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Beaufort County proposes merging human services with Nexus Care amid fund shortfall
Summary
County staff told council they're planning to move human services programs into Nexus Care’s operations under the FY27 budget to remedy a negative special‑revenue balance and reduce audit risk; council members pressed for the history of the deficit and assurances services such as REACH and CONNECT will continue.
Beaufort County staff told the County Council on Feb. 9 that they plan to transition human services functions into Nexus Care beginning in fiscal year 2027, a move administrators said is intended to correct a negative special‑revenue fund balance and avoid audit findings.
County Administrator David Moore said the change would be implemented through the FY27 budget, effective July 1, 2026, only if council approves the budget. "Since 2023, it has operated at a deficit, and the general fund has had to contribute to the special revenue account every year," Moore said, adding the account currently shows a negative balance. Harriet, a county finance official, told council audit adjustments left the special revenue fund about $178,000 in the red and described cleanup measures to correct that balance.
The administration presented Nexus Care as an accredited provider able to integrate screening, assessment, outreach and case management into an expanded service model. Moore said Nexus Care "has the ability to integrate the programs of human services into its existing infrastructure to deliver comprehensive client‑centered services," and that some general fund expenditures could be offset if Nexus Care generates revenue.
Council members pressed for program continuity and historical context. Councilman Glover asked whether programs such as REACH (unsheltered homeless outreach) and CONNECT (service coordination) would continue; Moore replied, "Those services will continue," and emphasized the transition is driven by the need to correct the fund’s negative balance. Glover also asked why the deficit emerged over the last two years; staff said they would investigate the department’s financial history further.
Harriet said the departments will be realigned under accounting rules and that positions now funded through a special‑revenue account would be funded from the general fund to avoid future audit findings. She noted some services currently operated by both human services and Nexus Care appear to overlap and that a merger would consolidate those activities.
The council did not take a final vote on the integration itself on Feb. 9; administrators characterized the item as part of the budget process and said further discussion will continue during the FY27 budget review.
The council’s next budget deliberations will determine whether to adopt the administration’s proposed transfer and any accompanying staffing or program changes.
