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County amends 2025 budget, adding $3.5 million for safety-net costs amid rising enrollments and expenses
Summary
Chautauqua County’s Audit & Control Committee approved a $3.5 million increase to contractual safety-net costs in the Department of Mental Hygiene and Social Services and will use fund balance to cover part of the gap, officials said.
Chautauqua County’s Audit & Control Committee approved a budget amendment to increase contractual safety-net spending by $3.5 million for 2025 and to use fund balance to cover part of the increase. County officials said caseloads and per-case expenses have risen, and the department is averaging roughly $1 million in safety-net costs per month as of August.
Carmela Hernandez, commissioner of Mental Hygiene and Social Services, and Blake Eric, director of administrative services, told the committee the increase responds to a mandated program and higher-than-anticipated use this year. Hernandez explained that some residents move from Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) into the safety-net program after TANF eligibility ends; under state reimbursement rules the county bears a larger share of costs for safety-net cases.
"There are many factors," Hernandez said when members asked what is driving the increase. She listed mental-health needs, substance use disorders, homelessness, aging-related needs and long-duration cases as contributors. Officials said last year Chautauqua’s safety-net costs (excluding New York City) were consistent with statewide patterns and that safety net spending is a major expenditure statewide.
Deputy finance staff said the proposed increase would use approximately 8 percent of the county’s fund balance; they warned the county could still need additional adjustments before year-end if costs continue to increase. Committee members emphasized the need to seek long-term mitigation via upstream services — mental-health programs, housing, and early-intervention supports — to reduce future safety-net demand.
The committee approved the amendment; legislators asked staff to provide additional analysis during the next budget cycle about drivers, options to contain costs, and the long-term trend in legal and contracted costs that have shifted into the county attorney’s office previously.
Sources: Carmela Hernandez, Commissioner of Mental Hygiene and Social Services; Blake Eric, Director of Administrative Services; Audit & Control Committee proceedings.
