Unpaid BIA juvenile bills deplete Martin Hall reserves

If the Bureau of Indian Affairs doesn’t pay its bill at Martin Hall, the juvenile corrections facility could close.

Whitman County Commissioner Art Swannack reported Monday morning that the BIA, who pays the bills for the three tribes that house juveniles at Martin Hall Juvenile Detention Center in Medical Lake, is $300,000 behind in payments from October through April.

Nez Perce, Coeur d’Alene and Yakama tribes use Martin Hall.

The area counties who house juveniles at Martin are all paying operation bills and that revenue has been keeping the hall operational for the time being, Swannack said...