Churchill County ratifies state social-services agreements and secures meal-program funding

Churchill County Social Services staff told the board on Wednesday that the county must ratify several agreements to comply with new federal guidelines passed through the state and to secure ongoing meal program funding.

"This is the first of, I believe, many that you'll be seeing," Shannon Ernst, Churchill County Social Services, said of the agreement ratifications tied to federal guidelines routed through the state to subrecipients. The board moved, seconded and ratified an agreement between the Department of Human Services and Churchill County Social Services adopting new substance-abuse and mental-health services guidelines.

Ernst also presented two separate ratifications for meal services. The board approved an $87,200.67 agreement with the Nevada Aging and Disability Services Division to provide congregate meal services at the life center, retroactive to Oct. 1. The board separately ratified $220,491.40 for home-delivered meals to eligible homebound residents, also with an Oct. 1 effective date, to maintain Meals on Wheels services.

Ernst briefed commissioners on an unrelated administrative notice from the Nevada Association of Counties that the county's fiscal-year 2026 indigent accident fund disbursement will be $297,577.26. She said statute requires the disbursed amount be used toward the county's Medicaid match assessment up to the local 8¢ requirement, freeing equivalent local funds for other indigent activities.

All ratifications were approved by motion without extended public discussion.