Health and Human Services Board Meeting — Minutes

Health and Human Services Board Minutes September 9, 2026 5:00 PM St. Croix County Government Center - Room 1400 Government Center - 1101 Carmichael Road, Hudson, Wisconsin Call to Order Health and Human Services (HHS) Board Chair, Greg Tellijohn, called the September 9, 2026, meeting to order at approximately 5:00 pm. Roll Call PRESENT: Mike Barcalow, Kathleen Findlay, Deb Lindemann, Danielle McIntosh, Wayne Roen, Dan Schmit, Denise Shirley-Carter, Julie Smith, Greg Tellijohn ABSENT: None. OTHERS IN ATTENDANCE: HHS Director, Bob Rohret; County Administrator, Ken Witt; Deputy Director, Shar Lopez; Fiscal Manager, Fay Strenke; ADRC Administrator, Kristin Newton; Economic Support Administrator, Ronda Brown; Health Care Campus Administrator, Sandy Hackenmueller; Public Health Administrator, Elle Klasen; Children Services Administrator, Michelle Leccia; Public Health Strategist, Genevieve Palazzolo Approval of Minutes 1. Minutes of Previous Meeting - July 15, 2026 Minutes were accepted as presented. Public Comment No public comments received. Business 1. Financial Report for July 2026 (Fay Strenke) Fay Strenke, HHS Fiscal Manager, presented financials through July 2026. She noted HHS judgments and damages line there is a negative balance of $133,000 due to the State incorrectly applied opioid settlement funds then corrected the error — this does not affect our settlement funds. Behavioral Health purchased services are trending higher than budgeted due to acute care adult placements. Operating expenses negative balances will be balanced with grant funds. Childrens Services purchased services trending lower than last year at this time. Health Care Campus financials were also reviewed. 2. Consideration of 2027 Requested Budget (Ken Witt) Ken Witt, County Administrator, presented the HHS 2027 requested budget report. Administrator Witt explained each division's request and reviewed the 2024 and 2025 actual budgets, the 2026 adopted budgets, and the 2027 requested budgets. He also explained that the General Property Tax line, Net Wages and Fringes line, and Operating Expenses line are used to analyze causes of increases and decreases, which assist with decision-making. Witt noted that cell phone expenses will be moved from the Administration budget to each individual Division to improve reporting and that adult protective services continue to grow. Also noted increasing long-term placement costs at Trempealeau and Winnebago state hospital. 3. Review Rate Adjustments for HHS and Health Care Campus (Fay Strenke/Sandy Hackenmueller) Fay Strenke, HHS Fiscal Manager, presented proposed HHS and Health Care Campus 2027 rate adjustments. Department staffing, overhead, billable services, and Wisconsin Medicaid cost reporting are used to review and calculate rates. The requested HHS rate increase is less than 2%. Uninsured client rates will continue to be based on a sliding fee schedule. Intoxicated Driver Program (IDP) and Court Ordered Assessments must be paid in full and are not eligible for the sliding fee scale. The Health Care Campus requested rate increases for the Health Center — Skilled Nursing Facility and Kitty Rhoades Memorial Memory Care Center daily rates; all others will remain the same. Motion: Approve the 2027 Health and Human Services and Health Care Campus rate adjustments as requested. Result: Passed Moved by: Mike Barcalow Seconded by: Dan Schmit Ayes: Greg Tellijohn, Denise Shirley-Carter, Wayne Roen, Danielle McIntosh, Deb Lindeman, Julie Smith, Dr. Kathleen Findlay Nays: None Abstain: None Notes: Motion was passed unanimously 4. HHS Director's Report (Bob Rohret) Bob Rohret, HHS Director, shared that Human Resources will assist in facilitating a 2027-2030 strategic plan. Members of the HHS Board are invited to participate in the planning sessions; interested members should reach out to Rohret. Shar Lopez, HHS Deputy Director, wrote an article regarding partnerships with law enforcement, adult protective services, and behavioral health crisis co-response, which is set to be featured in the December WCA Magazine. Rohret is working with Polk County and DHS to expedite the release of Crisis Care Facility funding in the amount of $10 million by the Joint Committee on Finance. Two Polk County providers are interested in developing a regional care facility. If funds are not released soon, the approved time period to use these funds will expire and the funds will then return to the state. Vital Strategies, a global public health nonprofit, matched $100,000 in opioid settlement funds, which supported the duties of a substance-use professional, Kim Kitzberger, embedded in Child Protection Services and Family Treatment Court, as well as a Public Health evaluation effort. A presentation from Public Health will follow with additional details. Rohret also provided updates from each specific HHS Division. 5. Evaluation of Projects Related to Vital Strategies Opioid Settlement Matching Funds (Genevieve Palazzolo, PH Strategist) Genevieve Palazzolo, HHS Public Health Strategist, provided a presentation regarding an evaluation of projects related to the Vital Strategies opioid settlement matching funds. This funding was utilized to support a Substance-Use Professional, Kim Kitzberger, embedded within the Children Services department, to work with families affected by substance use in Child Protective Services (CPS) cases, and to support the implementation of Family Treatment Court (FTC). Public Health conducted an evaluation to assess preliminary outcomes for these interventions with respect to out-of-home placements, reunification, and support for recovery within families. This grant facilitated the integration of substance-use support directly into Children Services, allowing for earlier connections to assistance for families. The grant concluded at the end of August 2026; however, Kim's position will continue through existing opioid settlement funding. Please refer to the presentation slides in the packet for further details. Request for Future Agenda Items Rohret requested to provide a series of presentations at the October HHS Board meeting regarding mental health, addiction, and behavioral health systems and our response to the needs in St. Croix County, focusing on various departments within the county and HHS divisions. Announcements 1. The next Men's Shed event is November 4, featuring Phil Landgraf of Veterans Services. 2. The ADRC and Public Health will host the first ADRC Expo on October 21 at Ready Randy's in New Richmond. Date of Next Meeting 1. Date of Next Meeting - October 14, 2026 Adjournment Meeting adjourned at 06:15 PM