ELYRIA, Ohio — A legal battle is brewing over budget cuts in Lorain County. Both the County Board of Commissioners and the Lorain County Domestic Relations Court have retained legal representation over the court’s 2026 budget.
Over the weekend, Turning Point Youth Shelter shut down after the court-run program received no county funding for 2026. The facility provided short-term shelter and counseling for young people affected by domestic disputes, abuse or other court proceedings.
"Tonight I might get a girl who’s been trafficked and I might have to put her in the [detention home]… or a little boy who’s been hit or beaten or something, and we don’t have a placement for him,” said Judge Lisa Swenski.
She told News 5 the impact of the closure will be immediate and said she’s frustrated by the way it was handled by county leaders.
"Every step of the way, they undercut us in every way that they could,” Swenski said.
She said the court did not ask for an increased budget for 2026 and had positive conversations with the county commissioners when it presented its proposed budget in December.
As is protocol, the court issued a court order for the commissioners to approve the budget several weeks after the initial presentation. Swenski said she was then shocked when court administrators saw the commissioners were hiring attorneys to challenge the court-ordered budget.
She said it wasn’t until mid-January that the court was made aware that the Commission did not plan to fund Turning Point at all.
"They haven’t notified us of anything, and they, in my opinion, have acted in complete and total bad faith,” said Swenski.
The judge addressed the commissioners during their meeting on Friday, where the group approved the court’s request to hire its own legal representation.
"In my opinion, it goes both ways there,” Commissioner Marty Gallagher said to Swenski Friday.
She responded, “You told us you love [our budget]. We waited three weeks.”
Gallagher said, "Right, but we also had people after you. And that budget was not to be determined until we got everybody together.”
Following initial budget conversations, the commissioners said county agencies and departments were able to absorb some of the $11 million budget shortfall. Gallagher said the county still had to trim at least $7 million and looked to do so from unmandated programs, such as the Turning Point Youth Shelter.
Swenski told News 5 it felt as though the commissioners were deliberately keeping the court in the dark about their decisions.
"We had zero time to reconfigure it so that we could continue to serve people in some capacity, serve the communities in Lorain County,” she said.
The commissioners were not available for on-camera interviews on Monday, but reiterated via phone that they hoped to avoid litigation.
On Friday, Commissioner Jeff Riddell said, "[I hope we can] form a three-way conversation and we can negotiate something. But any dollar that goes to this project or additional to the court will have to come out of another part of the county.”
Swenski agreed that the legal fees tied to the ensuing court battle are a waste of taxpayer money. She said she worried some of the most vulnerable residents would pay the higher price.
"You don’t go into government to make money. You go because you care about people,” she said.
Commissioners have pointed to a failed sales tax levy rejected by voters in November 2025 as a reason for the county’s financial situation. They said they’re considering bringing a similar proposal to voters this fall.
Catherine Ross is the Lorain County reporter at News 5 Cleveland. Follow her on X @CatherineRossTV, on Facebook CatherineRossTV or email her at Catherine.Ross@wews.com.
