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Health Department requests roughly 13% county funding increase; commissioners ask for personnel cost detail
Summary
Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department Director Kerry Kernen presented a biennial budget proposing about a 13.25% county funding increase for FY2026–27 (and an additional 8.22% the following year); commissioners pressed for a detailed breakdown of personnel and benefit cost drivers after staff cited salary and benefit pressures and the loss of about $249,000 in state Family Connects funding.
Kerry Kernen, director of the Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department, presented the department’s biennial budget to the Lancaster County Board of Commissioners on June 11 and asked for county funding increases of roughly 13.25% in FY2026–27 and an additional 8.22% in FY2027–28.
Kernen reviewed departmental programs and performance measures, saying the department manages about 40 active grants and tracks nearly 70 performance measures across services including immunizations, communicable disease monitoring, home visitation, dental services, environmental health and chronic disease prevention. She also said positions previously funded through federal indirect cost reimbursements are being moved into the Health Fund accounting structure but are not new positions.
Fiscal Manager Joe Stelmach told the board personnel-related expenses — salaries, benefits and health insurance increases — were primary drivers of the requested increase, and he said the department is replacing about $249,000 in lost state funding for the Family Connects program with local funds. Commissioner Rick Vest asked for a detailed breakdown of personnel costs, salary increases and benefit expenses; Commissioner Matt Schulte asked whether large increases were tied to expanded services or program changes. Kernen agreed to provide supplemental information, including a breakdown of increases in health insurance costs, for future discussion.
The board expressed concern that the requested increase was significantly higher than other departmental requests and asked staff to return with additional detail to inform the board’s budget review.
