Wayne County approves state amendment to FY2026 local health grant; county says increases come from state

The Wayne County Commission voted to approve Amendment No. 2 to a one-year agreement with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services to receive additional FY2026 local health department comprehensive grant funds.

Dr. Brianna Eckleston, director of the county's public health division, told commissioners the changes are routine and originate with the state rather than from county requests. "This is, um, just a, uh, amendment that we get pretty much on an annual and it's expected," Eckleston said, adding that the county "doesn't increase any... it's nothing that we actually ask for any increases." Commissioner Peterson Mayberry had asked whether the county was requesting the extra dollars or whether the state was issuing them; Eckleston said the state filters such adjustments through multiple amendments over the year.

Commissioner Anderson moved to approve the amendment; Commissioner Mori supported the motion. The commission voted at their desks and the clerk announced that the "motion carried." The transcript does not record an itemized roll-call tally in the public record.

The action formalizes acceptance of additional state grant funds for the county's local public-health programs for fiscal 2026. The commission did not at the meeting identify specific program expansions tied to the funds; Eckleston described the amendments as part of the state's routine grant adjustments rather than a county-initiated increase.

Next steps: the county will implement the grant adjustments through its public-health division and associated budget amendments previously prepared, and staff indicated that appropriate budget adjustments had been made ahead of the vote.