Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Budgets And Policy topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Wabasha County reviews budgets, child‑welfare performance and SSTS ordinance revisions
Summary
At the Aug. 15 meeting county staff reported year‑to‑date budgets and reserves for Social Services and Public Health, presented a clean audit for South Country Health Alliance, proposed a children’s mental‑health screening budget, and discussed recommended revisions to the SSTS ordinance and a new foster‑care in‑person‑visit practice.
Wabasha County staff briefed the Human Services Board on budgets, performance measures and proposed policy changes at the Aug. 15, 2023 meeting.
Rebecca Lukes reported Social Services year‑to‑date expenses of $2,919,806, non‑levy revenue of $2,116,162 and a cash‑balance reserve of $5,788,851. John Dahlstrom detailed uncollectable debt items, including $18,536 for detox and $26,030 for medical‑assistance overpayments per a DHS instructional bulletin.
Public Health Director Tammy Fiedler reported year‑to‑date Public Health expenses of $970,426.44, revenue of $1,148,749.98 and a cash‑balance reserve of $1,116,225.10.
Jodi Johnson presented the South Country Health Alliance 2023 audit and said there were "no concerns identified by the audit, the results were 100% compliance across all program areas." The audit report was included in the board packet.
Staff discussed performance measures for Child Safety & Permanency and the Self‑Support Index. Kayla Hall and John Dahlstrom said most measures were within or above thresholds, but noted a decrease in the metric for days spent with a relative; staff identified two possible contributors: a lower overall number of children in care and longer placements in alternative settings such as Von Wald.
Hall presented a proposed Children’s Mental Health Screening grant budget that would allocate $2,912 for screening, $5,040 for information and referral, $1,750 for outpatient diagnostic assessment/psychological testing, $2,259 for child outpatient psychotherapy, $1,200 for child/family psychoeducation and $2,254 for child respite care.
Hall also outlined recommended changes to the Family Services Collaborative governance agreement to add voting members representing county time‑study contributors (for example, Public Health and Probation); those changes will be discussed at the next Governing Board meeting.
Tammy Fiedler summarized staff and enforcement activity related to public‑health nuisance calls and reported that a tobacco compliance check at the Mazeppa BP passed. "The department has been getting increased calls regarding these situations," she said. Fiedler also reported completion of authorized gift‑card purchases for county food shelves and that deliveries were being scheduled.
On licensing, Hall reported that DHS guidance now recommends an annual in‑person visit to licensed foster‑care programs. To increase provider support and assess compliance, the department will start contacting each licensed program during the midpoint of its two‑year license period to schedule an in‑person visit.
The board reached consensus on proposed changes to the SSTS ordinance following summaries from Tammy Fiedler, Darrin Thompson and Michael Plante; staff will send revised language to the County Attorney and to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency for review prior to scheduling a public hearing.
The meeting recessed at 8:47 AM and will reconvene on Sept. 19, 2023.
