Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Health Finance And Staffing topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Sedgwick County to review health department job classifications and federal funding exposure
Summary
County staff told commissioners they will deep dive into the health department's budget and position classifications after identifying about $8 million in non-COVID federal funding; a report is expected by May or June.
Sedgwick County staff told commissioners during an agenda-review meeting that they will conduct a detailed review of the county health department's budget, federal funding exposure and recent position reclassifications, with a report expected during the May or June budget process.
Tanya, a county staff member who briefed the commission, said the review stems from an effort to align job classifications with duties following an earlier evergreen study and from concern about federal funding flowing through the health department. "The health department is the single largest. When we looked at last year's, they had $8,000,000 when we excluded COVID funding," Tanya said.
The briefing said human resources initiated the reclassifications after job-duty reviews. The item on the consent agenda would update eight positions; staff reported seven of the eight positions are currently filled. Tanya told commissioners the funding source for the reclassifications is "both" property tax and other funding, and that finance has reviewed the increase.
Commissioners asked for a clearer breakdown of property tax spending at the health department and whether services supported by property tax are discretionary or mandated. One commissioner requested a deeper understanding of "what kind of services are being provided" and how much property tax supports them.
County staff said the review will be timed to inform the 2026 budget process and to respond to federal funding uncertainty. Tanya told the commission Michelle Strud, identified in the briefing as the "grama compliance director," had been carrying much of the day-to-day financial management work since the health department's finance manager left last summer.
Staff characterized the review as broader than the eight position reclassifications: it will include a risk assessment of federally funded programs, mapping of positions to programs, and a revamped budget presentation expected this spring. Commissioners were told to expect more detailed information in the next few months.
The item remained on the consent agenda for the upcoming formal meeting; no vote on the reclassifications was recorded during the agenda-review briefing.
