Gary's Youth Services Bureau will do away with its director's position for a three-month period as part of a measure meant to ensure it can keep grants that will cover the position's salary in the future.

The Common Council on Monday voted 8-0 to approve a measure by which the bureau's budget was altered to reflect the change.

Parks Superintendent McKenya Dilworth told the council that a procedural glitch had occurred by which a grant that would have covered the position's salary was in danger of being lost because the Youth Services Bureau director's position has been vacant in recent months.

Dilworth said she has not been impressed with any of the applicants she has seen for the position, and she is willing to hold out until a qualified person comes along.

But to ensure the funding from Community Block Development Grant monies is not lost, Dilworth said she wants to take the $45,000 salary provided in the city budget for the director and split it up among four individuals who will do work to maintain the Youth Services Bureau programs.

Those individuals will be a recreational supervisor, a recreational coordinator and two recreational leaders. All of the positions will be part-time jobs, Dilworth said.

“We'll have people to provide much more in services,” she said.

Councilwoman LaVetta Sparks-Wade, D-6th, said during a Finance Committee session that reviewed the budget change that she was concerned about the move and how it could impact services provided to young people.

But council President Ronald Brewer said he understood that glitches such as what happened with the grant funds occur from time to time. “Sometimes, things just manage to fall through the cracks,” he said.

Gregory Tejeda is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.