Board questions whether jail case manager roles should sit in Human Services or the Sheriff's Department

Board members raised sustained concerns about two full-time case manager positions that serve the county jail but are budgeted in Human Services as project-funded roles. The department presenter said both positions are currently grant-funded and that "grant funding is secured until next fall...we plan to reapply for that grant. However, as you know, there's no guarantee with grants" (Department presenter, Speaker 2).

Members asked whether the sheriff's department should pay for or manage those positions once grant funding ends. One member said the positions "would probably be safer in the jail" while another cautioned that if the county picks them up, human services will absorb the cost and it will show as a hit to that department's budget. Staff responded that the positions are programmatically human-services roles and that having them under Human Services can ease clinical communication and record access (including HIPAA-limited medical-record sharing), but agreed to consult the sheriff's office and report back to the legislative committee.