You can see the entire budget submission here. The summary is here if you want a quick snap shot. The presentation was given to the Health & Human Needs Commission. It was kind of gruesome for the Purchase of Service agencies, since it appeared that they would not be facing 4% cuts, but the cuts ended up being 3% across the board, plus they took away the COLA increase from the beginning of the year, plus they didn’t fund the living wage increases required by law . . . which is all on top of a few years of flat funding . . . which all adds up!
PUBLIC COMMENT
Carl Chenoweth is on the City Council in Stoughton but he is representing a group of concerned citizens including former Mayor Helen Johnson. He is worried about relcating Human Services outside of Stoughton. He says the facility serves 500 families and over 1,000 children. He asks them to defer the action because it will only provide an increased burden for the families.
Lynn Green (Director of Dane County Human Services) says that the closing is in 2009 budget, passed it in 2008. Even though the staff will be moved, the services will continue in Stoughton, but will centralize them in one of the city offices. They don’t have money to rent another location. They just put the building up for sale. The staff will be moved to S. Madison or Northport. The services won’t be available on site, but many of the services are done in people’s homes (child protective services) and some economic support can be done without face to face contact, except W2.
Bruskewitz asks about seniors. Green says they are not included in this. Staff include a JFF worker, children youth and families and protective services and 4 public health nurses.
Vedder asked what the plan for the changes. Green says they won’t leave the building until they sell it. The Economic Support workers will go to the Job Center. Soocial Workers to will go to South Madison or Northport. Public Health will determine where to put the nurses. Only services related to delinquency and W2 were provided in that office.
PRESENTATION ON 2010 BUDGET
Green says this budget was difficult, but not as difficult as originally anticipated, grateful the County Executive allowed them to submit a budget that was GPR neutral instead of 4% decrease as originally requested. Green said that losing revenue is major challenge this year. They lost $2.2M from State, so main problems were COLA [for the department, not the purchase of service agencies] and reduction in revenues from other sources. She says the County was good to us and they appreciate that. She says the pain is shared with department and purchase of service providers.
G.P. Foster went through a power point presentation, which is essentially the summary provided here. These are the highlights/general summary.
- The total Human Services budget is $233,121,414, which is an increase of $5M over 2009 adopted budget.
- Expenses increased 2.2%.
- They had to keep GPR at $63,274,451.
- They were able to keep the funding by:
- an increase in Federal funding
- eliminating 13.7 staff positions
- 3% decrease in purchased services across the board
- Exemptions were made for vital public safety services such as
- child protection
- delinquency
- gang related programs
- Youth Restitution
- Services we are providing that no other county provides includes
- Joining Forces for Families
- Services for high school graduates with developmental disabilities
- Senior case management
- Unmandated services that are prevention/early intervention services are
- Neighborhood Intervention Program (youths at risk of being involved in delinquency system or gangs)
- Youth resource centers
- Parenting groups
- Runaway Services
- Youth Employment
- Homeless services
- Services to those at risk of losing their homes
The rest of the presentation really was just what is in this handout. The only additinoal pieced of information were that:
- The $188,000 in stimulus money was largely for senior nutrition, it will be used to help the caterers who got a 3% cut.
- The living wage is going from $10.20 to $10.61
- There was a clarification that the POS (purchase of service) base was the 2009 budget, without the 1% cost of living increase. The 3% cut to agencies was from that smaller number. She says that administration considered that 1% COLA increase to be a one time only increase. Vedder asked why and Green said that it was not a department decision, it was made by administration.
- Projects eliminated in the senior services includes United Asian Services, the United Way Database project and the Stoughton Hospital Home and Adult Daycare Services which are already gone.
- They should be posting their powerpoint presentation of the summary to the website.
- The only added feed were for certification of some providers bringing in $505,000 in fees. The MA personal care was also increase by $560,000
- All the increases in funding are due to outside funding revenues.
- 95 – 96% (or probably more) is not one time money, but on-going funding.
- The elimination of some staff at Badger Prairie is because they can contract to providers who can bill for their services for occupational, speech and physical therapy. They will be ending the physical and speech therapy contracts and then eliminating an occupational therapist and their assistant.
- The redesign of the W2 program is a bureaucratic redesign that creates a W-2 unit so they can get funding for the unit – it should be invisible to everyone else.
- The budget is $5M higher than last years, but they hae $5M in outside funding and GPR stayed the same.
DISCUSSION AND QUESTIONS
Green explains that the County Executive also took some other “one time” expenses out of the budget beyond the 3% including some of her own AODA initiatives.
Vedder asks about the COLA. Which is explained again.
They ask what the 13.7 positions are. Green and Foster explain that it is
- 2 Joining Forces for Families Social Workers
- The public relations manager in administration
- A clerk 4 position
- One paralegal
- The occupational therapist and assistant at Badger Prairie
- 2 security at badger prarie
- 1 social service tech,
- Americorp coordinator
- 3 clerk typisst and;
- A lead economic assistance worker for which they lost funding(lost fraud funding)
She says that every division and administration took a reduction. Some of the positions are vacant or will be through retirements at the end of the year. [Obviously, not all of these positions listed were a full 1 FTE]
Bruskewitz asks how many newly created fees there are. Green says none, she says that they have run out of options for creating new fees.
McDonell asks about Badge Prairie loss of jobs. Green explains the contract elimination and job elimination again, says the total savings in $180,000 in staff and the current contracts for the physical therapy and speech therapy are being eliminated cuz find cost neutral possibilities.
Vedder asks where the outside revenue came? Green says it came from MA, personal care, childrens long term support which totaled $2.8M/ There was also $500,000 in DD cerificationt fees, $400,000 for the W-2 redesign, stimulus money of 188,000 (senior nutirition meals), areas where some POS can bring in insurance or medical assistance funding and $600,000 for purchase of care.
Vedder asks about 3% cut for services and the elimination of the COLA. Green explains that in order to be GPR nuetral and also increase the department COLA they ended up having to cut an additional $1M from the budget. [This means that the Department increases in expenses for staff and supplies were covered, even tho non-profit and purchase of service groups did not get those cuts.]
Stubbs asks about Birth to Three program. Green explains it is mandated by the federal and state government and the state includes more people in their eligibility standards. She says that they get some money to provide the services but they didn’t get an increase from the state. They know they can’t control those costs because they have to serve eligible people and if they budget any other way, it would just create a deficit. They added $15,000 to make it closer to reality. Green says there is over $1M of GPR in the mandated program from the state. $1,280,000 is real number. She says they were cautious about exemptions that they made – they feel that they are things that keep our costs down. Prevention services for juvenile delinquency will says in jail services. They also did the same in mental health services.
Wheeler asks about DD. Green explains that they can help pay for items (equipment) that help families care for family members in their homes.
Veldran asks about the living wage. Green explains that the ordinance requires purchase of service groups to comply, but mandate the county to pay for it, they just have tried to do it over the years.
McDonnell says that is another cut if they have to increase from $10.20 to 10.61. Foster explains that this is a big jump due to increased gas prices 2 years ago and that in 2011 we may see a decrease due to the current economy.
They clarified that CDBG did get some stimulus money, but only about $60,000[?]
Vedder asks who is implacted by the living wage. Green says it is mostly DD and care giving staff.
Stubbs asks about stimulus money. Green explains there is very little federal money in their budget, that the federal government gives the money to the state and the state did not pass along those increases in funding that they received. So even though the federal government gave increases to help lower the amount of money the state would match, the county didn’t get that money.
Mcdonnell asks how much the living wage will cost agencies? Green says it is about $700,000.
Vedder asks about aoda money? Green says they got the 3% reduction. Vedder asks if they counted the COLA, Green says no.
Stubbs asks if the agencies have been notified. Green says they were called and sent something in the mail. They requested to get a same of what was sent.
Genter (Adult Services) says they only called agencies that had changes that were not 3%.
Green sasy that the POS community is hurt, not going to downplay it – a lot of hurt in department with the 13.7 staff they are losing. They are sharing the loses. Really tried to spread the pain – many of reductions in department are painful.
McDonell asks about original and new guidelines given by the County Executive. Green says they would have had to cut $1.45M and as a result, they have less cuts to the POS Agencies.
They wrap it up by reminding people the public hearings are the 8th and 10th at the Human Serives Annex (old Kirby Vacuum) at the Dane County Job Center. It’s not in the ball room, but a separate entrance through the Mall. They note that people will only have 3 minutes to speak this year, instead of 5.
