Tama County approves reduced home-health budget to keep Medicare-certified services; board asks staff to seek loan options

On April 6, 2026, the Tama County Board of Supervisors approved a revised public health and home health budget designed to keep local home health services and maintain Medicare certification. The motion, moved by 4th District Supervisor Mark Doland and seconded by 2nd District Supervisor David Turner, passed with four votes in favor and one opposed.

The proposal presented by the Tama County Public Health Director and members of the Tama County Public Health Board included wage reductions to trim costs and measures to preserve the county’s Medicare certification for home health services. The board approved the budget with a condition that staff investigate financing options, specifically a revolving loan or a business line of credit, to improve the program’s financial stability.

3rd District Supervisor Heather Knebel asked that the home health portion of the public health budget be placed into its own department for clearer oversight. 5th District Supervisor Curt Kupka voted against the motion; the minutes do not record Kupka’s reasons for opposing the measure.

The board’s action follows a work session held the prior week between county public health officials and the Board of Supervisors to explore options to retain home health locally. No dollar amounts for the wage reductions were provided in the meeting minutes.

The board approved the budget motion and directed staff to research financing options and follow up with the Board as information becomes available. The meeting record notes that the audit and other county business were handled earlier in the session; the home health approval was a formal board action with a recorded vote.