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Jefferson County to accept $150,000 grant to launch Financial Empowerment Center; county to contract with Community Action Coalition
Summary
The county will accept a $150,000 Cities for Financial Empowerment Fund grant to establish a Financial Empowerment Center and enter an agreement with the Community Action Coalition of South Central Wisconsin to provide counseling services; the board approved a budget amendment.
Jefferson County agreed to accept a $150,000 grant from the Cities for Financial Empowerment Fund, Inc. to establish a Financial Empowerment Center that will provide no‑cost, one‑on‑one financial counseling to residents.
Supervisor Jones, presenting the resolution, said Jefferson County “was awarded a hundred and 50,000 by the Cities for Financial Empowerment Fund Incorporated to implement the Jefferson County Financial Empowerment Center which will provide no cost professional 1 on 1 financial counseling as a public service to all residents.” The county plans to contract with the Community Action Coalition of South Central Wisconsin (CAC) to hire two full‑time counselors and a program manager to operate the center.
Under the proposal, Jefferson County would provide $100,000 in year one and $50,000 in year two to CAC as a pass‑through for operations; the remaining $50,000 of grant funding was budgeted for 2026. The county administrator also said additional funding sources are being pursued to offset the cost of the county's resource counseling specialist and that the finance committee recommended reevaluating the program after two years.
The resolution authorizes the county administrator to enter separate agreements: one to accept the $150,000 grant and another with CAC for operation of the center. It also amends the 2025 human services budget and authorizes the finance director to adjust revenues and expenditures for the pass‑through funding.
The county board recorded the required two‑thirds budget amendment vote; county staff reported the vote as 29 yes, 0 no when the tally was read.
The county plans an open house on May 21 to provide more information about the new service. County officials said the center will focus counseling on banking, savings, credit, debt and legacy planning.
No additional financial projections or performance metrics beyond the two‑year revaluation were included in the meeting record.
