Spokane County move could close Martin Hall

Spokane County’s decision to deny the budget put forth for operations at Martin Hall has put the fate of the multi-county juvenile detention center back in doubt.

Whitman County Commissioner Pat O’Neill reported Monday that Spokane County Commissioner Al French told the nine-county board of directors at its meeting last Thursday, Oct. 25, his county’s commission would not approve the proposed $1.8 million operating budget for 2013.

O’Neill said Spokane County’s budget denial was intended to nullify the interlocal agreement that governs Martin Hall and put the detention center “in mothballs.”

“With them not approving the budget, I guess they figure that’s their way out,” said O’Neill.

O’Neill represents Whitman County on the Martin Hall board of directors.

Spokane Commissioner French did not return Gazette phone calls for comment.

Spokane County has its own juvenile detention facility and uses Martin Hall as a backup to hold overflow juveniles, said O’Neill.

The interlocal agreement that created Martin Hall requires each county’s commissioners approve the operating budget.

O’Neill reported the board voted 7 to 1 to bring the budget proposal back to each county’s commissioners for approval. Spokane dissented. Adams County’s representative was not in attendance.

“That budget’s right down to bare bones,” O’Neill said of the 2013 budget for Martin Hall.

Spokane County reserves five beds a day for its juvenilles. In 2013, the total of 1,825 reserved spots obligates Spokane County to $282,875.

Whitman County is slated for 912.5 reserved beds this year, a cost of $141,437.50.

O’Neill reported Asotin, Douglas and Spokane counties were in favor of mothballing Martin Hall in a straw poll taken at last week’s meeting. Whitman, Lincoln, Pend Oreille, Stevens and Ferry counties voted to keep it running.

A Democrat up for re-election in next Tuesday’s election, O’Neill said Martin Hall has a real success rate, and its management, community, counseling and correctional services, has good relationships with most of the counties.

“I really want to keep this facility open,” said O’Neill. “This is the right thing to do for our juveniles from the county.”

The 2013 budget proposed by CCCS dropped rates charged to member counties from the $175 per bed per day this year to $155 next year. The firm is also transporting juveniles to and from the center instead of having county employees drive them back and forth.

Republican Dean Kinzer of Ewartsville, challenge to O’Neill for the District 2 commission seat, said he has reports of other facilities charging rates well below Martin Hall’s.

“Are there other places? I think that’s something that’s well worth looking at,” said Kinzer. “If the county could be saving $50,000, $60,000 a year, it might be better to put Martin Hall in mothballs.”

Whitman, Adams, Asotin, Douglas, Ferry, Lincoln, Pend Oreille, Spokane and Stevens formed the Martin Hall consortium in 1995. Each county issued bonds to renovate a former residence hall at Lakeland Village into the detention facility. Whitman County will pay off those bonds in 2016.

In September, the member counties voted to keep the facility open for one more year. They had considered closing Martin Hall because the number of youths being housed there has not been enough to cover operating costs.