Maury juvenile petitions almost double, leading to need for new staff position
The Maury County Budget Committee heard the initial budget proposals for all county departments last week in preparation for the upcoming fiscal year.
Population growth is causing some county departments to need more funding and personnel compared to the previous fiscal year, according to multiple department heads.
The county clerk's office, juvenile court and building and zoning supervisors have asked for new part-time or full-time personnel, for example as well as several other departments.
The budget committee approved the proposals for the new positions in all departments on Thursday, except for one requested new position ay the county animal shelter.
Juvenile petitions almost doubled
Maury County Juvenile Court has experienced an increase of almost double in petitions filed over the past two and a half years, leading to the need for a new full-time employee to help handle the juvenile cases.
According to Sandy McClain, circuit court clerk, the number of juvenile criminal petitions filed has jumped from 603 in 2020 to 951 in 2021. Now, the court averages about 80 cases a month, she said.
"Due to the rising volume and the county growing considerably, [the position is needed]," McClain said. "The biggest growth in volume is juvenile."
She also shared that Pinewood Springs Mental & Health Services facility has received an increase in mental health court orders over the past three years — another number that has doubled.
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In February of 2020, the court ordered approximately 310 placements, while in 2021, the facility received 613. The facility is on track to receive about 1,000 this year.
Pinewood Springs is a joint venture mental health and wellness hospital operated by HCA Healthcare’s TriStar Health and Maury Regional Medical Center. The therapeutic hospital serves the mental health needs of both adolescent and adult patients. A broad range of inpatient and outpatient services are offered to treat individuals with mood, thought, and co–occurring disorders.
Jessica Elam, executive director of CASA of Maury County, said the increased need for juvenile services is also reflected in the number of children the nonprofit serves in the foster care system each year.
The number of children in foster care that CASA serves has also doubled over the past three years, from 29 in 2019 to 57 in 2022.
Elam said county funding is critical in helping children to find a safe and healthy home and stay on a productive path. According to Elam, if a child receives CASA services, his or her time in state custody is decreased on average by eight months and he or she is 25% more likely to end up in the juvenile criminal court system in the future.
Final approval of the proposed departmental budgets, including new positions, is required by the Maury County Commission later this spring.
The budget committee will hear budget proposals from county departments again on May 24.
This article originally appeared on The Daily Herald: Maury County juvenile petitions double, more employees needed
