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Wabasha County Human Services hears budget and program updates; SNAP error-rate improvements noted
Summary
Staff reported Social Services and Public Health year-to-date budget figures, an anticipated abatement agenda item for the Olson property, a bus-token partnership with HVMHC that increased drop-in participation, a proposed housing-support contract for Underwood Terrace, and a request from HVMHC to increase CTSS funding; staff also warned of a possible federal SNAP administrative funding change while county error rates remain under 8%.
At its Dec. 16 meeting the Wabasha County Human Services Board received a series of budget and program updates from Social Services and Public Health staff.
Becky Lukes reported Social Services YTD 2025 overall expenses of $403,469.39, non-levy revenue of $3,448,063.95, and a cash balance reserve of $4,957,937.05. Lyn Wolf reported Public Health YTD 2025 overall expenses of $2,019,602.37, revenue of $1,918,563.96, and a cash balance reserve of $1,347,107.29. Those figures were reported as YTD numbers in the meeting packet.
Public Health Director staff member Tammy Fiedler told the Board the county continues to work with outside counsel on open nuisance cases and that an abatement and entry agreement related to the Olson property is expected to be brought to the Board in January for consideration. No formal abatement action was taken at the Dec. 16 meeting.
Social Services staff reported program-level updates. Kayla Hall described a partnership with Hiawatha Valley Mental Health Center (HVMHC) to distribute bus tokens at the HVMHC Drop-In Center; participation rose from 11 individuals in January to 56 in July. Hall said HVMHC has requested a fully grant-funded increase for 2026; the Board indicated a formal presentation is not necessary at this time and asked for periodic updates.
Jacob Nelson described work to establish a Housing Support contract with Three Rivers Community Action for Underwood Terrace that would help eight residents maintain housing; the proposed funding level would be lower than previous Housing Stabilization Services funding. Hall reported HVMHC has requested an increase in county-funded Children's Therapeutic Support Services (CTSS) from $4,484 per month ($53,808 annually) to $6,500 per month ($78,000 annually) for 2026 to address unbillable staff time; Family Services Collaborative funds may offset part of the requested increase and the Board will review HVMHC's 2026 rate sheet in January.
On SNAP, Hall said the U.S. Department of Agriculture indicated it may withhold federal SNAP administrative funding from states that do not provide certain participant demographic data; Hall stressed that recipient benefit levels would not be affected. Nelson provided error-rate context: the statewide SNAP error rate is approximately 11.6%, while Wabasha County's error rate is under 8%. Nelson estimated the County's potential cost-shift exposure for third-quarter 2025 could range between $35,000 and $50,000. He said the State is developing additional training and has filed for a moratorium in 2026 to allow counties time to address error rates before implementing cost shifts.
Other miscellaneous items included updates that the Opioid Advisory Council is scoring applications for Opioid Settlement funds (recommendations expected in January) and that family child care licensing fees have been received from all but two providers; the two remaining providers have until Dec. 31, 2025 to remit the required $50 fee or face non-renewal on Jan. 1, 2026. The Board recessed the meeting to Jan. 20, 2026 at 8:50 a.m.
Why it matters: the budget numbers and program updates indicate the county's fiscal posture in health and social services, identify near-term operational actions (Olson property abatement, contract development for Underwood Terrace, CTSS funding review) and flag a potential federal funding risk to county SNAP administrative budgets.
