The reduction of state funds to county boards and departments forces them to use their local dollars to maintain current service levels. The cuts in these line items does not guarantee shortfalls at the local level, but makes it much more difficult for counties to contend with unexpected events (like the aftermath of Hurricane Ike and power outages last month) or increases in caseloads, when such services are most needed.

While the state is a major provider of health and human service funding, it is the counties (and those they contract with) that actually provide most of the services. Now counties will face difficult choices. Some cost-saving steps being taken across the state have been reported in recent news articles and include: relying more heavily on extra funds generated from recently passed levies, cutting county workforce by offering early retirement or by leaving positions unfilled, cutting back on non-mandated programs including enhanced child visitation or job training, or using waiting lists to manage caseload.

As with most budget issues, the impact doesn’t stop there. The counties provide funds to many nonprofits and providers to actually provide services. Some organizations have already been forced to cut their budgets. Unfortunately, this is only the beginning.