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Committee forwards proposal to boost out‑of‑home placement reserve to HR Finance
Summary
The Marathon County Health and Human Services Committee voted to send a proposal to increase an out-of-home placement reserve from $400,000 to $850,000 to HR Finance for review; staff said the increase would be funded from a 2025 surplus in the social improvements fund and any use would require separate board approval.
The Marathon County Health and Human Services Committee voted to forward to HR Finance a proposal to increase an out-of-home placement reserve from $400,000 to $850,000 to cover possible high-cost court-ordered placements for youth.
County staff told the committee the reserve was originally established in November 2024 at $400,000 and that social services relies on federal and state funding but sometimes faces high-cost placements that can sharply increase expenditures. "We have an opportunity; we have enough funds to increase that to 850,000," a staff member said, noting the money would remain in the social improvements fund and that any actual use would require committee and full-board action.
Committee members asked where the funds would come from. Staff answered that the 2025 year-end surplus in the social improvements fund — roughly $700,000, per the staff briefing — could be used and that the proposal would transfer $450,000 into the reserve while the remainder of the surplus would remain available. "We would take 450 of that and just place it in the fund balance," staff said, adding that expenditures from the reserve would still require board approval.
Supervisor Cavelli moved to forward the resolution to HR Finance; the motion was seconded and approved by voice vote. The committee recorded no named roll-call votes in the transcript; the motion carried by voice vote and will next be considered at HR Finance and, if approved there, by the full county board.
Committee discussion noted that one high-cost placement could quickly exhaust the proposed reserve and that limits or return provisions could be incorporated (for example, returning unused funds to the general fund if not spent over a period of time). No changes to the underlying policy were adopted at the committee level during the meeting.
Next steps: HR Finance will review the proposed reserve increase and, if it approves, the matter will move to the full county board for action.
