Stratford health director warns of state grant cuts as FY26 health budget rises 3.39%

The Stratford Health Department’s proposed fiscal 2026 budget increases 3.39% over last year, Health Director Andrea Boishein told the ordinance committee during the town’s budget workshop. Boishein said the rise stems mainly from contractual salary commitments, reclassification of positions and changes in custodial overtime accounting.

Boishein said the department adjusted part‑time and overtime lines to reflect custodial shifts at Birds Eye — moving responsibilities that previously sat under public works into the health budget — and noted a full‑time custodian’s overtime use had driven prior-year overtime costs. “Our overall budget reflects a 3.39% increase over last year,” Boishein said, and she described changes to part‑time, overtime and the movement of one employee’s pay from part‑time to full‑time lines because the person is a full‑time, grant‑funded employee.

In describing non‑payroll items, Boishein highlighted a small line for vaccines and tuberculosis testing: “It's $875 goes to material to test for tuberculosis. And the other one I use to buy adult vaccines,” she said, noting that childhood vaccines are provided free by the state. She added that adult vaccinations sometimes require local purchase and billing to insurers.

Boishein also told the committee that two state grants supporting local COVID‑era activities have been terminated: the immunization grant (focused locally on childhood immunizations but used for adult vaccines when needed) and the ELC 2 (epidemiology laboratory capacity) grant. “Those two have been terminated,” she said, and she supplied committee members with the grant names at their request.

Boishein said other grants — including the department’s preparedness grant and a five‑year block grant — remain in place but could be at risk, and she described how she and other staff have moved some responsibilities in‑house to reduce dependence on grant funding. She also noted the Stratford Health Department’s accreditation through the National Public Health Accreditation Board and described it as a point of pride.

Committee members asked about headcount and how grant funding is reflected in payroll lines. Boishein and staff described adjustments that keep the total headcount roughly stable (11 reported in the budget narrative, with some movement between part‑ and full‑time lines) while shifting portions of some employees’ pay to grant funding. Finance staff planned to follow up with a clarification on which positions are counted as full‑time versus part‑time in the budget book.

Councilors also asked what contingency options exist if federal or state funding is cut further. Boishein said the department has historically relied on the medical reserve corps and volunteers for large vaccination efforts (citing the COVID vaccination campaign), and she said the department is assessing options with regional partners, hospitals and insurers about possible private‑sector roles in filling gaps.

The committee requested written confirmation of the two terminated grants and other details Boishein described; she agreed to circulate those grant names and the summary of impacts to the council.

Ending: Boishein closed by taking additional questions and thanking the committee; the ordinance committee then moved on to the community services section of the budget book.