Codington County Approves $177,000 for Watertown Boys and Girls Club Youth Diversion Program

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Smiling diverse kids huddle in a circle outdoors against blue sky; logos read Codington County South Dakota and Northeast Radio SD.

Northeast Radio SD News – Watertown, SD - The Codington County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2026, unanimously approved the allocation of $177,000 in state Juvenile Justice Reinvestment Initiative (JJRI) funds to the Watertown Boys and Girls Club to support local youth diversion programming.

State’s Attorney Alison Trauba presented the request to the commission, explaining that the county receives funds annually from the State of South Dakota based on successful juvenile diversions. The money is placed into the State’s Attorney’s Office budget solely as a pass-through fund before being reinvested into the community’s diversion program for the upcoming year.

“We’re still seeing a number of successful diversions,” Trauba told the commission. “We have one of the most successful diversion programs in the state, and so we simply take that money and reinvest it for the next year’s worth of diversion programs.”

While the $177,000 distribution is down slightly from the prior year, the funding continues to back the county’s partnership with the Watertown Boys and Girls Club.

The board handled the funding in two formal actions from the agenda:

· Allocation to Watertown Boys and Girls Club: Commissioner Lee Gabel made the motion to allocate the JJRI funds to the Watertown Boys and Girls Club, seconded by Commissioner Tyler McElhany. The motion passed unanimously.

· Automatic Budget Supplement: Under Agenda Item 17, McElhany moved to approve the corresponding $177,000.00 automatic budget supplement for the State’s Attorney’s Office, which was seconded by Commissioner Myron Johnson and passed unanimously.