The Town of Needham’s public health director presented the department’s budget submission covering operating lines, capital requests, facilities and fleet replacements and provided a financial-status memo to the Board of Health.

Staff described the budget as relatively modest and said the only direct request for the public-health division is funding for the annual accreditation fee should accreditation be granted. The director explained the public-health division is funded by a mix of operating-budget dollars, grants, donation accounts (including Gift of Warmth), revolving funds and trusts, and offered to provide multi‑year balances at the board’s request to clarify year-to-year timing discrepancies in account balances.

Members discussed Gift of Warmth, noting donations from faith communities have declined while need and utility costs have risen. Staff said a recent donation influx may temporarily show balances higher than prior years but will likely be drawn down over the fiscal year; they agreed to provide five‑year comparisons at the next meeting. The board suggested outreach to local service clubs (Exchange Club, Rotary) for additional support.

On capital projects, staff described a Combined Aging Facility (CAF) project for the senior center that would expand the fitness room, move the game room, make the rear entrance handicap accessible and enlarge and re‑equip the kitchen so it could produce more onsite meals. Designs are roughly 80 percent complete and staff plan to solicit cost estimates and have bids in hand for town meeting consideration; staff cautioned long lead times could delay construction into 2026–2028.

Fleet replacement was also discussed. Staff noted the cost of an electric replacement for a 14‑passenger accessible van can be roughly five times that of a gas vehicle and that the center currently lacks electric chargers; tier‑2 chargers suitable for the vehicle would require 10–12 hours to charge and tier‑3 infrastructure would require utility coordination with Eversource or National Grid. The board asked staff to explore hybrid alternatives and to coordinate with the fleet superintendent on options.

Staff will present more detailed multi‑year financial balances and updates on capital timing at the next meeting.