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Pitt County Health Department adopts $16.03 million FY25‑26 budget, funds gap covered by fund balance
Summary
The Pitt County Board of Health approved the health department’s recommended FY25‑26 budget of $16,031,131. The plan uses an increased portion of the department’s fund balance while keeping county general‑fund support level; leaders flagged risks to specific state and federal grants.
The Pitt County Board of Health voted to approve the Pitt County Health Department’s recommended fiscal year 2025‑26 budget of $16,031,131 during the May meeting.
Health Director Wes Gray presented the request and explained the recommended budget is slightly below the department’s original request of $16,111,634 because a requested advanced practice provider position was not funded. "The fiscal year 25, 26 budget, our request was 16,111,634. A recommended budget this year is $16,031,131," Gray said.
Gray outlined the department’s revenue mix: projected Medicaid reimbursements, state and federal pass‑through funding via DHHS, fees, other grants, a county general‑fund appropriation and a planned use of fund balance. The recommended budget relies on about $5.6 million from the department’s fund balance (the department reported a roughly $15 million fund balance overall) and approximately $3.2 million in county general‑fund support; DHHS funding was presented at roughly $4.1 million.
Board members and staff discussed the fund‑balance strategy and sustainability. Gray told the board the department intends to maximize third‑party billing and cost‑settlement payments to replenish fund balance and limit future county requests. County finance staff present said the fund balance has grown historically and that auditors expect larger balances to be expended over time.
Gray also highlighted several grant and funding risks that could affect future budgets: a possible reallocation that could reduce the county’s TB grant from roughly $41,000 by about $19,000 under proposed state formula changes; uncertainty about the federal/state tobacco prevention grant (a five‑year CDC award that lacked a fifth funding year), which the state proposed temporarily covering with JUUL settlement funds for FY25‑26; and a delay or gap in USDA funds for breastfeeding peer counseling activities covering October–May that DHHS is managing on a short timeline.
The board moved and seconded the budget and approved it by voice vote (all members present said "aye"). The motion passed and the budget was adopted as presented.
Gray asked the board to note the department’s plan to continue seeking grants and to prioritize maximizing Medicaid and other third‑party revenues to sustain programs without increasing the county appropriation.
The board also approved three administrative policy updates and the minutes for the previous meeting during the same session; those votes were taken separately from the budget vote.
