Counties swap funds to better provide help

Franklin County is teaming with three Ohio counties to avoid returning unspent public-assistance money to state and federal governments, a move that turned Joy Bivens and her staff into expert swappers.

Bivens, director of the Franklin County Department of Job and Family Services, took advantage of a 2013 change in state law that allows counties to swap federal and state money designated for various programs for the needy to provide more services more efficiently. She said the trades save money, benefit some of her department’s 350,000 public-assistance users and help other counties.

“This is an opportunity for us to make an impact,” Bivens said.

Because each dollar accepted is restricted as to how it can be spent, counties often and begrudgingly return money they don’t spend to the state and federal governments.

That money generally is designated to be spent in one of four categories — children’s services, children’s welfare, workforce development and public assistance, such as food stamps and Medicaid.

Franklin County is trading $408,000 of its restricted money to Summit, Montgomery and Belmont counties. In exchange, those three counties are trading, dollar for dollar, restricted money that Franklin County wants.

For example, Franklin County traded to Belmont County $15,401 that is restricted for youth summer camp, after-school and other children’s programs. In exchange, Belmont County traded to Franklin

County $15,401 in funds restricted to be spent on employment training. That allows Franklin County to spend $15,401 more on job training aimed at getting people off of public assistance, more of a need in Franklin County than in smaller Belmont County, due east of Columbus on the West Virginia border.

“These are training dollars where our customers have the opportunity to get livablewage jobs,” Bivens said.

Summit County happily traded another $250,000 in employment-training money to Franklin County for $250,000 in money earmarked for children’s services programs, said Pat Divoky, director of the Summit County Department of Job and Family Services.

The moves are cheered by Franklin County Administrator Kenneth Wilson.

Had the swaps not been made, $158,000 for some of Franklin County Job and Family Services’ programs would have been paid from the county’s general fund, money used to pay for dayto-day operations of county government. Even that small savings is important, Wilson noted, because other state cuts mean Franklin County likely won’t get $21 million in sales taxes on Medicaid services it received this year.

Previously, the state had to approve such swaps, but the 2013 law change allowed individual counties to do them as long as the proper resolutions and commissioners’ approval are included.

Joel Potts, director of the Ohio Job and Family Services Directors’ Association, applauds the trades. They help counties “invest dollars the most efficient way,” he said, during a time when there’s far more need than money.

“This is cutting through a ton of red tape,” said Potts, whose nonprofit represents Job and Family Services departments throughout Ohio.

Most important, Bivens added, the swaps give the departments additional chances to help more people to leave public-assistance rolls.

“If we take 10 people out of poverty,” Bivens said, “I’m happy.”