Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Health topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Woodbury County hears proposal to deliver public-health services to Ida County on one-year trial
Summary
Suland District Health Director Kevin Green briefed the Woodbury County Board about a draft one-year agreement to provide public-health services in Ida County, saying Ida would remain the taxing authority and reimburse Woodbury for administrative costs; no formal contract was approved.
Kevin Green, director of the Suland District Health Department, told the Woodbury County Board of Supervisors the department has been discussing a potential agreement to provide public-health services in neighboring Ida County after Horn Memorial Hospital discontinued those services. Green presented a draft budget and a framework for a one-year trial that would allow both counties to evaluate whether to continue the arrangement.
Why it matters: The proposal would keep Ida County as the taxing authority for services in Ida County while Suland District Health would deliver the services under an intergovernmental arrangement. Green emphasized the draft’s principal constraint: “there would be no tax dollars crossing the county line,” meaning Woodbury County would not use Ida County tax revenues for services inside Woodbury County.
Green told the board the draft anticipates Ida County staff becoming employees of Suland District Health; the current Ida County public-health capacity is small (one public-health nurse with no support staff), and the draft contemplates expanding that to two staff. He said routine clinics such as WIC and child oral-health screenings could be supported under the arrangement, and that some Ida services would be blended into existing state contracts administered by Suland District Health.
On financing and facilities, Green said Horn Memorial Hospital has space historically used for public health; Ida County would lease the space and pay related costs. The draft budget as presented built in a 10 percent administrative fee to reimburse Woodbury County for oversight and administrative time, and Green recommended including contract language to allow itemization and adjustment if actual costs exceed that fee.
Supervisors asked how personnel and space would be handled. Green said Ida County staff would be based in Ida County with a satellite presence where needed and that Ida County would reimburse Woodbury County for administrative costs. Board members also discussed appointing two supervisors to continue working with Green and to provide input as negotiations proceed.
Board action: The presentation was received as information; the board did not adopt a contract. Supervisors discussed next steps and agreed to designate two supervisors to work with staff on the proposed agreement before any formal approval.
What’s next: Green said the one-year term is intended as an evaluation period, after which either county could renegotiate or discontinue services based on assessment and funding availability.
