Missoula County health director seeks staffing and operations increases across six requests

Missoula County’s health director presented six new budget requests to maintain and expand public-health services, asking the county to share ongoing personnel costs while noting the department is pursuing one-time grants to offset some positions.

The six requests presented were: 1) split a single administration director role into two manager positions (a business manager and a cross-divisional programs manager), 2) two full-time community health worker positions, 3) half an FTE to fully staff the foster child health program, 4) one additional animal shelter attendant for Animal Services, 5) a small county share to cover an overrun for a communications officer currently grant-funded, and 6) one new sanitarian position funded by expected increases in state reimbursements after House Bill 853 raised license fees.

Key details and cost-sharing: The presenter said the change to two manager positions increases personnel costs by about $60,000 compared with the prior FTE budget and that the new requests are split “60% to the city, 40% to the county,” making the county’s ongoing share for that manager about $24,000. For the two community health workers the presenter gave a combined salary-and-fringe total of about $141,000 and said the county’s ongoing share would be roughly $57,000 if no additional grants are approved.

Foster child health program: The department asked for the county to cover half of a full-time equivalent staff position to restore capacity in the foster child health program. The presenter said the county’s program has served nearly 1,000 vulnerable children overall and had about 91 children on the caseload through mid‑year fiscal 2025; the role also historically generated some revenue (about $40,000) under prior contracts.

Animal services and equipment: The health director requested an additional shelter attendant (presenter noted current staffing of five attendants working 10-hour days) and explained that the county’s portion of ongoing cost for that attendant would be “just over $25,000.” The department also asked to increase the long-standing animal control vehicle line from $30,000 to $50,000 to reflect current truck outfitting costs.

Sanitarian and licensing revenue: The presenter said House Bill 853 raised state license fees and that the county estimates roughly $120,000 in new annual revenue will be available through the state reimbursement process to support an additional sanitarian focused on licensure inspections. The presenter explained these license fees are paid to the state and a portion is reimbursed to counties for inspections.

Grant timing and uncertainties: Several presenters noted that some positions were previously grant-funded and that grant decisions are pending; the county agreed to temporarily sustain two community health workers through the end of the fiscal year after an abrupt grant cut. The health director said applications for Community Assistance Fund and foundation grants were submitted and decisions were pending (timing described as late July or early August for some grants), and that if one-time grants are awarded the county will amend requests accordingly and may return next year if funding lapses.

Questions and clarifications: Commissioners asked about recruitment difficulties for managers and sanitarians, whether sanitarian pay increases after licensure (yes), and whether the communications-position grant is likely to continue (state grant manager said it was expected to continue for a few years). The presenter said that personnel and operations costs have increased while many grant award amounts have been stagnant for years, creating ongoing budgetary pressure.

What comes next: No formal votes on these budget requests were recorded during the presentation; the presenter said she could prioritize requests if asked and that the county would be notified of grant outcomes and could amend requests later.