Custer County discusses local support as state halves early-childhood LCO funding

Custer County commissioners and staff on Oct. 31 reviewed budget reporting issues and contingency options for the Custer County Kids Council after state-level shifts in early-childhood funding raised the prospect of steep reductions.

Stacy, a representative of the Custer County Kids Council and the county’s local coordinating organization (LCO) for universal preschool, told commissioners the council’s grant spreadsheets show a $49,822 allocation for the July 1–June 30 fiscal year but that county printouts listed a lower “current actual” figure for 2025. “Custer County Kids Council is the early childhood council for Custer County as well as the local coordinating organization,” Stacy said, describing how state and county fiscal calendars produce different year-to-date displays.

County finance staff urged the council to treat the county report and the council’s state-based spreadsheet as complementary: auditors reconcile projected revenues to actual collections at calendar-year close. As…