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Public health seeks engineering contracts and asks state to restore Healthy Neighborhoods funding
Summary
Public‑health staff asked for funds to hire three engineering firms to clear a backlog of plan reviews and introduced a resolution urging restoration of Healthy Neighborhoods program funding, arguing its services (lead prevention, asthma education, in‑home risk assessments) are broader than the executive budget recognizes.
Public‑health officials told the committee they intend to contract with three engineering firms to address a backlog of building and septic plan reviews — about 50 projects currently queued for review — and the committee approved transfer authority to hire outside firms to accelerate processing.
"We have 50 cases that plans are ready for review," the health‑department representative said, explaining that outside firms could dedicate staff to reduce turnaround times for applicants. Members asked about quality‑control and why the health department is reviewing engineer‑stamped plans; staff said the county wants to maintain oversight and will require contractors to do training so county technicians can perform certain on‑site observations directly.
The department also presented a resolution urging the governor and legislature to restore funding for the Healthy Neighborhoods program, which staff said provides broader in‑home services beyond lead‑poisoning prevention (asthma education, injury prevention and risk assessment). Health staff argued the program is not duplicative where counties lack other resources and that losing the funding would reduce in‑home risk‑reduction services for at‑risk households.
Why it matters: accelerating plan reviews affects permitting timelines and local development, while Healthy Neighborhoods funding supports targeted public‑health interventions that county staff say are not replaced by other statewide programs.
