Dunn County board approves public-health fee changes, hears STI and program updates

The Dunn County Health and Human Services Board on Jan. 23 approved a resolution updating public-health fees that includes new nitrate testing charges for the county’s drinking-water lab and discussed program updates including rising WIC enrollment, STI testing results, and Recovery and Wellness Consortium services.

Board action and votes

- The board reviewed and approved the December 2024 vouchers (motion to note review; motion seconded; vouchers noted). The chair reported an amount of $698,171.69 for the voucher batch. - The board approved a health department budget adjustment for grant-related contractual changes after a motion to approve was seconded and called; the adjustment passed. - The board approved a resolution establishing the revised fee structure — covering debt cap fees, transient non-community fees and proposed nitrate-testing fees — and designated the Health and Human Services Board to adopt these fees for county implementation. Staff said the fee changes were derived from lab supply costs, staff time and accreditation expenses.

Public-health program updates

Katie (public-health staff) told the board the department has a public-health educator back on staff, which has strengthened outreach. She and staff highlighted a public-health vending kiosk that dispenses gun locks and naloxone and captures zip-code data to guide outreach.

WIC enrollment and access: Katie said WIC numbers are rising and credited lowered barriers such as virtual visits and outreach by staff. She noted county data showing roughly one in five children under 5 in Dunn County are WIC-eligible, indicating an unmet need.

STI testing and treatment: Board members and staff discussed recent sexual-health outreach. Doctor Hall noted the clinic tested 97 people and treated 17, a high positivity rate; Katie said the program offers partner treatment and self-swab testing options and emphasized dual-protection education (barrier method plus pharmaceutical prophylaxis when appropriate).

Regulatory timelines and environmental health: Jeff, environmental health manager, and Amy, an environmental health specialist, briefed the board on state rulemaking timelines. Jeff said lodging and food-code updates typically take two to three years because each draft can go to three legislative committees with up to 60 days per committee; the lodging/campground code has seen additional public-comment-driven revisions. Amy described the lab’s accreditation work and the start of nitrate testing for drinking-water samples; she confirmed the lab will accept private drinking-water samples but is not certified for wastewater or surface-water testing.

Recovery & Wellness Consortium and grants: Director-level staff reported Dunn County providers delivered about $1,400,000 in Recovery and Wellness Consortium (RWC) services within the county in 2024; the 9-county RWC total was listed at about $26,000,000 serving 857 consumers. The RWC funding is billed to Medicaid and described as fully funded. The department also reported winning a parent-peer supports in youth and family crisis grant (the county received additional funds because a second applicant was disqualified, yielding a larger award to the county).

Financials and ARPA: Public-health staff said the department expects end-of-year revenues and charges to leave the department in a positive position and that an ARPA carryforward awarded in November will largely revert to levy after local uses for training and Birth-to-3 supports. Staff cautioned that 2025 forecasts could differ because of a small number of high-cost placements.

Board discussion emphasized balancing fee recovery with not overburdening licensed businesses; staff said the county aims to recover 70%–100% of costs but recognizes that pushing to 100% may shift levy burden and penalize compliant licensees when enforcement actions are required for unlicensed operators.

The resolution and budget adjustment passed by voice vote. The board adjourned.