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Hamilton County JFS outlines deepening strain on children services levy and proposes cuts and fund shifts
Summary
Interim JFS director John Nelson reported rising placement and staffing costs and the loss of pandemic-era state support have sharply reduced the children's services levy balance; Nelson proposed clinical, programmatic and fund-shift measures to avoid a projected negative balance, prompting commissioners to ask for more detail before finalizing budget transfers.
John Nelson, interim director of Hamilton County Job and Family Services, gave a detailed update on Jan. 13 about the county's children services levy balance and drivers of a deteriorating reserve. Nelson said that since the 2021 plan created after consultant recommendations, the levy's cash balance has been drawn down by a combination of investments in prevention and workforce stabilization and by unexpected, large increases in the cost of care and placements.
Nelson presented the levy's current fiscal picture: levy-generated revenue (about $78 million) plus federal reimbursements (estimated $35—3M) are not covering two large expense categories he highlighted ' the cost of care (about $91M in the most recent year) and payroll for children-services staff (about $30M). He said some federal/state…
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