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Polk County committee forwards two funding support resolutions to county board
Summary
The Polk County Health & Human Services Committee unanimously forwarded Resolution 53‑24, urging increased state funding for elderly nutrition programs, and Resolution 52‑24, calling for fully funded community support and crisis services, to the full county board with a positive recommendation.
The Polk County Health & Human Services Committee on an October meeting day voted to forward two resolutions to the full county board urging greater state funding for local human‑services programs.
The first, Resolution 53‑24, asked the county to support an increase in state funding for elderly nutrition programs; committee members noted it has been decades since such an increase. Committee members voted to send the resolution to the county board with a positive recommendation.
Tanya, who presented the second item, described Resolution 52‑24 as a nationwide advocacy measure originating from the Wisconsin Counties Association and endorsed by the Wisconsin County Human Services Association. "This is support for fully funded community support programs and crisis programs," Tanya said, explaining the resolution seeks to restore the state share counties currently advance to access federal Medicaid reimbursements.
Committee discussion focused on how the funding mechanics work. Tanya explained the county pays the full cost up front and then bills Medicaid to recover the federal share; she said precise dollar impacts for Polk County would require additional calculation because of how local budgets and unit billing are arranged. A committee member summarized the issue as an "underfunded mandate," noting the county currently picks up a substantial portion of the state share for these services.
The committee voted to forward Resolution 52‑24 to the county board with a positive recommendation. The record on the floor shows the motion and second and a voice vote carried; the transcript contains some procedural confusion about exactly who moved and who seconded but records a positive recommendation. The resolutions will next be considered by the full Polk County Board.
What happens next: both resolutions will be placed on the county board docket for consideration and any formal action there. If adopted by the county board, the measures would represent the county's formal support for state action on these funding issues but do not themselves change county budgets.
