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Committee reviews plan to run supervised visitation in-house; officials say move could save $100,000 annually
Summary
Social services proposed bringing supervised visitation in-house to expand hours and reduce costs; the department expects $100,000 in annual savings, would add three casual positions and incur one‑time infrastructure costs of about $15,228.
Krista outlined a proposed change to the supervised‑visitation service model for 2026, saying the department can operate supervised visitation in‑house at a lower hourly cost than the current contracted model and expand evening and weekend availability.
Krista said contracted visitation currently costs about $41 per hour; an internal delivery model would cost about $25.96 per hour (including benefits) using casual staff, and the county expects roughly $100,000 in annual savings by moving the service in‑house. She said the county would need to add three additional casual positions to support evening and weekend coverage and would repurpose existing county space, with one‑time infrastructure costs estimated at $15,228 for furniture and room prep.
Krista said in‑house delivery would allow the county to provide more visits for families involved in child‑welfare cases, including the mandated initial visit within five days of removal and weekly visit requirements. Administrator Leonard said the department will pilot the change in 2026 using casual staff and report results before requesting full‑time positions; if the pilot succeeds, staff will return with a formal request to add allocated positions.
Questions from supervisors focused on ensuring the county’s internal cost calculations included indirect costs such as utilities, space and benefits. Krista said the hourly cost comparison includes benefits and that the larger "sunk" facility costs (heat, utilities) would not materially change the per‑visit cost in the near term.
Ending
Leonard said the county will run the supervised‑visitation pilot in 2026 under the proposed model, track outcomes and return to the committee if full‑time positions are needed; the committee did not take a formal vote on the pilot during the meeting.
