Of course, funding for TRC was restored, so I am happy, but there is other good news as well . . . but the county board will be left to struggle with how to pay the operating costs for the Day Resource Center (that doesn’t yet exist).
Of course, all budgets need and deserve deeper scrutiny that will take a few days, but this does sound like good news, hopefully there isn’t any bad news buried in here are well. Here’s the County Executive’s budget if you want to take a look.
The County Executive released his 2014 Budget Proposal today. It is very favorable to Human Services. The County Exec’s proposal totals $252.2 million, an increase of $1.6 million over the one the Department submitted in August. For those of you interested in more details, the major changes from the Department’s 2014 Budget Proposal are:
· $15,000 to Outreach to provide elderly outreach services to LGBT seniors (ACS)
· Increase of $5,000 for Overture Center sponsorships to assist low income individuals in participating in Overture events (Admin)
· Creates an additional .5 FTE Elderly Benefits Specialist position effective 1-1-2014 (ACS)
· Restores $16,578 to senior meal site management (ACS)
· Adds $40,000 to senior meals to cover increased costs, number of meals, revenue shortfalls (ACS)
· $20,000 for a Women’s Reproductive Health Initiative (CYF)
· $180,000 to create rapid response mental health teams at Verona and Sun Prairie schools (CYF)
· $25,000 for a 24/7 alcohol monitoring initiative (Admin)
· $165,000 to expand the Allied Drive and Sun Prairie Early Childhood Initiatives into surrounding communities and create early childhood zones (CYF)
· $25,000 to fund eviction prevention efforts through JFF to address homeless student issues that result in poor school achievement (CYF)
· Restores $95,000 to the Tenant Resource Center and eliminates the $95,000 housing homeless services line (EAWS)
· $5,000 to Safe Communities to fund suicide prevention work (ACS)
· Reduces the adult psychiatric hospital budget by $200,000 based on the negotiation of lower hospital rates (ACS)
· Eliminates the .8 FTE Clerk Typist I-II position proposed in our Department budget Note: This would have been an increase in 2014; this does not impact existing positions. (CYF)
· Creates a new 1.0 FTE re-entry coordinator position effective 1-1-2014 to assist inmates returning to the community from jail/prison (ACS)
· Creates a new 1.0 FTE Information Tech Specialist III position to address our increasing IT needs (Admin)
· Adds funding to lower the DD POS and SDS grants reduction from 2.65% to 1.5% (ACS)
· Funds the 2014 POS Living Wage (various)
· Reflects the reorganization of the Drug Court (ACS)
· Eliminates a $116,160 AODA TBD line for a new dual diagnosis initiative (CYF)
Lastly, the County Executive also proposed several capital budget items related to our Department. He is proposing $2 million for the new DAIS shelter, $750,000 for a single room occupancy facility, and $1.6 million for HVAC, LED lighting, and solar panels for the Northport Office building.
The County Exec’s 2014 Budget Proposal will now be acted on by the County Board, and a final budget should be adopted by mid-November. The County Exec’s 2014 Budget Proposal once again demonstrates his and Dane County’s commitment to Human Services and the people who need our services.
Please let me know if you have questions or concerns about this proposal.
Lynn 🙂
Lynn Green, Director
Dane County Dept. of Human Services
