By JIM BUTLER

A legislative panel meets Thursday to consider funding for expanding youthful offender facilities, including $38 million for Renaissance Juvenile Detention.

Money was allocated last year by the Legislature to provide more detention capability, particularly for 17-year-olds awaiting trial or convicted.

Sheriff Mark Wood and his counterparts in seven other area parishes drafted the expansion plan and will oversee it.

Renaissance cleared its first formal hurdle last Thursday when a legislative advisory committee recommended it and three other proposals for this initial funding round.

Working in Renaissance’s favor were such factors as the just-renewed property tax for its maintenance and operation that provides dedicated revenue, as well as the fact it has land available for the addition. 

The revenue from Rapides and the other parishes and payments for housing state-assigned offenders (17 beds held in reserve for such use) will pay operation costs.

As reported initially reported by the Rapides Parish Journal in December, Rapides, Grant, Avoyelles, LaSalle, Vernon, Winn, Catahoula and Concordia will kick in a total of $2.67 million for the proposed operating budget of the expanded facility and the state Office of Juvenile Justice $1.55 million in guaranteed daily bed rate (30% of the beds reserved for OJJ), according to the proposal submitted to the Division of Administration.

Rapides will contribute about $2.2 million of the local funding through Renaissance’s just-renewed property tax.

The expansion of the current facility at Bayou Rapides Road and Vandenburg Drive will add 56 beds.

About $500 million in requests were submitted for funding, several having nothing to do with the juvenile justice system, and underwent screening and scoring by Division of Administration staff and state/local stakeholders.

Once scored on the pre-determined point system, the applications went to the Criminal Justice Priority Funding Commission.

Louisiana Illuminator first reported last week’s vote.