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Montezuma County social services and senior programs flag funding shortfalls; commissioners to consider mill levy tradeoffs
Summary
Social services and senior services department heads told commissioners that state allocations and federal grant reductions have left gaps, prompting a discussion of potential mill levy adjustments and municipal grant requests for senior sites.
Leaders for Montezuma County Social Services and Senior Services told the Board of County Commissioners the county’s share of required allocations and cuts to federal grants are creating budget pressures that could require higher mill levies or program reductions.
Social services director Laurie (first name used in the meeting) said the department’s budget is “based almost entirely off of allocations” set by the state and that the county’s contribution is determined through the mill levy. She warned that some allocations—particularly for adult protection and child welfare—are underfunded relative to demand and that judges can require counties to assume custody and related costs. “Child welfare is not one of those (allocations) you can stop providing,” she said.
Senior services staff described program deficits for meal sites in Cortez, Mancos and Dolores and said the department is requesting $20,000 from the general fund and coordinated grant applications to the towns of Dolores, Cortez and Mancos. The senior services presenter said municipal support levels are uncertain—Cortez’s community grant is limited to $5,000—and that federal CSBG and other funding lines are under threat; the presenter warned programmatic cuts may be necessary if local contributions and grants do not materialize.
Commissioners discussed the mill levy process and noted they set mill levies in January; staff said they would return with options to reallocate mill fractions among taxing entities. Social services staff urged commissioners to consider building a reserve because allocations can spike when high-cost placements occur; the presenter cited out-of-home placement costs of roughly $109 per day as an example of how quickly child-welfare allocations can be exhausted.
Ending: Commissioners asked staff to continue refining mill-levy options and to factor municipal grant pursuit for senior services into revenue projections. No formal decisions were made during the workshop.
