**Grand Forks County Approves New Position for Regional Youth Assessment Center Amid Funding Discussions**
Grand Forks County commissioners on Tuesday approved the addition of a new full-time staff position for the Regional Youth Assessment Center (YAC). The move was part of the county’s 2026 budget and aims to address the state’s request for more full-time personnel at the facility. However, the topic sparked discussion regarding whether other entities that utilize the YAC should contribute financially to support the center.
The vote held on Monday focused on approving an employee status form related to the new position. Commissioner Terry Bjerke expressed concerns about the decision, primarily due to the department’s high expenditures compared to its revenue. He noted that expenses run approximately $2 million while revenue is just over $600,000.
“As far as I’m concerned, if they want to hire another person there to take care of all this, I’m more than willing to take the check from the state to pay for it,” Bjerke said. “I don’t think it should come from the county taxpayers.”
The salary for the newly added YAC position was not included in the meeting’s agenda documents. Commissioner Cynthia Pic highlighted that denying the employee status form would be challenging since the position had already been approved in the 2026 budget.
“A majority of the adolescents that are served in our Youth Assessment Center are citizens from Grand Forks County,” Pic remarked.
County Administrator Tom Ford shared that Robin Spain, YAC administrator, has already hired someone to fill the new role. The vote to approve the status change passed 4-1, with Bjerke cast as the sole dissenting vote. Other commissioners expressed openness to discussing potential negotiations for increased funding from the state or other YAC partners.
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**Sheriff’s Office Building Update: Repairs Underway, Leasing Concerns Raised**
In related business, Director of Facilities Bill Gerszewski and Sheriff Andy Schneider provided an update on the new sheriff’s office building, including pending repairs that remain outstanding from the building contractor, Heartland Acres Development.
“Some of them have been met. Of 19 items that I had, we are solid with six completed,” Gerszewski said.
Most of the remaining fixes, according to Gerszewski and Schneider, involve larger or more complex problems, such as a roof leak. Schneider noted that the contractor has been maintaining more routine upkeep effectively.
Schneider also voiced uncertainty about the sheriff’s office’s ability to request maintenance on certain issues, given that the county is currently leasing the facility.
“We can make a request for certain things to be changed, but if they weren’t part of a [request for proposal] or if they’re not really impacting overall business, can we really request that at this time?” he explained.
Commissioner Bjerke suggested that the county discuss the duration of the lease with Heartland Acres, warning that leasing for longer than necessary could be “money going down the drain.”
According to the lease agreement, the rent for the building is $519,000 annually, with an additional $12,000 per year allocated for maintenance. The lease also includes an option to purchase the building as soon as five years after the agreement took effect.
Schneider commented on the purchase option, expressing a preference to spend more time operating in the new facility before considering buying it.
“I’d like to at least see two years out of the place before we’re talking about buying it. That’s just me personally,” he said.
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**Additional Commission Updates**
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