Berkeley County Health Department requests $140,000 as grants shrink and staffing pressures rise

Carrie, speaking for the Berkeley County Health Department, presented the department's 2027 budget request and warned that several grant losses and state compliance changes have put the department at risk of losing staff.

Carrie said the county’s state aid for the department (fiscal year 26 funding level cited at $1,300,000) faces a potential 2% cut (about $40,215). She described three notable grant losses: a radon grant that was not renewed, an $80,000 immunization grant, and a three‑year infrastructure/retention grant that has been providing roughly $221,000 annually and which helped fund retention payments for long‑tenured staff.

"Come July 1, when the grant ends, many of the employees ... are going to lose up to 30% of their pay," Carrie said, stressing that losing experienced sanitarians and other staff would reduce the department’s ability to meet state‑mandated inspection and compliance requirements.

The department said it has added a sanitarian position (an $80,000 increase in salary and benefits) to address inspection workload; it said a year of training is typically required before a sanitarian can work independently. The department requested a $140,000 annual allotment payable to the Board of Health to help cover direct operational needs and staff retention.

Commissioners asked about locality pay and whether county action could help; Carrie encouraged outreach to state legislators and said she would follow up about why certain grants were awarded elsewhere. No formal appropriation was made during the meeting.