Isanti County approves HHS vouchers and several HHS contracts; staff warns of potential SNAP interruptions

The Isanti County Board of Commissioners on Oct. 21 approved Health & Human Services payments and multiple contracts and heard staff warnings about potential interruptions to SNAP benefits.

Health and human services division leader Jody Donneil told the board the department’s payments and vouchers for the current period totaled $639,828.71, much of it pass‑through funding and Adult Mental Health Initiative dollars. "Some of the funding is passed through," Donneil said. The board approved the payments on a motion by Commissioner Berg, seconded by Commissioner Westerberg.

Donneil presented a contract amendment with the Minnesota Department of Human Services for the county’s community support grant, which funds outreach, group supports and direct community support to individuals with serious and persistent mental illness. "This budget amendment ... ultimately just reflects the areas where we are spending those funds," Donneil said. The board approved the DHS amendment (agenda item B3) on a motion by Commissioner Christiansen, seconded by Commissioner Berg.

The board also approved a proposal and agreement with Andy Sites to develop a county‑specific community resource hub — a separate website listing food shelves, housing options, treatment and mental‑health resources — at a cost of $29,100. Donneil said the project is fully funded with federal COVID‑19 dollars and that public‑health staff will maintain the site; Madison Wiss was identified as the primary HHS staff lead. Commissioners asked that HHS report usage metrics to the HHS committee quarterly and to the full board annually.

An informational SHIP (Statewide Health Improvement Program) update noted Isanti County participates with Kanabec County and Mille Lacs County under a master grant covering 2025–2029; Donneil said the county received $67,319 in reimbursement for staff time under that arrangement. No board action was required on the SHIP update.

Donneil recommended and the board approved a one‑year contract (01/01/2026–12/31/2026) with TriMin Systems for ACS programming and automated case management at $1,800, funded by levy dollars. Donneil described the contract as an annual administrative expense used across several county functions.

On broader staffing and service capacity, Donneil warned that, because of ongoing state and federal technology and funding issues, there may be insufficient funds to issue November SNAP benefits. The transcript records Donneil saying the county had "13 25 active cases and, 109 pending cases" (verbatim as spoken in the meeting). She said automated notices to recipients were expected and HHS was coordinating with community partners and local food shelves to help affected households.

The board approved the HHS vouchers and the listed contract actions during the meeting. Commissioners requested regular metric updates on the new resource hub and reiterated staff should provide fuller voucher details in board packets going forward.

Funding and next steps: the Andy Sites contract will be implemented by HHS staff, with maintenance and content moderated by public‑health personnel; metrics and quarterly committee updates were requested. The DHS amendment and TriMin Systems contract are effective per their stated terms in the meeting packet.