Dunn County human services budget shows shifting figures as board hears public hearing overview

Paula (Human Services director) opened the Aug. 21 public hearing on the Dunn County Human Services proposed 2026 budget and told the board the levy request and overall numbers have shifted several times during the drafting process. She said the department initially identified an additional levy request in the low hundreds of thousands but presented several revised figures during the meeting as new information arrived.

The budget matters because changes to grant funding and state reimbursement rules affect what programs the county can sustain and how much taxpayer levy must cover. Human Services staff told the board they removed two full-time positions from the draft to reflect discontinuing grants, moved staff and expenses between programs, and incorporated estimated salary and fringe increases.

Paula said one of the major changes was the end of the first-episode psychosis grant: staff working under that grant will move to Medicaid-billable provider roles (CCS) and the county…