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Dubuque Public Health presents FY2026 budget request emphasizing animal control, preparedness and food-safety work
Summary
Public Health Director Mary Rose Corrigan told the City Council on April 3 that the Health Services Department will focus FY2026 funding on emergency preparedness updates, animal licensing and food safety standards; property-tax support for the department is $836,191 (about $11.23 per average homeowner).
Mary Rose Corrigan, Dubuque’s public health director, presented the Health Services Department’s FY2026 budget at the council’s April 3 special session, outlining priorities in emergency preparedness, environmental health inspections, animal control and community partnerships.
"The mission of the health services department is to provide equitable and effective public health services to prevent the spread of disease and other health conditions while promoting the health, safety, and well-being of our citizens and the environment," Corrigan told the council as she opened the department’s budget presentation.
Corrigan said the department totals 7.14 full‑time equivalent positions and that the department’s property‑tax support request is $836,191 — about $11.23 per average homeowner — which funds inspections, animal control, emergency planning and related activities. She said highlights for recent years include completion of the COVID‑19 after‑action report and updates to extreme temperature response plans (heat/cold) and a finalized community health needs assessment.
Among specific program notes, Corrigan told council members: - The department licensed about 486 food establishments in FY24 and reported approximately $139,000 in related fee revenue; environmental sanitarians continue work on FDA food‑safety standards under contract with the Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals and Licensure. - The department’s environmental sanitarians won grant support: a $48,500 award (over three years) to support training and time to complete FDA/National Environmental Health Association food‑protection standards work. - Animal control activity handled roughly 832 animals placed with the Humane Society under a contract; the city paid about $169,416 to the Humane Society for housing in the past fiscal year. Corrigan said only about 19% of animals taken to the humane society are reclaimed by owners. - The department issued 10,95 citations for animal licensing and other violations, with most cases resolved through outreach; only 35 resulted in court fines. - The department is updating its public health emergency preparedness plan for the first time since 2019 and expects to add two city‑wide emergency exercises annually for leadership staff.
Council members thanked staff and pressed for detail on bite reporting and prevention. Corrigan said animal‑bite reports are verified (often by healthcare providers or school nurses) and that animal control tracks location and incident circumstances; she and Councilmember Resnick discussed data points collected on bite reports, and Corrigan acknowledged additional analysis is possible but that breed tallies have not been recently compiled.
Corrigan also reported ongoing work with Crescent Community Health Center on dental services expansion; Crescent had more than 10,000 unique patients in calendar year 2024 and is adding dental chairs and a pediatric dental residency.
No public commenters addressed the health department budget during the public hearing portion of the meeting.
Corrigan concluded by introducing two new staff members and said staff would continue to pursue a new animal‑licensing vendor and further improvements to inspection and preparedness work.
