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Health department faces steep state funding cut; EMA, dispatch and highway report large storm response
Summary
County health officials said state public-health funding through Health First Indiana will drop to $129,000 over two years (an ~80% cut). Emergency Management and dispatch recounted heavy workloads during recent storms, with county departments mobilizing for debris and power-line incidents.
County health department officials told the joint meeting that state public-health funding tied to the Health First Indiana program will shrink to $129,000 for the next two years — a reduction they described in the meeting as an approximately 80% cut from current-year levels.
Health staff said the reduction will require creative budgeting, potential use of other local funds and further discussion with the auditor and county council to avoid drastic service cuts. The health director also noted an environmental specialist position and salary will be on the county council agenda later in the day.
Emergency Management (EMA) and dispatch staff recounted a strenuous emergency response during a recent severe dust storm. EMA and 911 reported hundreds of calls over short periods and substantial damage across the county: downed trees, power lines and localized property impacts. EMA said they have applied for a NISC0 grant and were assembling expense documentation for state reimbursement related to prior March and April storms.
Highway department staff said crews cleared dozens of downed trees and handled bridge and road cleanup; the new PASER rating for county roads is 6 out of 9. Dispatch said they received roughly 570 calls during the busiest stretch of the storm between early evening and midnight and used cell phones to make outgoing calls when circuits were overloaded.
Why it matters: The health department funding cut could force program reductions or reallocation of local funds. The severe-storm response revealed the strain on emergency dispatch and public works and triggered potential state reimbursement requests for county costs.
Next steps: Health staff will meet with the auditor and county council on budget adjustments; EMA will complete damage- and expense-tracking for state reimbursement review and coordinate with county departments to collect overtime and supply expenses tied to the storms.
