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Steuben County health official warns of sharp funding drop while council approves small supplemental spending
Summary
Health Department Administrator Alicia Walsh told the council she expects Health First Indiana funding to fall from $673,000 in 2025 to about $180,000 in 2026; the council approved a $4,000 supplemental appropriation and authorized submission of a Public Health Emergency Preparedness grant proposal.
Alicia Walsh, Steuben County health department administrator, told the Steuben County Council on May 13 that the department will seek a Public Health Emergency Preparedness grant and plan to apply for Health First Indiana funding for 2026.
Walsh said the department received $673,000 in 2025 but expects approximately $180,000 for 2026. "I anticipated cuts to the funding, but did not anticipate them for 2025," she said. The council approved an additional appropriation of $4,000 to cover telephone and vehicle-lease costs, with Councilwoman Ruth Beer moving the motion and Councilman Eric Prall seconding; the vote was 6-0.
Walsh presented the grant proposal to the council for consideration; the board voted to approve filing the Public Health Emergency Preparedness grant application.
The larger drop in Health First Indiana funding for 2026, as described by Walsh, could require program adjustments or additional county budgeting; Walsh and council members did not specify which programs would be reduced. The county did not provide a departmental line-item breakdown for the expected 2026 funding level at the meeting.
The council handled the appropriation and grant request as part of routine agenda items and did not take additional action at this meeting on long-term budget offsets for health-department revenue loss.
