Orange County council approves multiple additional appropriations, including public health and highway line items

The Orange County Council approved multiple additional appropriations at its Feb. 19 meeting, covering several county funds and staffing items.

A county official read the requested additions to the budget, which included a part-time truck driver position in the motor vehicle highway fund ($16,142); public health preparedness funding ($18,000); a nurse stipend ($2,240) and a part-time stipend ($1,600) in the local public health services fund; and office and operating supplies (amounts read into the record). The meeting also listed a CASA program payment and a director salary entry tied to the casino-match item; some figures in the transcript were garbled and are not specified in the official record read aloud at the meeting.

Councilor Catherine moved to approve the appropriations; the motion was seconded. Councilor Catherine’s abstention on the final vote was recorded in the meeting; the motion was announced as passed.

Separately, the meeting recorded that the innkeepers tax collection fund would supply two bridge-match payments for Bridge 28 — $125,000 for a 2025 match and $125,000 for a 2026 match — as read during the session.

Why this matters: additional appropriations adjust spending authority for staff, health preparedness and program payments midyear; members said some stipends were advertised to the state even if funds might not be used.

The council did not request a roll-call tally in the meeting minutes read aloud; staff will incorporate the approved appropriations into the county’s financial records and budget updates.