Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Budget And Placements topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
HHS budget on track through March; placement funds show lower early‑year spending
Summary
Health and Human Services reported first‑quarter expenses generally near expected 25% levels, with child and adult placement funds showing lower spending through March and projection caveats due to limited data.
Tracy Thorson, director of Richland County Health and Human Services, presented the department’s budget and placement reports covering the first quarter of 2022 and two months of placement data, saying most expense lines were near expected levels for the period but some units remained under budget due to vacancies or delayed invoices.
Thorson said administrative and public‑health expenses were in line with expectations; economic support was about 24% of its annual budget after three months. Child and Youth Services expenses were significantly below the 25% mark, which Thorson attributed to staff vacancies and unused contract services. Behavioral‑health expenses were low largely because contracted providers had not yet submitted invoices. Adult protective services showed virtual no expenses (2.2%) because the APS worker and the APS crisis half‑time position were unfilled for part of the year.
On placements, Thorson reported two months of adult crisis stabilization expenses totaling $11,250 and adult institutional/inpatient expenses of $46,181. Eight individuals received adult residential placements totaling $13,288 for the first two months. For children, institutional expenses were $48,302; group home and treatment foster care expenses were $77,192; regular foster care was $7,205. Thorson said placement funds started the year with tax levies of $785,000 (adult placement fund, fund 54) and $700,000 (children’s placement fund, fund 44) and that remaining balances after early spending were $714,282 and $567,301 respectively.
Thorson cautioned that year‑end projections based on only two months of placement data are not yet reliable and said more months of data are needed to form accurate trend estimates. She noted the county administrator and county board increased levy support for the two placement funds at budget time to $1,485,000 to better align budgeted placement levy with anticipated need.
Board members asked clarifying questions about crisis stabilization versus inpatient placements; Thorson explained crisis stabilization is a non‑hospital residential setting (for example, Tolarian Care Center sites in Madison and La Crosse) for 24‑hour monitoring and short‑term crisis care that is less intensive and less expensive than hospital inpatient care.
No formal action was taken on the budget report at the April 14 meeting.
