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Richland County HHS outlines 2026 budget pressures, shifting funds to cover insurance and retirement increases
Summary
The Health and Human Services director presented a preliminary 2026 budget summary to the Richland County Community and Health Services standing committee, citing a roughly $207,000 increase in salary and fringe costs driven by step increases and an 11.2% health‑insurance assumption.
The Health and Human Services (HHS) director presented a preliminary 2026 budget summary to the Richland County Community and Health Services standing committee, saying personnel step increases and an assumed 11.2% rise in health insurance premiums together drove a roughly $207,000 increase in salary and fringe costs across the agency.
To absorb those costs without a large increase in the county tax levy, the director said managers sought reductions and reprioritizations across units. She said certain expenses formerly budgeted in fund 34 will be moved into fund 56 (the levy‑supported fund) because a 25% cut to fund 34 was required in the summary she prepared. That shift increases the levy exposure for public health, the director said.
The director said economic support faces a funding change: the federal match the county currently receives for over‑allocations is becoming less favorable starting in the fourth quarter of 2026 (she described it as a change from the current 50/50 arrangement to a reduced match). To avoid asking for additional levy in economic support, the director said the department will not fill one current vacancy in 2026; she cited a county resolution from 2015 that calls for position reductions if additional levy is required for economic support.
Behavioral health needs were a recurring concern in the discussion. The director said crisis‑service costs are rising and consume an increasing share of the base county allocation (a flexible pool of county dollars the agency uses across programs). She said an anticipated APS (Adult Protective Services) position was removed from the draft but the department is considering increasing contract capacity instead. Committee members asked that the county and local health providers coordinate on behavioral‑health capacity and telehealth options.
On placements, the director said she did not request additional placement fund dollars for 2026 but warned that a single high‑cost placement can quickly exhaust placement funds; she cited a recent instance that would have cost about $1.6 million but was averted.
Personnel and unit notes in the report included the hire of a new business and financial services manager (Kaylee) and unit‑level updates such as the ABRC point‑in‑time homeless count, a clinic certification change that allows more flexible staffing in behavioral health, vaccination review results for public health, and outreach efforts to recruit licensed child‑care providers.
The director described the summary as a second draft that incorporated county administrator feedback and said the preliminary budget will go to executive finance for further review. Committee members asked for a future agenda item with a report on behavioral health capacity and coordination with area hospitals and providers.
The presentation was informational; no committee vote was taken on the budget at this meeting.
