Juvenile Department sees uptick in referrals

ALBANY — As the world rebounds from the past three years of the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of cases referred to the Linn County Juvenile Department is also rebounding, Director Torri Lynn told the Linn County Board of Commissioners Tuesday morning.

Commissioners Will Tucker and Sherrie Sprenger were present in the Board Room and Commissioner Roger Nyquist participated by telephone. 

Lynn said that in February, Linn County held 21 young people for 279 days and the average length of stay was more than 13 days. There were six young people from Benton County held for 52 days and five young people from Lincoln County held for 87 days.

Lynn said the young people are exhibiting more serious behavior issues and are spending more time at the facility.

The Juvenile Department received 26 referrals in February and there are 189 youth in the Probation Unit. Of those, 35 are assessed as high-risk.

Lynn said 67 youth are in the Community Programs Unit and the Intervention Specialist is working 85 young people, of which 82 have not been involved with law enforcement.

The Tier 1 work crew had three young people complete 85 hours of service projects and there were 20 Tier 2 youth who completed almost 472 hours of community service.

Commissioner Sherrie Sprenger asked Lynn if the county has adequate services to meet the needs of the young people, as the numbers increase.

She pointed to the county’s program where youth can attend heavy equipment training at the Detention Center and at the Knife River Training Center.

Lynn said the county is able to meet needs, but it is evident mental health services are increasingly important and needed. He said services will be ramped up as the need arises.

In other business, the commissioners:

• Approved hiring a Licensed Practical Nurse at Juvenile Detention. The position has traditionally been held by an RN-level nurse.
• Approved reducing the redemption period for a property at 685 West B. St., Lebanon (outside the city limits) which has been abandoned. The county has attempted to notify the owners numerous times without success. Squatters have moved onto the property and there have been several fires. Neighbors are concerned for their safety. The owners have not paid taxes since 2016. Without accelerating the redemption period, the county could not mitigate the site until Fall or Winter. The county will take deed to the property in 30 days.
• Approved purchasing an easement along Goldfish Farm Road for the Cox Creek Bridge replacement project for $13,249 from Patricia A. Stafford Parks.
• Approved the purchase of liquified asphalt emulsion from Western Emulsions Inc. for the 2023 chip seal projects.
• Approved a Zoning Map amendment for Laura Lynn White Revocable Trust on a 60.01-acre property, changing from EFU to Farm/Forest.
• Approved increasing the Veterans Suicide Prevention Grant by $4,000 for the Veterans Department; approved adding $29,000 to the Law Library Fund for the Eviction Prevention Grant; approved moving $40,000 the Operating Contingency fund to Other Contracted Services within Environmental Health.
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Media contact: Alex Paul, Linn County Communications Officer, 541-967-3825 or email apaul@co.linn.or.us.