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Committee begins 2027 budget review and approves state‑funded SNAP quality‑assurance staffing plan
Summary
The committee discussed 2027 budget development and fee reviews, debated expanding crisis response hours, and approved a budget amendment to create a lead QA position and phased quality‑assurance hires funded by 2025 Wisconsin Act 116 to meet SNAP mandates.
The Marathon County Health & Human Services Committee opened a broader discussion of 2027 budget development and fee schedules, then voted to accept a state‑funded staffing plan to meet new supplemental nutrition assistance program (SNAP) quality‑assurance mandates.
Chairperson Robinson and Administrator Leonard told the committee the budget process now asks standing committees to review mandatory and discretionary programs early so supervisors can set service levels and recommend fees. Leonard described three guiding questions for the budget: what programs or services to deliver, at what service level, and at what cost.
On a specific staffing item, Leonard outlined background from the federal HR1 quality‑assurance mandates and Wisconsin’s response in 2025 Wisconsin Act 116. Because Wisconsin counties administer SNAP locally in Marathon’s area, the state issued a contract addendum and appropriated funds to help counties meet new QA requirements. Leonard said Marathon County serves as fiscal and coordination lead for a four‑county income maintenance consortium and that the state allocated $539,857 (packet figure) for quality‑assurance work for the consortium; the implementation plan proposes a new lead QA position and then to phase in 4–5 additional experienced QA staff as needed.
Supervisors asked whether the new positions would sunset if state funding ended; Leonard and Chairperson Robinson said the positions are expected to be tied to the state appropriation and could be eliminated if funding is not continued in future biennial budgets. Committee members stressed hiring experienced QA staff and the plan’s phased approach; Leonard said hires would not all occur at once and that the county would aim to recruit experienced personnel from the consortium where possible.
The committee approved the budget amendment and implementation/staffing plan related to 2025 Wisconsin Act 116 by voice vote after Supervisor Rosenberg moved and a member seconded. Leonard said staff would take in the state dollars as fiscal agent and bring any further implementation details back to the county board as needed.
Budget discussion elsewhere in the item included program‑level choices and fees, and several supervisors pressed for expansion of the Crisis Assessment Response Team (CART) to provide evening and weekend coverage. One supervisor who identified himself as a retired law‑enforcement officer said, "of all the times I requested it, I received CART response 0 those times," and said any expansion should ensure off‑hours coverage.
Provenance: topicintro: SEG 381; topfinish: SEG 1033.
