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Michael D. Pitman reports about Butler County, Ohio, politics, county government, countywide issues and Butler County people just like you for Cox Ohio Publishing (including the Hamilton JournalNews, Middletown Journal and several weekly papers in Butler County). He wants your suggestions and questions for more news stories. Leave a comment for him here or e-mail Michael at Home > Blogs > Butler County News and Issues > Archives > 2010 > June > 07
Monday, June 7, 2010
Butler County budget update - waiting on cuts could cost $300,000 a month
The Butler County Office of Management and Budget released its May 2010 report today. Here it is:
Analysis:
OMB Director Pete Landrum is suggesting commissioners cut $3.5 million from the county’s budget for the rest of this year, and pull $500,000 from reserves.
He also warns that if commissioners don’t act soon, the problem will get worse. Every two-week pay period they go without cutting staff will send that deficit up roughly $150,000, the report says.
Meanwhile, commissioners haven’t met in nearly two weeks.
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TweetChildren Services explores less adversarial approach
A kinder, gentler Butler County Children Services is the goal of a new pilot program the county is trying to secure.
The program, called “alternative response,” will allow Children Services caseworkers to take a less adversarial approach to dealing with many neglect cases, offering parents services instead of threatening them with punishment.
The county will find out June 18 if they qualify for the grant and training from the American Humane Association.
“Instead of pointing fingers at families, it’s about working with families and getting them to correct the things that are going on in their lives,” said Jeff Centers, Children Services director.
This can include offering them help with things such as house cleaning, rent assistance, pest control or temporary daycare.
“That way they don’t feel threatened by us, they don’t feel we’re being big, bad Children Services trying to take their kids,” Centers said.
Centers said this would only apply in neglect cases: dirty homes, substance abuse, lack of supervision, etc. Abuse allegations would still be answered with a criminal-like investigation.
In April, the agency had 257 open cases, of which 96 were neglect, three were medical neglect, three were emotional maltreatment, 130 were physical abuse and 25 were sexual abuse. This is a typical month, Centers said.
Richard Wexler, executive director of the Virginia-based National Coalition for Child Protection Reform, praised the “alternative response” model.
“This has been tried all over the country, and every evaluation that’s been done over the past decade or so has found it reduces entries into foster care without compromising safety,” Wexler said.
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