Health committee accepts multiple grants and flags large preschool transportation costs

Seneca County’s Health & Human Services committee on Jan. 27 authorized acceptance of several New York State public health grants and discussed a major transportation contract serving preschool special education programs.

Committee members approved acceptance of performance incentive and children with special health care needs grants and a lead poisoning prevention grant from the New York State Department of Health. Staff characterized most of those awards as routine, housekeeping grants that support ongoing public health services.

The committee spent more time on transportation for preschool special education, which transports roughly 25–30 children daily to programs outside the county (including Happiness House, Roosevelt Center, and Racker Center). Staff said the county’s transportation vendor contract has exhausted its available extensions and that the vendor failed to include a cost‑of‑living adjustment; staff forecasted significant budget pressure as a result. "Last year we were at $670, $680,000 in transportation costs," a staff speaker said, and the county will solicit bids and return to the board with options well in advance of the current contract’s expiration.

Committee members noted that transportation is largely county‑funded; staff said reimbursement for contractual services is limited (approximately 59.5 percent for some services) and that the remainder is borne by the county. The committee asked staff to pursue bids for the service and to report back with cost and contract options before the current contract ends.