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Saint Croix County HHS reports negative May operating position as reimbursements lag
Summary
County financial staff told the Health & Human Services Board that May 2026 shows a negative operating position driven by delayed state and federal reimbursements, while department‑level changes (in‑house hires and fewer contracted placements) have reduced some purchased services costs.
Faye, the department finance presenter, told the Health and Human Services Board that the county is showing a negative operating position in May 2026 and attributed the shortfall to timing of reimbursements. "Right now in May 2026, yeah, we're showing as a negative $1,000,005.10," she said, adding that June expenses had been submitted to the state and are expected to arrive in August.
Faye said several program shifts reduced costs year‑over‑year: the department replaced some substance‑use contractor roles with master's‑level psychotherapists inside an integrated clinic and added two Birth‑to‑3 positions, moving costs from purchase services into salaries and fringes. She also cautioned that a small number of expensive out‑of‑home placements can dramatically change a children's services budget line.
Board members pressed for more detail on revenue timing and federal grant amounts. One member noted that the county budget includes roughly 60 federal grants totaling "just over $12,600,000," underscoring how reimbursement schedules across programs (public health, behavioral health, ADRC) affect month‑to‑month results. The board requested additional budget forecasting and a fuller set of division‑level data in the fall to help identify risk areas ahead of the 2027 budget cycle.
The meeting did not include any formal votes on the financial report; staff said final audit entries for the health care campus would be posted once audits are completed and would update year‑end numbers for 2025.
