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Falk Finds Money For Human Services

Dane County Executive Will Explain On Friday Where She Plans To Get The Money.

Wisconsin State Journal :: LOCAL/WISCONSIN :: C1

Thursday, September 30, 2004
Lesley Rogers Barrett Wisconsin State Journal

At a press conference Wednesday, Falk announced she and a handful of liberal supervisors found more than $1 million in funds to help boost human services to a $210 million budget.

Falk said she will explain on Friday where the money is coming from when she announces her proposed 2005 budget. Her budget will then go to the County Board. Final approval for the 2005 fiscal year, which begins Jan. 1, is expected by Thanksgiving.

Falk said extra money for the human services budget was found by "looking at where else in county government we can find those dollars."

Under the human services proposal, Falk would restore money to drug court, addiction treatment, elder abuse services and developmental disability programs.

Falk is also proposing to add $410,000 to fund wage increases for agencies that contract with the human services department, which provides programs for low-income families, the disabled, the elderly and people with addictions.

Human services advocates said Wednesday they're thankful, but the funding isn't enough.

"We were hoping for more," said Pat Kelly, whose son is developmentally disabled.

Kelly said after years of cuts and stagnant funding, the department needs full inflation and cost-of-living increases.

The $210 million proposed human services budget is more than half of the county's overall budget. The extra $1 million proposed Wednesday means human services would get $5 million more than last year.

Under Falk's proposal, the human services budget would increase because the department is raising more revenue through federal grants and fees.

Despite the increase, agencies and nonprofits that contract with Dane County say they will see cuts because the increase won't keep up with the growing demand for services and cost of living increases, especially salaries.

County Board Chairman Kevin Kesterson said he's "ecstatic" about the restorations of services he said should have never been on the chopping block to begin with. He said Falk's last-minute "saves" are becoming predictable.

"I think it is sort of a sad commentary that some need to play this same game with the same people's lives year after year, only to then find the money," Kesterson said.

Michael Jacob, a member of SOS-Dane -- which stands for Save Our Services -- said the grass-roots group will continue lobbying the County Board for more funding.

\ Human Services budget highlights

A proposed $1 million in additional funds to the 2005 Department of Human Services budget would include:

* $410,000 to boost salaries of the lowest-paid workers.

* $200,000 for drug court and alcohol and drug treatment.

* $115,000 to continue a program that provides job training for developmentally disabled people who leave high school at age 21. The school districts pay for the program for students under 21.

* $186,000 for Badger Prairie Nursing Home staff positions.

* $57,000 in salary and benefits to add an elder abuse social worker, to start April 1.

* $33,000 more for the Urban League's fatherhood program.

* $9,800 to increase the mileage reimbursement for the Retired Senior Volunteer Program volunteers who deliver meals-on-wheels.