Hamilton County Job & Family Services (JFS) presented its 2026 priorities and cautioned commissioners about two substantial budget risks: changes in SNAP administration under recently enacted state law and sharply rising costs for child care and residential treatment placements.

JFS director Michael Patton outlined the agency’s scope — including roughly 230,000 Medicaid cases, nearly 97,000 SNAP recipients and tens of thousands of child‑support and children's services contacts — and said JFS’s operating budget (excluding benefits issuance) is roughly $325 million for 2026. Patton warned that provisions in the new federal/state policy package (referred to in the presentation) change the federal/state split for SNAP administrative costs (moving from a 50/50 split toward a 75/25 split) and would require state and potentially county adjustments. He said the county estimates a potential $3–$5 million impact to JFS administrative budgets and noted a separate error‑rate cost‑sharing mechanism could expose counties to much larger liabilities if the state’s error rate exceeds statutory thresholds.

Patton also emphasized that the cost and scarcity of appropriate placement options for children with high needs have sharply increased; he described provider rate escalation and rising contract costs for residential care, and said the children's services workload and placement costs are a major driver of levy expenditures. He told the board the department is preparing a memo with a more granular levy and expenditure analysis and recommended commissioners consider mandated versus non‑mandated services as a framework for possible reductions.

Commissioners pressed for detail on how long various levy‑funded reductions would buy the county and asked JFS to map non‑mandated services and potential effects on the general fund. Patton committed to deliver materials to staff and commissioners for follow‑up.

What’s next: JFS will send a memo to the administration and board with a detailed breakdown of anticipated levy impacts and options for prioritizing mandated services.