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Job & Family Services reports stable caseloads but large purchased-care projections and a net funding gap
Summary
Hancock County Job & Family Services presented January placement and foster-care projections showing 81–98 children in custody across months, purchased-care projections exceeding $4.2 million, and a reported balance carried forward of $540,667.00; the report identifies a projected net deficit requiring funding attention.
Randall L. Galbraith, Director of Hancock County Job & Family Services, presented the board with multi-page placement and financial reports covering foster-care placements, purchased-care projections and revenue sources. The materials show total purchased-care projections of $4,204,478.80 and a combined foster-care and kinship expense projection (including kinship-to-family commitments) of $4,371,603.80.
The report lists monthly placement costs and reimbursements, showing a carried balance of $540,667.00 as of the report and a series of credits including levy funds, MSY reimbursements, IV-E reimbursements and other sources. The document lists monthly counts of children in care (for example, 98 children in custody at Dec. 31, 2025) and a detailed breakdown of purchased-care placements, including family foster homes, group homes, treatment foster homes and residential placements.
Galbraith requested an executive session to discuss employment-discipline matters during the presentation; the board entered and exited the session without recording further public action. The JFS material contains specific cost and per-diem figures used to produce annual projections; county staff and commissioners will need to reconcile the projected net position with levy and reimbursement timing to determine budgetary action.
