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Home-care department requests $10,000 amendment after staffing shortages and wage adjustments
Summary
The county’s home-care operations reported staff shortfalls, recent hiring, and a $10,000 budget amendment request primarily to offset wage-step increases; supervisors were told services have been reduced temporarily while staffing stabilizes.
Deb reported that the home-care program experienced a difficult quarter after a staff injury and several turnover events. The department temporarily reduced some homemaker services and relied on existing staff to cover shifts. Deb said the department recently hired a new worker and is interviewing additional applicants but continues to have constrained hours for some clients.
To respond to wage-step increases adopted countywide, the home-care director requested a $10,000 budget amendment to cover staffing costs not anticipated when the budget was prepared. Deb told supervisors she had averaged projected expenditures and believed the amendment would allow the department to operate conservatively over the next three months without further changes.
Why it matters: the home-care program provides personal and homemaker care to residents who rely on contracted hours. Reduced referrals and fewer VA referrals have also driven a $40,000 reduction in expected revenue for the program, increasing pressure on the department’s budget.
Next steps: supervisors acknowledged the request and were told the amendment would likely be the last before the fiscal year ends if expenditures remain within the conservative projection.
