3-26-2026 Amended Human Services Board Minutes

1 MANITOWOC COUNTY HUMAN SERVICES DEPARTMENT BOARD MEETING MINUTES CALL TO ORDER: The Manitowoc County Human Services Department Board met at 4:15 p.m. on Thursday, March 26, 2026 in open session at the Manitowoc County Human Services Department, 801 Jay Street, Manitowoc, WI. Board Members Present: Agnew, Falkowski, Klein, Naidl, Ruggirello, Schiesl, Shimulunas Board Members Excused: Bruns, Muench Board Members Absent: County Board Members Present: County Staff Present: Ader, Fure, Johnson, Kubec, Ledvina, Whitney, Williquette, Ziegelbauer PUBLIC COMMENT ON ANY MATTER PERTAINING TO THE HUMAN SERVICES DEPARTMENT: None APPROVAL OF THE FEBRUARY 26, 2026 MINTUES: A MOTION WAS MADE BY SCHIESL, SECONDED BY AGNEW TO APPROVE THE MINUTES FROM THE FEBRUARY 26TH MEETING. MOTION WAS CARRIED. EDUCATION TOPIC – SEX TRAFFICKING – Stacy Ledvina: Stacy gave a presentation on youth sex trafficking, what it is, who is at risk and how to identify it. Manitowoc County has quite a large problem with youth sex trafficking. An extensive ongoing investigation has led to multiple arrests and some deportations. In our area right now, many of the victims are being trafficked in exchange for controlled substances. Our Youth and Family Services unit has one social worker and one youth justice worker that have had specialized training to work with these youth. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS – Doug Klein Board Chairman Klein thanked members Falkowski and Muench for their time and effort working on the HSD board. He acknowledged Tyler Martell who will no longer be on the County Board and Jim Brey for all his work on the board. He also thanked Mr. Ziegelbauer for his many years of service. Mr. Ziegelbauer has always been a huge supporter of Human Services. Chairman Klein appreciates everyone’s involvement, and at our April meeting we may have some new members. Mr. Ziegelbauer thanked both the board members and citizen members for their interest in the Human Services Board and for their continued dedication and work. FINANCIAL REPORT – Daniel Whitney Dan Whitney presented on the current status of the 2025 budget and projects he is working on to recoup additional reimbursement. By the April board meeting we should have a slight outlook for 2026 budget. 2 DIRECTOR’S REPORT ON AGENCY OPERATIONS - Lori Fure In our Children and Families Division, out-of-home placements are down but there are more children needing higher cost placements compared to a year ago. We had more secure detention housing days the past two months than we did a year ago. In Clinical Services Division, mental health detentions days are up significantly in the last two months. Since our last meeting we have had more turnover in two more positions. We currently have 15 vacancies and are holding 9 of those positions open. We had another weekend where our after-hours crisis staff was overwhelmed and daytime staff members were called in to help. There has been a recent increase in NGI referrals. These referrals are for people who have committed felonies and were found not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect. These are people with high levels of need. Because the majority of our vacancies are in Clinical Services, we are not able to accommodate these referrals as quickly as we’d like. Director Fure would like to thank the IT Department and in particular, Director Luke Kalista for exceptional work during the recent blizzard. With so many employees working remotely that day, Luke’s efforts allowed our department to function without loss of productivity. Director Fure also thanked the outgoing HSD board members and Mr. Ziegelbauer. QUESTIONS FROM BOARD MEMBERS ON THE STATUS OF THE HUMAN SERVICES DEPARTMENT How are the mobile panic buttons working out? Not certain if they’ve been checked out yet, but we do know none of them have been pressed. We will evaluate usage over the year to determine whether or not we continue with the same model. DATE OF NEXT MEETING: The next regular meeting of the Human Services Department Board will be held on April 23, 2026 at 4:15 p.m. The meeting will be held at the Manitowoc County Human Services, 801 Jay Street, Manitowoc, WI. ADJOURNMENT: A MOTION WAS MADE BY FALKOWSKI, SECONDED BY SCHIESL TO ADJOURN THE MEETING OF THE HUMAN SERVICES DEPARTMENT BOARD AT 5:30 P.M., MOTION CARRIED.