Supervisors reject changes to General Assistance policy

MT. PLEASANT — Henry County supervisors voted 2-1 last week to reject proposed changes to the county’s General Assistance program, choosing to maintain current eligibility levels and utility support caps despite concerns over growing need in the community.

  Buy Photo

During the March 27 meeting, General Assistance Director Sarah Berndt presented a proposal to raise the income eligibility threshold from 50% to 75% of the federal poverty level. The update also would have increased the utility assistance cap from $200 to $300. Berndt said the changes could have helped three additional applicants last month alone, adding approximately $2,400 to the utility assistance budget.

“You could accommodate that in your budget,” Berndt told the board.

Berndt emphasized that the proposed changes would have had a limited but measurable impact, giving specific examples from her recent caseload.

In addition to the eligibility discussion, the board reviewed the county’s long-unused Interim Assistance Reimbursement program, which allows counties to provide temporary support for individuals applying for federal Supplemental Security Income (SSI). If the claim is eventually approved, the county can recoup costs. If not, the financial burden falls entirely on the county.

“My concern is that if you would get one [applicant], and you’d be paying rent and utilities, that would be potentially up to $800 a month,” Berndt said. “If you put that into play for 10 months, that’s $8,000. I don’t know if your budget can accommodate that.”

Berndt also noted the program hasn’t been used in at least five years.

“I don’t even know if my signature is good,” she said, referencing the outdated agreement. “We didn’t have a lot over the course of time, and it was probably 50-50 if we actually got anything back.”

Supervisor Chad White made a motion to keep the income threshold at 50%, keep the utility cap at $200 instead of $300, and retain the reimbursement policy. Supervisor Steve Detrick seconded the motion.

Lindeen raised questions in opposition to the motion, citing Henry County's eligibility level is among the lowest in the region.

“We’re on the low end of the other counties, right?” Lindeen asked. “It looked like us and Johnson and Des Moines County.”

White supported keeping the reimbursement policy in place, despite its financial risks, while maintaining the lower eligibility level and assistance caps.

With Detrick and White voting for keeping the policies as they were and Lindeen voting against the motion, Berndt will update the draft policy to reflect the board’s decision.

“I will get this original back to the way it was, and then I’ll bring that by for your signature,” she said.

While the vote maintained the status quo, it left some questions lingering about how the county will respond if need increases or budgets tighten further.

For now, the General Assistance program remains one of the most limited in the region, with eligibility and benefits that reflect the county’s conservative budget approach.

Comments: AnnaMarie.Kruse@southeastiowaunion.com