County begins process to dissolve ADRC of the Northwoods

The name on the building may change, but the goal of providing assistance and support to aging and disabled residents will continue as Taylor County works toward formally dissolving the ADRC of the Northwoods.

The agency was initially created with Taylor, Oneida, and Forest counties and tribal units working together to serve as a starting point to connect residents in those areas with services. Over time, Oneida County left the ADRC and currently it contains just Taylor and Forest counties and the Forest County Potawatomi tribal unit.

According to Taylor County Clerk Andria Farrand, Forest County and Taylor County representatives have been having conversations about the future of the ADRC partnership and if it continues to be viable. Forest County is in the process of consolidating their human services, health department, commission on aging and ADRC office into one department with managers for each.

With Forest County’s intent to pull out of the partnership, now was the time for Taylor County to bring the ADRC service in-house under the umbrella of the commission on aging. Prior to the creation of the ADRC, the services provided by the agency were provided by the Commission on Aging office and Human Services. “They are moving in the same direction we are to dissolve,” Farrand said.

On Tuesday, Taylor County took its first formal step in the dissolution process through the adoption of a dissolution resolution by an ad hoc committee created to work through the process. On Wednesday, members of the Commission on Aging board and the county’s human services board also voted to approve the resolution sending it to action at the March 19 county board session. The county then needs to file a letter of intent with the Wisconsin Department of Health Services. At that point the state will assist the counties with dissolving the existing ADRC and forming new ones in each of the counties.

ADRCs receive state and federal funding to cover operational costs and wages, however, the county would be responsible for any shortfall if the grants and funding sources did not cover all the costs.

A large portion of Tuesday’s session was spent in preparing a draft budget for the office and discussing what costs would be split between the two counties and what could be absorbed through increased efficiencies or consolidation job duties. Commission on Aging director Jenn Viergutz went through the positions currently in the ADRC of the Northwoods office here and what absorbing those positions and individuals into the COA could look like.

Major positions in the ADRC include the following: ADRC Specialists help the general public, with a special focus on older adults and people with disabilities.

Disability Benefit Specialist assists individuals ages 18-59 with disabilities, helping them locate and navigate a wide range of community services, educating people about options and connecting them to programs and services, including public and privately funded supports.

Elder Benefit Specialist provides services for individuals ages 60 and older, focusing on Medicare, insurance and guiding clients through the complex world of benefit programs, in some cases, under the supervision of an attorney.

There are also other positions of a more clerical or support nature which may be able to be combined with existing staff members duties who are less than full time and making them full-time.

“The first year will be anyone’s guess,” said county finance director Larry Brandl of the budget. The intent of this now is to give the county an idea of what it could cost. There are many variables such as the actual amount of billing that goes to the federal government for reimbursement under various programs.

It was noted that in some cases counties that have gone through the dissolution process found they could qualify for additional reimbursements because of the increased workloads of the staff members.

Based on the rough budget the ad hoc committee created it could cost about $373,000 to run Taylor County’s ADRC by itself. Farrand estimated this would put Taylor County about $20,000 in the hole for it. She noted that this is actually better than what she thought the cost would be.

“The first year will be the hardest year to estimate anything.

Brandl said. In that preliminary budget are things such as the purchase of new desk phones and other onetime purchases that will need to be made for the transition.

Offsetting some of the initial costs, the county will get the approximately $75,000 back that it put into the ADRC several years ago to assist with the agency’s liquidity. The agency gets reimbursed from the state and federal government for services performed. However, this reimbursement can take some time and county partners had put in funds to allow for cashflow while awaiting for reimbursement. When the work comes back to the county, that additional money will no longer be needed and will be returned to the general fund.

Over the next several months, Forest and Taylor County will need to go through the agency and determine how equipment such as copy machines, computers and other items will be divided between the two counties.

The process of dissolving the ADRC of the Northwoods could be a lengthy one. The state advised the county it could take up to 16 months. However, other counties have done it in much shorter times, especially when it was a mutual decision such as the case between Taylor and Forest County. The goal is to have the process completed by the end of 2024.

Williams grew up in Antigo. He graduated from UWStevens Point with a bachelor of science in forest management and a minor in soil science. Upon graduation, he worked as a forestry technician-timber marker for the Black Hills National Forest. He spent three years there before transferring to the Chequamegon Nicolet National Forest in Washburn. There he worked as a pre-sale forestry technician.

In 2013, Williams began employment as a forester with Langlade County Forestry Department and has worked there since. He has a passion for sustainable forestry and especially is interested in the challenges of managing public lands for multiple uses. He brings vast experience at the county, state, federal, and private forestry levels. In his spare time he likes to hunt deer and turkeys, garden, and spend time with his two sons and wife. Williams resides in Merrill.