Trustees OK funds for diversion post

By SHELBY SCHROEDER

The director is exploring the option of minority-only outreach, for which grant money is more abundant.

HOWLAND — Trustees have agreed to fund the township’s juvenile diversion program until January, when a decision must be made whether to cut the program.

Temporarily funding the juvenile diversion director’s position was among resolutions approved during Wednesday’s meeting at the township administration building.

Motions also were made to hire four part-time firefighters and to have a public hearing on a resolution banning vehicles on designated public lands.

Trustees approved the funding of Juvenile Diversion Director Karen Len-Hinely’s salary from Oct. 1 to Dec. 31. Len-Hinely has led the department for nearly 11 years now, helping troubled children and teenagers avoid the juvenile justice system by mentoring them on a weekly basis.

Len-Hinely receives referrals from the Howland Police Department and school officials to intervene when youth begin displaying misbehavior at home or in school.

Her employment through the years always has relied heavily on funding from the state, she said, but the loss of a three-year grant has put her job in danger.

“It’s unfortunate the money just isn’t there,” said Len-Hinely, who has lost hours, health benefits, sick days and vacation time because of the funding cuts. Trustees agreed to pay her at a rate of $17.91 per hour for the next three months.

She said state grants are often lost for youth programs and shifted toward efforts aimed at rehabilitating and treating criminals 18 and older.

“Early prevention [for troubled individuals] is the key,” she said. “But there seems to be priority in the adult justice system. Maybe we need to staff more prisons in the area.”

Though trustees cut her schedule to 20 hours per week, they will continue to pay her until Jan. 1, 2009. It will then be determined whether state or federal grants will pick up the costs of her salary. If the Juvenile Diversion Department receives too little grant money, or none at all, the program will be dissolved, trustees said.

Len-Hinely also is exploring the option of converting the department’s outreach to only minority residents, for which grant money is more abundant, she said.

The resolution to prevent residents from parking or driving on the township’s protected lands would bar all vehicles, including dirt bikes or all-terrain vehicles. A public hearing on the matter has been scheduled for 6 p.m. Oct. 8.

The four part-time firefighters would replace vacationing staff on an as-needed basis. Fire Chief George Brown will hire candidates with either paramedic or emergency medical technician backgrounds upon their completion of a physical and background check.

They would be paid $11.58 per hour.

sschroeder@vindy.com