Marquette County to close two dining sites after $25,000 nutrition-program cut

Human Services Director Mandy told the Marquette County Human Services board that budget and utilization data led to consolidating the county’s meal sites and eliminating two part-time dining-site facilitator positions.

Mandy said the budget changes included a $25,000 reduction in the nutrition program "that was the equivalent of 2 part time dining site facilitators." She told members the department reviewed attendance and administrative considerations and concluded the county cannot sustain six dining sites; she said two sites will close for 2026. "We are closing Pekwaukee and Nishkoro," she said in the meeting record.

Board members pushed for more data and questioned the timeline and communications to affected residents. One member said they felt "blindsided" when many constituents appeared at the county board meeting; others requested detailed participant counts, federal versus county funding splits and options such as reducing service days rather than closing sites entirely. Staff said the nutrition program receives federal and state funding plus a county tax-levy match, and that Marquette County has historically overmatched so closing the two positions would not jeopardize federal funds.

Staff outlined options to use volunteers at sites and expand home-delivery slots where appropriate; they also noted that some residents can attend any open county site with preregistration. The board requested follow-up data on site attendance by day, federal subsidy amounts and the county tax-levy contribution to better evaluate the service trade-offs.

The decision to remove the two part-time positions reflects a budgetary choice combined with low utilization at some sites; the board’s discussion focused on ways to mitigate effects on elderly residents who rely on the sites for meals and socialization.