Grant pays one diversion officer’s salary as county outlines diversion program funding

At a county budget review, staff said a grant will pay the full salary of one diversion officer and roughly one-third of another, and that the county receives a small fee from Howard County for diversion work.
The discussion matters because staffing and external reimbursements determine whether the county can sustain diversion services without cutting other operating items.
Staff described the current funding split and caseload: “a 100%,” Speaker 6 said, “of Justin's salary and about 1 third of Robin's salary.” Staff also said the county receives $2,000 from Howard County for diversion work.
Program staff said the unit worked with about 171 youths last year. “Like, last year, we had about a 171 kids,” Speaker 5 said, noting that that total includes city leases (as transcribed).
County staff described salaries that are reimbursed by grant funding and by interlocal agreements; one line item discussed will cover a diversion officer's salary. No formal vote or budget adoption on the diversion program occurred during the discussion.
Speakers raised staffing-resource links: the level of reimbursement affects how many diversion officers the county can support and whether other operating expenses remain unchanged. No new policy direction or formal motion was recorded during this segment.
The county did not provide an updated pending decision date for additional funding or service changes during the remarks.