Ashland County commissioners vote to abolish Family and Children First Council, citing duplication and underfunding

Ashland County commissioners voted to abolish the county Family and Children First Council (FCFC) after hearing a presentation from Peter Stefanik, director of Ashland County Job and Family Services, who said the council was underfunded and duplicated services provided by other programs.

Stefanik told the commissioners that from 2022 through 2024 the county operated the FCFC at a total cost of about $162,000, of which roughly $21,000 went directly to clients; his agency also subsidized the council with about $75,000 during that period. Stefanik said the council averaged about one client served per month and that recent state changes (House Bill 96) and Ohio Revised Code §121.37 allow counties to opt out of the requirement to maintain a county FCFC.

"This program is not sufficiently funded," Stefanik said, adding that OhioRISE, a state Medicaid initiative, already serves many of the same children in Ashland County. He described referrals options—OhioRISE (located at the Malvern Recovery Board) and Ashland JFS (15 West 4th Street; phone (419) 282-5000; ashlandjfs.org)—and urged the commissioners to use local providers and the state program to meet needs without maintaining the FCFC.

Dave Ashley, superintendent of the Ashland County Board of Developmental Disabilities, told the commissioners he supported the resolution and described the $30,000 administrative allocation from the state as insufficient to cover staff overhead. He also said the county board had been awarded a separate state grant, "Keeping Families Together," totaling $50,000 over two years to serve families who do not qualify for Medicaid.

Commissioners who spoke during the discussion described repeated attempts over several years to reduce or eliminate the FCFC because it required mandated membership and ongoing local subsidies while producing limited measurable results. The chair and commissioners praised Stefanik and local advocates for pursuing the change at the state level.

The board put a resolution to a vote to abolish the Ashland County FCFC under Ohio Revised Code §121.37(b)(2). A motion was moved and seconded and the clerk called the roll; the recorded votes were "Yes" for each member on the roll call and the resolution passed as recorded.

The commissioners and presenters said they do not expect families to lose services because local agencies and OhioRISE can accept referrals and continue providing assistance. The chair closed the agenda item by inviting guests to introduce themselves and thanked the presenters for their work.

The commissioners did not attach a transitional implementation plan to the resolution during the meeting; presenters indicated referrals and coordination would be handled by Ashland JFS and other local providers going forward.