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Warren County health department asks Board to add $24,744 to secure state match for environmental health position
Summary
The Warren County Health Department asked supervisors for $24,744 in additional local funding to capture a $54,987 state match that would preserve a position that supports wells, septic inspections, food permits and animal-bite/rabies response. Supervisors asked about contingency funding and past carryover.
The Warren County Health Department asked the Board of Supervisors during the Nov. 12 work session for an extra $24,744 in local funds so the county could secure a state match of $54,987 for fiscal 2025. A department representative told the board the money is part of the department’s original request and that failing to secure the match could cost the county “almost one position” focused on environmental health.
Health department staff said the environmental health role handles well and septic applications and inspections, processes public-record requests for tax maps, responds to animal-bite calls and arranges rabies testing, and conducts restaurant food inspections. "We sent out a memorandum requesting an additional 24,744 in local funds so that we can get the state match," the department representative said during the presentation.
Supervisors asked whether the added money would come from contingency or require a separate allocation. One board member said the buildings committee would need to review contingency availability before the board could commit. Members also reviewed previous funding dynamics: a board member said state CARES Act inflows and one-time carryover have complicated recent budget cycles and that supervisors did not include the full original health department ask earlier in the budget process.
Staff and supervisors discussed timing: the board’s staff suggested the board could likely decide by year-end because the board had two more meetings scheduled in 2024. The health department representative confirmed that the ask was included in the department’s initial submission to the county and that the department is now fully staffed after filling vacancies that had persisted.
Next steps: staff will bring options for how to fund the request — including contingency or line-item transfers — to the board for a decision at a future meeting. The board did not take a formal vote during the work session.
