Madison County trims public‑health budgets and debates raises as U.S. Treasury recoups federal funds
February 21, 2024 | Madison County, Iowa
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Madison County officials met in a budget work session to review a fund‑balance worksheet, discuss proposed cuts and personnel plans, and consider options for using or reallocating county facilities and funds.
Shelley and staff circulated an updated fund‑balance worksheet and a county finance staff member said she had "removed $53,078 from home health" and "removed $45,000 from public health" to show revised totals and asked department leaders to resend updated budget sheets with those changes. The staff member said the home‑health budget would be approximately $250,000 after that adjustment.
Board members debated salary increases for the coming year. One participant pushed back on a broad 5% raise, arguing it would be hard to justify relative to inflation and public opinion; the transcript records an extended exchange over whether to set nonunion and courthouse employees at 4%, Teamsters at 5%, and elected officials near 3.57%. One board member said the county must be prepared to explain the rationale for raises if taxes remain higher for residents.
County staff and board members discussed environmental‑health coverage and whether Ryan, who currently handles environmental health, should return with a staffing recommendation or whether the county should hire a part‑time or contracted position. Staff also noted the need to budget for insurance costs if a new hire requires family coverage.
The board reviewed several departmental requests and discussed consolidating office space. Members said the public‑health board recently voted to move two administrator positions to halftime and eliminate a currently funded but vacant position; the board discussed repurposing courthouse space to host public‑health operations and potentially sell the county's public‑health building to help future budgets, while cautioning such a move would be time consuming and must not disrupt client services.
A separate and pressing financial issue surfaced when a board member said a deputy chief of staff (West) reported an email showing "the U.S. Treasury is already taking funds ... a balance of about $13,000." Board members asked staff to determine which fund was debited and whether the Treasury action related to an $18,000 liability previously identified, because the county needs to avoid overpaying and to decide whether any department head is affected.
No formal budget vote was recorded during the session; the board set follow‑up meetings with subject‑matter experts, scheduled additional negotiations with unions and representatives (AFSCME and Teamsters), and asked staff to prepare clearer, itemized fund detail and confirm deadlines for allocating and spending committed funds. A motion to adjourn carried by voice vote.
Next steps: staff will obtain and circulate clarified budget worksheets, identify the fund source and precise amount taken by the U.S. Treasury, meet with Mike, Ryan and union negotiators as scheduled, and prepare an amendment if funds must be carried over into the next fiscal year.
Shelley and staff circulated an updated fund‑balance worksheet and a county finance staff member said she had "removed $53,078 from home health" and "removed $45,000 from public health" to show revised totals and asked department leaders to resend updated budget sheets with those changes. The staff member said the home‑health budget would be approximately $250,000 after that adjustment.
Board members debated salary increases for the coming year. One participant pushed back on a broad 5% raise, arguing it would be hard to justify relative to inflation and public opinion; the transcript records an extended exchange over whether to set nonunion and courthouse employees at 4%, Teamsters at 5%, and elected officials near 3.57%. One board member said the county must be prepared to explain the rationale for raises if taxes remain higher for residents.
County staff and board members discussed environmental‑health coverage and whether Ryan, who currently handles environmental health, should return with a staffing recommendation or whether the county should hire a part‑time or contracted position. Staff also noted the need to budget for insurance costs if a new hire requires family coverage.
The board reviewed several departmental requests and discussed consolidating office space. Members said the public‑health board recently voted to move two administrator positions to halftime and eliminate a currently funded but vacant position; the board discussed repurposing courthouse space to host public‑health operations and potentially sell the county's public‑health building to help future budgets, while cautioning such a move would be time consuming and must not disrupt client services.
A separate and pressing financial issue surfaced when a board member said a deputy chief of staff (West) reported an email showing "the U.S. Treasury is already taking funds ... a balance of about $13,000." Board members asked staff to determine which fund was debited and whether the Treasury action related to an $18,000 liability previously identified, because the county needs to avoid overpaying and to decide whether any department head is affected.
No formal budget vote was recorded during the session; the board set follow‑up meetings with subject‑matter experts, scheduled additional negotiations with unions and representatives (AFSCME and Teamsters), and asked staff to prepare clearer, itemized fund detail and confirm deadlines for allocating and spending committed funds. A motion to adjourn carried by voice vote.
Next steps: staff will obtain and circulate clarified budget worksheets, identify the fund source and precise amount taken by the U.S. Treasury, meet with Mike, Ryan and union negotiators as scheduled, and prepare an amendment if funds must be carried over into the next fiscal year.
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