Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Budget topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Rutherford County DSS board hears budget strains as foster-care spending climbs
Summary
At a special meeting, Rutherford County Department of Social Services staff told the board that program-side spending is above plan for July, driven largely by foster-care costs and annual invoices; leaders said funds are available for a short-term placement house but warned foster‑care licensing and recruitment remain urgent.
The Rutherford County Department of Social Services board met in a special session to hear July budget and program reports, where staff said program-side spending is higher than planned and foster-care lines are early drivers of the overage.
Pam Price, who presented the department's budget report, said the administrative side is roughly 6.83% for the period (about 1.5% under budget) while the program side is at 11.89% — 3.56% over budget — and that total spending is about 8.67% for the reporting period. "Most of these lines are over budget because one invoice for the year was paid in July," Price said, citing annual charges such as insurance and workers' compensation as a cause of the monthly spike.
The report flagged foster-care program spending: "state foster care" was running at roughly 18% of its annual allocation for the month — which staff described as about 10% over the expected pace — while kinship and other foster-care lines also showed early overages. Director Hunt told the board that unless more foster homes are licensed, the county may face continued pressure on foster‑care budgets.
Board members discussed mitigation steps including recruiting more licensed foster homes and using contracted workers to manage workloads. Price said overtime had been budgeted at $1,000 and that staff expect to reallocate regular-salary dollars to cover overtime costs incurred so far.
On placement capacity, staff reported the county's short-term DSS house project is funded and ready to proceed when construction begins. "The money's in the bank," staff said when asked about financing for the three‑bedroom house intended for children without placement; the county will maintain and operate the home once it is complete.
The meeting record shows no formal budget votes were taken; the board acknowledged the reports and moved on to other agenda items.
