Health department proposes modest budget adjustments; state reimburses portion of expenses

Araceli Castillo, director of the Coffee County Health Department (which also serves Lincoln and Moore counties), presented the departments proposed 2025-26 budget to the committee on March 20 and described line items that are reimbursable by the state.

Castillo explained that the budget materials submitted show three columns: estimated current-year, requested and state-reimbursed amounts. Highlighted lines are those the state will reimburse; she said travel, utilities and some personnel costs will be partly reimbursed and that the countys requested contribution decreased slightly compared with the current year because of increased reimbursement.

The director said planned moves to a new health department location will likely raise travel costs because staff must travel farther to regional offices and training. She noted tobacco-fund revenue supporting some programmatic activity is declining and that only a portion of clerical salary and Social Security costs (25 percent) are reimbursable under the tobacco funding line.

Committee members confirmed that travel costs are reimbursed by the state and had no further questions; the committee accepted the health department presentation.