within earshot of adults.
With lawmakers lining up in opposition, Brewer relented on the timing -- but not the goal.
Under the new plan, Brewer would appoint a special commission to study the best way to dissolve the agency. Recommendations would go to Brewer in November, giving her and lawmakers some additional time to enact necessary legislation when they reconvene next year.
And the full cost would be borne by counties beginning July 1, 2012.
There would be some financial relief, though -- at least for the rural counties.
Under the deal, the state will take $20 million it intended to give to cities in revenue sharing and instead send it to the counties. Gubernatorial press aide Paul Senseman minimized the shift, saying that amounts to only 5 percent of what cities would otherwise get.
But Maricopa and Pima counties would be required to give the state a total of $22 million this coming budget year to help run the system, with about $3 million of that coming from Pima County.
Pearce said the plan still needs work.
He said the best situation would be for the state, which has the employees and the expertise, to continue to operate the system. Counties then would be required to pay a fee for each juvenile sent into the system to cover the state's costs.
Maricopa County Manager David Smith said that makes much more sense than having each county set up new facilities of its own. But he figures the cost to be spread out is closer to $50 million than the $63.3 million Brewer figures the state would save.
Pearce said there is precedent for that arrangement, noting that cities already pay counties for locking up people they arrest.
One alternative being considered would give the Adobe Mountain and Black Canyon schools to Maricopa County and the Catalina Mountain school to Pima County, with each county having to absorb the cost of operating them. Other counties then could contract with these two counties for housing their own juveniles.