HHS flags rising out‑of‑home placement costs and $25,000 legal bill year‑to‑date

Julia told the committee that client expenses are up, largely driven by residential placements under chapter 50x authorities that were not budgeted because few placements had occurred in prior years.

"Some of the things that are definitely trending high for us…was the residential placements that we're seeing on the, for those chapter 50 fives," Julia said, and she added that the department is tracking legal fees, which are about $25,000 year‑to‑date. She said the department bills families when appropriate and attempts to recoup costs from property sales in some cases, but that recovery can be slow.

Julia also discussed CLTS/Medicaid pass‑through accounting, noting the budget shows a $430,000 receipt amount the county budgets to match anticipated outlays but that those revenues are pass‑through and may not appear in monthly receipts at the same time. She said staff will analyze secure‑detention counts and days in placement and reported that several youth have been sent to secure facilities such as Lincoln Hills (males) and Copper Falls (females).

Committee members asked for comparative counts and ages; Julia said staff will try to provide a comparison with other counties and a clearer picture of days in placement at the next meeting to inform budgeting decisions.