Lake County commissioners approve dissolution of Family and Children First Council amid funding concerns

The Lake County Board of Commissioners voted to dissolve the county’s Family and Children First Council after a staff presentation and discussion about service continuity and funding.

County staff introduced a resolution to dissolve the council, saying recent state legislation allows boards of county commissioners to dissolve Family and Children First Councils if certain criteria are met. Suzanne, a county staff member involved in the review, told the board that the county’s steering committee spent months examining what services the council provided and concluded that alternative programs — including the Medicaid program OhioRISE — can serve affected children.

A commissioner who spoke during discussion said he supported cutting duplicative bureaucracy but voiced concern about losing services for families because of reduced funding from Columbus and the federal government. The commissioner said the work performed by the council had been valuable and that continuing the services locally may require new funding approaches.

The board voted by roll call to approve the resolution. Madame Clerk recorded affirmative votes from the three commissioners present.

County staff said they expect work previously coordinated by the council to continue through OhioRISE and other local providers; no detailed funding plan or timeline for the transfer of responsibilities was provided in the meeting record.

What happens next: County staff will proceed with the administrative steps to dissolve the council and coordinate continuation of services through OhioRISE and local organizations, according to comments at the meeting.