HomeMy WebLinkAboutFamily Services Advisory Committee - Minutes - 7/9/2025
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BAYFIELD COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES
FAMILY & BEHAVIORAL HEALTH SERVICES ADVISORY COMMITTEE (FBHSAC)
MEETING MINUTES
Courthouse Conference Room A & Remote
Wednesday, July 9, 2025, at 10 am
Committee Members Present: Darlene Neff, Bev Lindell, Mary Dougherty*, Christine
Branagan & Bev Patterson (arrived at 10:06). (*=virtual)
Others Present: Tom Croteau (Behavioral Health and Community Services Manager), Jo
Beth Gonzalez (Family Services Section Manager), and Sarah Traaholt (Support Staff).
Call to order and introductions: Vice Chair Lindell called the meeting to order at 10:03 a.m.
Minute Approval: Neff made a motion to approve the April 9, 2025, minutes as presented,
Branagan seconded. Motion carried.
Public Comment: none.
Discussion and Possible Action- Neff nominated Patterson for the position of Committee
Chair; no other nominations were presented. Neff made a motion to elect Patterson as Chair of
the FBHSAC, Lindell seconded. All members in favor, motion carried.
Program Report – Family Services
• Family Services unit has been working on updating its vision.
• The Family Service team comprises of a Manager, a Foster and Kinship Care
Coordinator, a Social Worker, a Case Manager, a Family Specialist, a Youth Justice
Worker (currently open), a CST Case Manager (currently open), and a Social
Worker Aid (currently open). The team has been undergoing reconstruction,
restructuring, and building a team atmosphere. Filling these positions and retaining
staff has been a challenge, but good strides are being made. Team members are
going beyond their normal duties to help cover the gaps. Fortunately, Family
Services can still utilize Limited Term Employees (LTE) for a few more months. The
new Family Services team has received positive feedback from the Court on
changes made. Gonzalez hopes to get the team back to a manageable workload
soon.
• A sub-section within Family Services is the Children's With Disabilities Program,
which includes several initiatives: the Children’s Long Term Services (CLTS),
Children’s Community Options Program (CCOP), and Birth to 3 (B3) programs. Both
CLTS and CCOP are managed in-house and are fully staffed. The Birth to 3
program is contracted through Ashland County and reports to the section
supervisor, Hayley Weyers.
• Family Service Staff assist the most vulnerable populations in Bayfield County while
closely collaborating with agencies that provide and assist with these services.
Minutes were approved
at the 10/8/25 FBHSAC
meeting
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• Croteau and Gonzalez noted that juvenile correction placements can significantly
distort budget figures. Placements can cost as much as $25,000 per month for each
participant. Daily rates were set to increase significantly from approximately $1,000,
from $1,268 to $2,500. Croteau remarked that Governor Evers listened to the
counties' concerns and made adjustments to reduce the cost of detention facilities
before signing off on a new rate of $501 per day. This will provide a considerable
cost savings to the county and will take effect on July 1, 2025.
Behavioral Health-
• Croteau announced to the group that he has taken a new role as Human Services
Director as of June 2, 2025. Croteau is also currently covering the role of Manager
for the Behavioral Health and Community Program (BHCP) section. Croteau
mentioned that there are no official candidates for the manager position, which is
one of the more challenging roles to fill, as applicants must possess mental health
licensure.
• Croteau mentioned that the position of Behavioral Health Case Manager has
remained vacant since the end of December 2024, with the exception of a six-week
period when a staff member occupied the role. Unfortunately, that staff member did
not prove to be a good fit, leaving the position unfilled once again. Croteau noted
that due to the vacancy, staff only have time to meet mandated requirements,
leaving them unable to pursue proactive initiatives. Jamie Allen has been incredibly
busy covering both roles and has been doing an excellent job. In addition to her
responsibilities, Allen has been assisting with Youth Justice and On-Call for Family
Services. Allen has also been involved in a mediation role for the Courts, dedicating
a few hours beyond her standard 40-hour workweek.
• Croteau updated the committee on the Avel virtual crisis care system, which has not
been used in the last quarter. Croteau will follow up with the Sheriff to discuss
increasing its usage. Croteau also submitted a grant application to continue funding
for Avel.
• Additionally, Croteau received an extension to apply for a contract with Auxilia,
expanding crisis care services for first responders and Bayfield County residents
through Emergency Management.
Patterson asked if there was anything the group could do to help with recruiting for
these positions. Croteau mentioned that word of mouth is the best way to find qualified
candidates. Open positions and job descriptions are available on the Bayfield County
website https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/bayfieldco.
Dougherty also mentioned that the personnel committee is considering creating a
workforce team focused on heavily recruiting for hard-to-fill positions. Dougherty also
noted that the group would advocate for additional incentives for employee recruitment
and retention.
Future 2025 Meeting Dates: October 8
Croteau noted that at the October meeting, 2026 dates and meeting times will be discussed.
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Adjournment: The meeting adjourned at 10:40 am.
Minutes respectfully submitted by,
Sarah Traaholt
Sarah Traaholt