Ulster County committee flags staffing gaps and multi‑million increases in social services budget during 2025 review
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Summary
Committee heard department‑level budget presentations showing large increases for family assistance, special education and early intervention; members and staff flagged staffing shortages, redirected ARPA funds for mental‑health projects and new state partnerships for lead remediation and veteran caregiver supports.
The Ulster County Health, Human Services and Housing Committee on Oct. 30 reviewed major elements of the proposed 2025 county budget, with social services, public‑health and human‑services staff outlining several significant cost drivers and continuing recruitment challenges.
DSS fiscal staff told the committee the department requested a $3,420,000 increase in family assistance services to meet emergency‑housing demand. The presenter said the county has been tracking an emergency‑housing population of about 425 to 500 unique individuals (roughly 220 active cases), and that hotel and motel placements continue to drive costs. "We're looking at $3,420,000 increase in family assistance services," the presenter said.
Staff also flagged large, largely state‑driven increases: a $1,396,000 rise in preschool early‑intervention services (reflecting state‑set rate increases), and a $12,000,000 increase for Committee on Special Education (CSE) residential placements that the county cannot control because school districts determine placements. "These are rates that we don't exert any kind of local control over," DSS staff said of preschool and related rate changes.
Committee members pressed staff on staffing and personnel requests. DSS staff described ongoing turnover since 2021, noting the department is still restoring positions eliminated during that period and has been conservative in new personnel requests. For capital needs, DSS requested $305,000 to overhaul worn temporary‑assistance office cubicles and furniture last updated in 1996.
Public health and mental‑health lines were also prominent. Legislators questioned a $1.1 million mental‑health action plan line labeled as ARPA; staff said the ARPA allocation was combined across several resolutions and redirected to projects the county judged higher priority, including crisis‑support center security and a children's clinic. The presenter described the item as a combined ARPA allocation rather than a single standalone program.
Health Department officials described a new state‑led effort to enforce lead safety in rental housing built before 1980 and said the county budget includes three inspection positions and a records/tech position to manage the workload if contract details and state funding are finalized. Officials cautioned the state contract and final unit counts are not yet settled.
Several presenters emphasized persistent hiring challenges across public‑health and human‑services programs, with managers saying some roles remain hard to recruit and that vacancies should not automatically be interpreted as unnecessary positions. The committee asked for follow‑up detail on several lines, including the reception position the Office for the Aging said was defunded by the county executive's office and staff salary ranges for proposed new positions.
Committee members concluded the session by noting follow‑up questions and asking staff to provide specific salary ranges and clarifications on which contract lines and resolutions fund select projects. The committee did not record any formal votes during the meeting.
