Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Pine County health director warns state, federal changes will increase local costs
Summary
Pine County Health and Human Services director Becky Fassen told the County Board that mandated programs — especially children's services, out‑of‑home placements and SNAP administration — are underfunded and that pending state and federal rule changes could increase local levy pressure in 2027–2029.
Becky Fassen, director of Pine County Health and Human Services, told the Pine County Board on a presentation that the department relies on a mix of non‑levy and levy funds and that several mandated services are underfunded and likely to increase county costs over the next three years.
Fassen said non‑levy funding (federal, state, grants and reimbursements) makes up the largest share of the HHS budget but that the tax levy still pays for core, unreimbursed obligations such as out‑of‑home placements, county burial costs and administrative portions of required services.
Fassen outlined the department’s three main program areas — social services, income maintenance and public health — and said social services consumes the largest share of the budget and the majority of county levy dollars. She told the board that out‑of‑home placements can be costly — “about $1,500 to $2,000 a day” — and that…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
