Out-of-home placement costs staying under budget

The budget for out-of-home placements in Crow Wing County is looking good, reported Susan Beck, county welfare director.

Beck told the Crow Wing County Board Tuesday that in the first quarter of this the county was about $174,000 under budget. She said the total spent through April is $780,000, compared with $862,000 spent last year during the same time period.

Beck said the financial outlook also is good. This year there is a cash balance of an estimated $3.53 million or $683,000 less than last year. Overall, the county social services department has spent 20 percent of its budget and received 17 percent of budgeted revenues.

In other social service business, the board:

Approved two contracts with PORT for home-based mental health services and therapeutic support of foster care.

Accepted two resignations from Dorothy Brown Leighton, office support specialist, effective June 1, and James Harting, chemical dependency counselor, who decided not to come back after a medical leave which started last October.

Heard from Beck that she is putting a plan together to clarify procedures on English proficiency. She said last year there was threatened litigation at the state level regarding persons with limited English proficiency. The concern was that the state and counties have not done enough to ensure people that they have immediate access to interpreters and translators as needed.

"Although we currently have few situations arise," said Beck. "I believe that we will see increasing numbers of persons who do not speak adequate English in the next few years."