County hears budget requests from WAVI, Humane Society, Child Advocacy Center and Complete Health

Pennington County commissioners heard budget presentations July 15 from several outside agencies that provide social, public‑safety and health services, and discussed the roles those non‑county providers play in county service delivery.

WAVI (Working Against Violence Inc.): Linda Schroll, WAVI executive director, and Carrie Berard, WAVI finance director, requested that the county continue funding the organization and asked for a specific contribution of $47,000 to cover 67% of the cost of a case manager embedded at the Public Safety Building; WAVI also asked to continue receiving the county’s portion of marriage and divorce filing fees that the agency has used to support 24/7 shelter and related services. WAVI staff described emergency shelter, legal advocacy, crisis‑care and outreach services and said the case manager receives law enforcement reports and helps survivors connect to services.

Humane Society of the Black Hills: Tammy Barrows, the shelter’s executive director, requested a $166,000 county contribution for 2026 based on an earlier discussion that the county should cover a share of operational costs. County staff and the sheriff recounted a history of contracting and reporting: the county historically paid about $50,000 annually for animal control services, then negotiated a larger amount in recent years; the sheriff’s office said it needs a contracted partner to handle animal control work rather than deputies. Commissioners pressed for improved financial transparency and for a county commissioner to sit on the humane society board to review operating assumptions before the county makes larger funding commitments. County staff later noted the current working figure in county budget materials was $108,000 for 2026 and asked the humane society to provide updated financial materials.

Children’s Home Society (Child Advocacy Center): Jessica Breuer and Christy Keffler summarized child‑focused services: forensic interviews, multidisciplinary investigation support, family advocacy and prevention education. They said the child advocacy center conducted about 347 interviews in 2024 and that the county’s historic contribution (about $10,000 annually) supports interviews and advocacy; the agency estimated the minimum per‑interview cost is roughly $1,000–$1,500 and said county funding leverages other donor and federal VOCA income to sustain the program.

Complete Health (federally qualified health center): CEO David Traddart briefed commissioners on the clinic’s role as a safety‑net provider — primary care, dental, behavioral health and pharmacy services — noting the clinic serves insured and uninsured residents and helps avoid preventable emergency‑room use. He said county pharmacy and co‑pay assistance funds act as leverage: for every county dollar used to subsidize a patient co‑pay, Complete Health can bill and create several dollars of revenue to sustain broader services. Traddart cautioned that federal grant funding has been flat while demand and operating costs have risen, and he described contingency steps (service consolidation, staffing freezes) if funding decreases.

Board reaction and next steps: commissioners expressed support for several programs but pressed for fiscal documentation and clearer reporting before making larger or recurring budget commitments. The Humane Society was asked to provide more detailed financials and to accept a county representative on its board; WAVI, the Children’s Home Society and Complete Health were asked to provide follow‑up budget documentation in time for the provisional budget hearing scheduled for July 23.

Ending: County staff will collect agency financial materials and include vetted outside‑agency requests in the provisional budget documents to be discussed at the special July 23 meeting.