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Richland County HHS reports strong audit results, key hires and $65,260 remaining in ARPA funds
Summary
The Richland County Health and Human Services director reported high audit scores for children's and nutrition programs, two imminent hires in economic support, a nearly closed 2024 expenditure year, a $65,260 ARPA balance and plans to form an employee wellness committee after a smaller 2024 staff survey response.
Tricia, HHS director, told the Richland County Community Health and Services Standing Committee that the department’s children’s long-term supports program received a 94.4% score on its records review audit and that the nutrition program’s most recent assessment for federal fiscal years 2022–2024 returned a positive report praising meal services and regulatory compliance.
The report also covered staffing and finances. Tricia said the department has offered two candidates positions in economic support who are scheduled to start March 17, which will make that unit fully staffed. Stephanie, who oversees HHS expenditures, said the department has finished most 2024 bill-paying and expects to close the year with a core balance of about $195,000. "We're gonna end up with a core balance of about 195,000. That's what I'm coming up with," Stephanie said.
Tricia described ARPA spending status and next steps: after accounting for claims and projected needs, the department has about $65,260 remaining in ARPA funds to allocate, and staff plan to consult with the state on allowable uses and prepare new contracts for continuing public-health related activities in 2025.
On contract oversight, Tricia told committee members that the county’s policy changed last year so only contracts above $100,000 now come to the committee for approval; the department will continue to provide a contract-monitoring report listing active agreements and those still under finalization. She also said that children’s long-term support (CLTS) contracts are now completed by the state and that a provider directory is available for program participants.
The committee also reviewed internal survey results for 2024. Tricia said the department received 27 responses in 2024, down from 36 in 2023. Fifteen respondents supported forming an employee wellness committee; the leadership plans to pilot a monthly, low-effort event in 2025. The survey highlighted recurring themes: flexibility, coworker support, communication and concerns about coordination between units. Tricia said she plans follow-up conversations with unit managers to clarify issues reported anonymously on unit-level responses.
Committee members asked clarifying questions about how ARPA funds are claimed and reimbursements submitted. Tricia and Stephanie said ARPA claims are submitted to the state for reimbursement; the county received an allocation that the department draws down via claims and reporting.
The department highlighted additional program details: the child and youth services unit documented face-to-face contacts with children in out-of-home care at a 99.56% compliance rate for federal fiscal year 2024, an improvement from earlier years when the agency had been on a corrective plan with the state.
Tricia and staff named individual employees involved in programs but did not propose new county policy at the meeting. The committee did not take formal action on any of the program updates; the items were provided for oversight and information.
Ending: The committee asked staff to return with any required contract documents and to proceed with ARPA contracting and the staff wellness initiative; no formal votes or directives changing policy were taken during the presentation.
