WICHITA (AP) – Sedgwick County officials have been considering closing a facility for juvenile offenders in order to address budget constraints.

The Wichita Eagle reports that the Sedgwick County Commission has been weighing the possibility of closing the Judge Riddel Boys Ranch to help deal with the county’s $9.5 million deficit.

Commissioner Dave Unruh says closing the facility gets the county closer to meeting its budget goals. Closing the ranch would save the county between $1 million and $2 million a year. The county’s 2012 budget was $412 million.

The 51-year-old facility is considered a model program for helping prevent seriously troubled juveniles not committing more crimes.

A judge who oversees the court’s juvenile department said that closing the Boys Ranch would be a “huge loss.”