Jobs Agency Budget Update at Muskingum Co. Commission

The Muskingum Co. Commissioners learn more about some budget constraints at the county Department of Job & Family Services.

That agency’s director presented his latest numbers to county leaders this morning.

“Basically talking about the outlook for next year. We have submitted our budget numbers earlier. We didn’t ask for any more than we had submitted, so we are basically seeking to be flat-funded again for next fiscal year.”

The director says his staff touches more than $200-million a year.

“We have a little funding drop in our human services line. We kind of see the ebbs and flows in our budgets from year to year based on what happens at the state level, federal level. Our S-chip match percentage is down, so it reduces the amount of money we can draw back into our system for each dollar spent, so it changed from a higher match down to a lower match and our Enhanced Medicaid did the same thing, so we still have an Enhanced Medicaid but the things we can hit for has reduced,” says Troy McCollister, agency Director.

Mccollister tells WHIZ news they lose the federal and state funds they receive if they’re not spent in the same fiscal year they’re appropriated.