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Human Services seeks $6.6M general‑fund support to sustain core services, bolster staff
Summary
Human Services asked the board for roughly $6.6 million from general fund/fund balance to preserve core open‑door services, expand crisis assistance, maintain Meals on Wheels contracts and protect staff via training and mental‑health supports while realigning several positions to the general fund.
Katie McDougall, director of Human Services, outlined the department’s 2026 budget priorities and said the office is requesting roughly $6.6 million in general‑fund support (or increased use of the social services fund balance) to maintain operations and protect staff while pass‑through federal and state dollars hold steady.
McDougall said Human Services manages SNAP, Medicaid and child welfare programs and receives roughly $156 million in federal/state pass‑through funds; the social‑services mill levy and fund balance have traditionally covered county match requirements and local contracts. The department asked for funding increases across four priorities: maintain operations and crisis assistance, strengthen fiscal accountability, realign staffing costs to proper funding sources, and consolidate leases by co‑locating some services with the Health Department at the Aurora Services Center.
Community services proposals include increasing a county‑funded crisis assistance program from $100,000 to $300,000 to cover family emergency sheltering gaps and to account for declining TANF discretionary funds. McDougall said there is only one family shelter in the county; the requested increase is framed as bridging a potential gap in emergency shelter support.
Internal investments include funding to keep head‑start teacher ratios, mental‑health supports for staff ($150,000 requested), learning and development, and an allocation to cover salary alignment with other county staff (countywide wage increases were estimated as the largest portion of the request). McDougall said 84% of the general‑fund ask is tied to potential salary/benefit increases if the county adopts higher compensation levels that cannot be covered by passthrough funds.
The department also proposed moving six IT developer positions and one fleet/facilities project manager from the human services fund to the general fund (a net savings to the human services fund of about $985,000) because the duties were no longer exclusively related to federally funded programs.
Commissioners and staff discussed coordination across county departments (Community Safety & Well‑Being, health department, CED) and the complications of data sharing agreements. McDougall said the department is actively negotiating where county funds or fund balance should be used and flagged HR‑1 and other administrative changes that may increase workloads in 2027.
Ending
County staff said they will continue refining allocations between the general fund and social services fund balance and return with recommendations during the formal budget process.
