Blair County’s director of Children, Youth and Families says her department will need more funding in the future to keep up with the services mandated by the state.
 

 
That was Maryanne Burger telling county leaders on Tuesday that her expenses continue to grow – as do the number of people needing county support for adoption assistance, child protective services and teen placements.
 
Burger says her office will need to spend more than $11-million in the 2012-13 fiscal year to meet the needs of the community, a cost that will only increase every year.
 
Burger estimates her budget will soar to $12.5-million for the 2013-14 fiscal year. She says her department has had success in recent years controlling costs by keeping children out of expensive group homes and state institutions. But she says the savings are being erased by increasing legal fees.