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Human Services Department Budget Presentation Director Berry began by reviewing the mission of the Human Services Department and giving an overview of the increase in service delivery numbers since the Department moved to Cove Community Center. He said this is the first full year they have been at the new location, and they have served an average of 113 people per day, which is up from an average of 75 people per day in previous years. He then reviewed the department’s goals and proposed budget modifications for the upcoming budget year. He explained there have not been many shifts to the budget because the priority has been on aligning operations to reflect the shift of moving all the divisions under the same roof at Cove Community Center. Assistant Director Jaissle provided an overview of the growth of the Division of Aging, as well as the goals for the next year. She said that program demand has been very high, and staff have been creative in figuring out ways to use the space to increase offerings. Director Berry reviewed the goals for the Division of Youth programs (Community-Based Services, H20, Juvenile Diversion). He also shared that the Clinical Manager for the community-based services team retired earlier this year leading to lots of changes. He said the focus this year will be on building that new team to ensure a strong and cohesive unit. Assistant Director Jaissle then reviewed the growth and the goals of the Division of Early Childhood Services. She shared the program has also experienced a lot of growth since the move to Cove and has been able to expand programming and the hours of operations. Director Berry added that an important change to the Division of Early Childhood budget was that they worked with the administration to remove the salary offset that has typically been part of the CDBG funding, so that 100 percent of that funding will now go directly to the Childcare Scholarship Fund. Director Berry then provided an overview of the larger departmental and division goals for the next year. Some new goals discussed included the development of a civic engagement and leadership lab through the H2O program as well as building a community garden at Cove Community Center. In addition, ongoing goals such as continuing to advance the work of Community Health Action Team (CHAT), supporting the development of a Racial Equity Plan, and expanding community collaborations and programming opportunities were also discussed. In closing, Director Berry reviewed a slide of the 2024 Estimated External Funding sources, which total around $1.2 million dollars. In response to a question from Councilmember Kepple, Director Berry explained the reduction in salary under the Human Service administration budget line was mostly due to someone retiring and the shifting around of positions. Director Rancatore added that page 146 of the budget book shows the consolidated salaries for Human Services across all divisions, and there was an overall increase of 9%. Councilmember Marx asked if the Human Services Department has considered offering a support group to families that have a loved one impacted by mental health issues. A discussion followed about how residents with a mental health need can access supports though the Human Services Department, as well as some partnerships that could help fill that void. Director Berry 3