ALLENTOWN, Pa. – The Lehigh County Board of Commissioners on Wednesday introduced an ordinance that would approve an intergovernmental agreement to establish a regional youth detention center with three other Pennsylvania counties.
The proposal calls for Lehigh County to join Berks, Dauphin and Lackawanna counties in creating the Southeast Youth Detention Agency to operate a detention facility in Berks County.
Under the proposed 20-year agreement, each county would pay one-quarter of the facility’s operating costs, including construction-related debt payments. The center would have at least 40 beds, with 10 beds allocated to each participating county.
Officials estimate the facility will cost about $10.5 million annually to operate, with each county responsible for roughly $2.6 million.
The measure received mixed reactions during its first reading.
Commissioner Antonio Pineda urged support for the agreement.
“A ‘no’ vote on this agreement continues the status quo, which is clearly unacceptable,” Pineda said.
Commissioner Dan Hartzell also backed the proposal, citing the benefits of a regional approach.
“Regionalization is the way to go,” Hartzell said. “I think everybody is on the same page of being earnest and trying to work together.”
“It would be a major blunder not to take this opportunity,” he added.
The annual cost to run it is estimated at 10.5 million dollars, with each county paying 2.6 million.
Other commissioners expressed concerns about the long-term commitment and potential costs.
Commissioner Jon Irons questioned the 20-year agreement, noting that the needs of young people and communities can change over time.
“We know that the challenges facing young people in this community are ever-changing,” Irons said. “We have to see a way forward that is not looking backward.”
Commissioner Sarah Fevig said a shorter agreement might offer more flexibility.
“If it were five years, it gives us flexibility as a county,” she said.
County Executive Josh Siegel previously said the need for a publicly operated regional facility became clearer after challenges working with existing providers, including the Abraxis detention facility in Berks County.
“Abraxis is a not-for-profit detention operation that has a lot of troubling issues,” Siegel said previously, citing licensing concerns and other operational problems.
Commissioner Ron Beitler also addressed issues regarding privatized detention facilities.
“Of all the things that should not be privatized, it is detention,” Beitler said.
According to county documents, the regional facility is also intended to address a statewide shortage of juvenile detention beds that has forced some counties to release youths who would otherwise be detained.
Siegel said declining juvenile detention numbers also factored into the regional model. In Lehigh County, an average of about five youths per day require detention.
“Our diversion program has been so successful that we didn’t need a facility with 100-plus beds,” Siegel previously said. “The more that we can keep kids at home and housed in their own community with their family and divert them from detention, the better.”
President Judge Douglas G. Reichley said county participation in a new facility could help regulate costs while providing a safer option for juveniles.
Officials said discussions about the regional agreement have been underway for about two years.
Some speakers during public comment on Wednesday urged commissioners to slow the process and explore alternatives closer to home.
“It’s better to keep them home and keep them close,” said criminal defense attorney Ettore “Ed” Angelo.
Resident Sharon Finnegan also urged caution.
“Let’s give this time,” she said. “There are other choices than detention.”
The proposed facility would be located at a Berks County-owned site on County Welfare Road in Leesport. Renovation and operating costs would be split among Berks, Lehigh, Dauphin and Lackawanna counties.
The Southeast Youth Detention Agency would be governed by a 12-member council representing the participating counties.
Commissioners are scheduled to hold a final reading and vote on the ordinance on April 22.
Paid parental leave
A paid parental leave policy for county employees also had its first reading on Wednesday.
The measure would provide for an eight-week paid parental leave policy to eligible employees “to allow new parents to have time to bond with their child,” according to county documents.
The policy is intended not only to help county employees but to aid in county employee retention and recruitment efforts.
Appointments
In other business on Wednesday, commissioners confirmed several appointments, including Ara Barlieb and Briana Gaumer to the Aging and Adult Services Advisory Council, Vicky Kistler to the Lehigh and Northampton Transportation Authority, Vijay Singh to the Lehigh County Authority, Joshua Bridges as director of Human Services and Jeffrey Smith as Warden II of the Department of Corrections.