Cumberland County approves contract adjustments for Children & Youth services, including IRS mileage updates

The Cumberland County Board of Commissioners approved May 23 contract updates for several Children & Youth service providers, including pay and transportation reimbursement changes.

Jamie Ryver, presenting for Children & Youth, said City Mission Livingstone Inc. — which provides residential services — is increasing its group‑home and transitional‑living service rates by 9.96% and increasing transportation reimbursement to the IRS standard of $0.70 per mile. Ryver said the provider cited rising insurance, utilities and staff‑wage costs as reasons for the request. She also noted that Outside In School of Experiential Education will hold its program rates constant but will increase travel reimbursement to the IRS $0.70 rate.

Why it matters: Children & Youth providers deliver out‑of‑home and in‑home services to vulnerable youth. Rate and mileage changes affect provider budgets and county contract costs; the county’s adjustment to mirror the IRS per‑mile rate is likely to result in mileage increases across multiple contracted services.

Details and vote: Ryver said some providers asked for larger increases and that county staff are negotiating with those vendors; others requested modest or no increases. The commissioners approved the set of contracts on the consent agenda by voice vote.

What’s next: County staff said they expect additional contract increases in the 2025–26 cycle as providers adjust to higher operating costs. The county will continue to negotiate larger‑than‑requested increases where appropriate and present contracts for approval per usual procurement procedures.