Residents question Seward County health-department bonuses, hours and spending

Several residents raised concerns about the Seward County Health Departmentbonuses, staffing hours and use of grant funds during the public-comment portion of the meeting.

Carolyn Huddleston presented documents and a spreadsheet she said showed two sets of bonuses totaling $103,709 referenced in the 2026 budget materials. Huddleston said the county had previously paid bonuses of $51,250 in 2023 and $45,000 in 2024 and described $58,709 and $45,000 as additional bonus lines in the 2026 materials. She said: “Back on the big spreadsheet ... with bonuses already paid out plus those approved, it totals $326,000 with $241,000 of that going to 7 staff.”

Huddleston asked commissioners to reassign approved-but-unpaid bonus funds “back into wages for staff so they can increase their hours, provide more services to the public, and get this money at the same time.” She calculated that $103,000 could pay for four additional hours per week for each member of the health-department staff for a year.

Joanne Lucas and other speakers repeated concerns about bonuses and said some residents were reluctant to use health-department services because of the publicity. Lucas said department hours averaged roughly 34 hours per week across 2023to2025 and questioned proposals to reduce public hours even though bonus funds are shown in the budget documents.

County Administrator April Warden acknowledged the concerns and said staff and department heads, together with the county's financial adviser, had already been assessing possible cuts and that commissioners would receive more detailed information for January budget sessions. Warden also invited residents to review budget documents and meet with staff for clarification.

Ending: Commissioners asked staff to prepare clearer documentation and responses and to publish clarifying information; residents were invited to follow up and attend the January budget discussions where potential changes to services and spending will be considered.