Sedgwick County officials lobby for juvenile funding
Sedgwick County manager Bill Buchanan and county corrections director Mark Masterson went to Topeka on Monday to talk with state officials about funding to keep the Judge Riddel Boys Ranch open.
The county was planning to close the Boys Ranch in 2013, but decided to keep it open another year and work to get funding from the state to continue operating the facility.
Assistant county manager Ron Holt said the group planned to meet with staff members in Governor Brownback's office, Juvenile Justice Authority leaders and state welfare officials. Holt said the group is making the case that the Boys Ranch has an impact on the juvenile system and the state prison system overall, by preventing youngsters from getting into trouble later in life and going into the adult system.
Holt says the county is hoping to get funding from the state legislature next year to continue programs at the Boys Ranch, but if that funding does not come through, the county will likely have to close the facility.
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