Otsego County HSC Committee Meeting 10/13/2026

The Otsego County Human Services Committee met on October 13, 2026. DSS presented several 2027 service agreements, and the committee approved motions including Together for Youth qualified-individual assessments (not to exceed $5,000), Melissa Maine assessments (not to exceed $8,000), Empowerment for Families parent-coaching services ($2,730), housing-search services through the Family Services Association in Oneonta ($4,500), and services at Utica Rescue Mission’s Parker House ($18,000). The committee also approved a Cerner contract for targeted electronic-medical-record implementation and operational support: up to 100 hours at $213 per hour, or $21,300. The Health Department presented a five-year Patagonia electronic-medical-record subscription at $13,471.46 annually, and accepted a state Early Intervention administrative grant reported as $179,750 for the grant period, or $35,941 annually. The department also requested approval for two staff to attend a conference at a cost not to exceed $4,200, fully grant-funded.

DSS sought and received approval for budget transfers to address rising foster-care and safety-net expenses. The department described a request for approximately $769,000 from contingency, noting state-set foster-care rates and increased safety-net demand; the discussion identified $238,000 for safety-net costs and $539,000 for family-assistance costs. It also proposed moving $50,000 from the juvenile-delinquency line and $100,000 from the state-training-school line to help cover costs. Other committee discussion included a federally funded children’s single-point-of-access position, staffing and salary approvals, and public-health updates on measles and rabies. Members also discussed improving interagency coordination and providing more public education about human-services issues.