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Pittsylvania County health officials ask to carry over $19,377 to cover late bills and staffing
Summary
Pittsylvania County Health Department asked the Board of Supervisors to allow carryover of $19,377 and to retain an unmatched state amount of $17,722 (total requested $37,100) to pay late information-technology bills and to backfill clerical staffing while hiring continues; the board postponed a decision and asked staff for follow-up.
Dr. Scott Spillman, health director for the Pittsylvania County Health Department, and Mike Dolianides, the department business manager and Virginia Department of Health representative, asked the Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors on Sept. 16 to allow the department to retain a $19,377 year‑end carryover and to keep an additional $17,722 in local budget authority that represents unmatched state funds — a combined total of $37,100 — to pay invoices and support temporary clerical staffing while recruitment continues.
The request, delivered during the county work session, covered three uses: to pay delayed telecommunications and information‑technology invoices that arrived after the close of fiscal 2025, to fund contract staffing while vacancies are filled, and to backfill clerical positions needed for appointment check‑in and records digitization. "We are very low staffed in Pittsylvania County right now," Dolianides said. He told the board one employee is out, one is preparing to retire and another recently died, and that the department has posted positions and scheduled interviews for October.
The nut graf: county officials said the $19,377 is carryover from year‑end 2025 and would otherwise revert to the general fund; the board agreed not to act immediately and directed staff to vet the accounting and matching implications before deciding.
Board members questioned how much of the carryover would have been spent had invoices arrived earlier and whether returning funds to the general fund would trigger state reductions to the department's funding. Finance staff told the board that the $12,900 in late IT/telecom charges would have reduced the carryover to about $7,000 if billed in fiscal 2025. Board members repeatedly emphasized stewardship of taxpayer dollars while also acknowledging hiring challenges for county health and clinical positions.
Supervisor Bowman asked whether the requested funds were included in the department's original budget; Dolianides said the positions had been budgeted but the invoices arrived after the fiscal‑year close, producing the carryover balance. County finance staff confirmed that unused local funds typically revert to the general fund unless the board approves a carryover.
Several supervisors suggested a conservative approach. One board member proposed giving the department $7,000 now so the department could use an estimated matched state share and return with a fuller accounting if additional need existed. Ultimately, the board elected to postpone a decision and asked county finance staff to “peel the onion back” and provide more detail at a later meeting.
The department framed the request as an operational step to keep public health services running while recruitment continues. "We take our responsibility to the community very seriously," Dr. Scott Spillman said during the presentation.
No formal appropriation was made at the work session; staff were directed to report back with clarified numbers and recommendations for the board to consider at a future meeting.
Ending: County staff and the health department will return with detailed accounting of the carryover, the late IT charges and the implications for state matching funds before the board considers any reappropriation of the $19,377 carryover or the $17,722 unmatched state portion.
