The Department of Social Services accounting supervisor (speaker identified in the record as the accounting supervisor) presented detailed month-of-October payment information pulled from the state systems (WMS/BICS) and explained how SNAP and HEAP benefits are reported versus county-drawn payments.

According to the presentation, October 2020 checks issued through those state systems totaled $2,180,350 (8,041 individual payments); the presenter said October 2025 payments were $2,300,000. The supervisor noted SNAP benefits and counts (October 2020 average SNAP benefit cited as $197) and later reported an average SNAP benefit of $303 for October 2025. The presentation clarified that many pandemic-era increases (notably in 2021) reflected federal programs that paid vendors directly and inflated the apparent county totals.

Supervisors asked for clearer trend reporting (for example, year-to-date comparisons) rather than single-month snapshots so the board can better track seasonal changes and reimbursement timing. "Let's start looking at the year-to-date and see what trends and maybe compare them to last year," one supervisor said.

The presentation also covered staffing changes: two department leaders—Tracy Hudson and Mary Ann Eddy—were noted as recently retired or retiring; the supervisor requested reassurance that the county could quickly backfill positions as needed. Committee members confirmed that staffing patterns and budgeted positions are set with the budget and discussed the process for backfilling.

On homelessness and sheltering, speakers described the county’s shared CodeBlue arrangement with Warren County: the contract totals roughly $540,000, of which the county’s allocation from the state is about $380,000, leaving roughly $110,000 for local use such as administration or emergency hotel placements. The committee discussed whether Washington County should develop its own shelter and invited a representative from the Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance to present options to the board in January or February.

Staff also summarized a recent Banadio review and a proposed case-tracking software (a tool described as a collection of Excel spreadsheets); an annual cost figure of about $50,000 was cited and members asked for clearer product details and integration capability with state systems before any purchase.

Committee members praised the new reporting steps but emphasized the need to pare data down to a few consistent, actionable sheets for regular oversight. The department agreed to refine reporting and return with focused trend metrics.