HHS director asks board to prioritize 2027 staffing requests as budget timing squeezes services

Health and Human Services Director Bob asked the St. Croix County Health and Human Services Board on July 15 to help prioritize a slate of proposed 2027 staff positions as the department grapples with tight finances and delayed state reimbursements.

The request followed a May financial report from Faye showing the department running a negative balance for the month (about $1,000,005.10) primarily because state reimbursements had not yet arrived; Faye said the June expenses had just been submitted to the state and were expected to post in August. She also told the board that some lines showed year‑over‑year reductions — for example, purchase services were about $99,000 lower than the same time last year — after moving certain contracted services in‑house.

Why it matters: the positions under consideration affect core services across HHS — from communicable disease work in public health to counseling in behavioral health and staffing coordination at the county’s health care campus. Some of the requests carry no tax levy because they are fee‑ or Medicaid‑funded; others would increase levy pressure.

Bob framed the list as a chance for the committee to advise on priorities that he will present to the full board. He described the fiscal tradeoffs plainly: “If there is money for it, then we welcome it,” he said, while also noting the co‑responder role is a high‑cost, high‑impact request that would require about $100,000 in tax levy and “has no offset to that.”

Key items discussed

- Public health: two requests were discussed to maintain or adjust FTE for communicable‑disease control (an incremental 0.15 FTE to preserve existing coverage when a grant ends) and a 0.4 FTE program associate funded by environmental health licensing fees. Bob said the 0.4 position would not use levy because it is fee‑funded.

- ADRC (Aging and Disability Resource Center): staff urged adding an options‑counselor position to address a sharp rise in functional‑screen referrals. ADRC administrator Kristin Newton told the board the division projected roughly 542 publicly‑funded long‑term‑care referrals through May 2026, up from 274 in 2024, and said staff spent more than 500 hours on functional screens through June. Newton argued the position supports early intervention and long‑term cost avoidance.

- Behavioral health and co‑responder: directors described recruitment challenges for master’s‑level therapists and said maintaining a 0.5 FTE substance‑use counselor in the CCS program is Medicaid‑funded. The proposed mental‑health co‑responder position drew questions about timing and cost; Bob said it is valuable in reducing downstream costs but may be delayed if levy dollars are needed elsewhere.

- Health care campus: staff requested a full‑time clinical scheduling coordinator to consolidate staffing duties spread across three buildings so existing employees can focus on core duties; that role would not require levy funding according to presenters.

Board reaction and next steps

Members pressed for clearer prioritization tied to early‑intervention goals and asked staff to highlight problem areas that keep them “up at night” when the full budget is drafted. Several supervisors supported positions funded wholly or partly by fees or Medicaid; some said they would prefer to delay non‑mandated early‑intervention hires if doing so protects essential services.

Director Bob said he will aggregate committee input, present an initial budget package to the full board and clarify which positions can realistically be funded.

The committee did not take a formal vote on any position at the July 15 meeting; the director said the next step is to incorporate committee feedback into his budget presentation to the board later this summer.