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Meriden health director outlines FY27 budget, senior‑center CIP and grant shifts
Summary
Director of Health and Human Services Leah Crown outlined a proposed FY27 budget showing a 15% increase driven by reallocated FICA charges, overtime and moving a $30,000 evictions line into health; she also proposed a $148,887 CIP package for senior‑center doors, windows and flooring and noted a $2M recommended CIF grant for 165 Miller Street.
Leah Crown, Meriden’s Director of Health and Human Services, reviewed her department’s FY27 operating and capital requests and summarized program activity from FY26.
Crown said the department administered more than 2,500 vaccines, cleared about 1,400 students for school entry and passed a Connecticut immunization audit. For fiscal 2027 she is not requesting new headcount but is proposing line‑item shifts: FICA charges are now allocated by department, evictions ($30,000) were moved under health, and overtime increases reflect contractual nurse obligations. Those changes, plus the FICA reallocations and declining grant support, produce a $353,872 (15%) increase in the department budget versus FY26; Crown said much of that increase reflects formulaic cost shifts rather than new programs.
On capital needs, Crown requested $148,887 for three projects at the Meriden Senior Center: replacement of accordion front doors with ADA automatic openers ($59,350), replacement of aged rear windows to restore light and ventilation ($54,000), and replacement of roughly 2,200 sq ft of stained carpet in activity areas with durable vinyl ($22,000). Crown said some items are maintenance‑driven and reduce trip hazards; facilities staff confirmed the carpets are delaminating and represent a user safety issue.
City Manager Brian Daniels told the committee that the city’s CIF application for renovations at 165 Miller Street was recommended for $2,000,000 (down from the larger request), and staff will analyze options over the next few weeks to assess impacts on project scope and related Board of Education interests. Daniels said the recommended grant lowers the project gross total but does not change the city’s nominal contribution as presented in the budget book.
Crown warned that federal COVID‑era grants and some SAMHSA funding (including a Merit and Opioid Referral for Recovery grant) are ending, and she expects some positions now partly funded by grants will move to the general fund in FY28 unless new grant revenue appears. She also noted the department has begun quarterly service reports for council and pointed members to meridithhealth.com for further detail.
The committee had technical questions about where the evictions line appears in the book (page 15, blue health section) and how overtime and union contract costs were reflected; staff directed members to the budget pages and offered to follow up with department‑level detail.
