Yuma County OKs contingency funding for WIC infant food benefits during federal shutdown

The Yuma County Public Health Services District board on Oct. 13 authorized the health services director to sign an agreement with the Arizona Department of Health Services to provide Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) infant food benefits if federal funding lapses during a government shutdown.

Diana Gomez, director of public health, told the board the contingency is limited to food benefits for infants under 1 year of age already enrolled in the county’s WIC program and is based on August caseload data. Gomez said the request does not fund diapers or other nonfood items and does not include payroll for WIC staff, which would stop on a later date if the shutdown continued.

The board voted to authorize the agreement “in an amount not to exceed $1,302,308.84” for the period Oct. 27, 2025, through Nov. 30, 2025. A board member who seconded the motion called for the vote, and the motion carried on a voice vote with no recorded opposition.

Gomez described the proposal as a contingency: if the federal government reopens before the county disburses the funds, the agreement would not be executed or the county would seek return of unspent funds. She cautioned the county cannot guarantee the federal government will retroactively reimburse any expenditures, and said the agreement includes language to return unspent funds to the county when practicable.

Program details provided at the meeting said the requested funds would cover infant formula and related food packages only. Gomez introduced Anel Babb, the WIC program coordinator, and said the county administers the WIC program for Yuma County residents; only current enrollees who are Yuma County residents would be covered under the agreement.

During discussion a board member said, “If there’s somebody that needs protection, it’s infant children,” urging the board to act to avoid service interruptions. Board members asked whether the county would need to return to the board for additional approvals if the shutdown extended beyond the contingency window; Gomez said the requested amount covers a 30-day contingency so the board would not have to reconvene immediately for a short extension but noted continuing the program beyond that would be a significant budgetary commitment.

Gomez also clarified two separate timelines: she said payroll for WIC staff was scheduled to lapse later (after Nov. 15) if the federal shutdown persisted, while food benefits were set to lapse earlier. She said staffing decisions would depend on HR guidance and that staff would likely be furloughed in a prolonged shutdown scenario rather than permanently separated.

The presentation included a discrepancy in figures: an early slide or verbal summary referenced $302,308.84, while the motion and the board’s approval used $1,302,308.84. The board’s motion language and the recorded approval specify the higher amount; the county staff indicated the motioned figure is the amount the board authorized.

The board did not record a roll-call vote; the motion passed on a voice vote. The board’s authorization allows the health services director or the director’s designee to sign the WIC infant funding agreement with the state, subject to the contract language described at the meeting.