Summit County Board of Health unanimously backs health department’s 2024 budget request

The Summit County Board of Health voted unanimously to support the Summit County Health Department’s proposed 2024 budget, clearing the department to present the request to the county budget committee and county manager.

Phil and Jen, presenting the budget, said the department submitted a consolidated document comparing the approved 2023 budget to the proposed 2024 figures. The department is requesting roughly $8.54 million overall; staff told the board the property tax request would be about $3.9 million for 2024 (roughly 40% of the request) and that grants and fees together would cover the remaining share. Phil said the department is aiming for a roughly 60/40 split of grants-and-fees versus county contribution, which the presenters described as a sustainable model for the size and scope of services provided.

Key figures presented by staff include a 1.66% overall increase year-over-year, an estimated $528,000 in fees-for-service revenue, a projected 13.69% increase in projected fees (offsetting a 0.35% decrease in federal/state grants), and a 6.2% increase in expenditures driven by higher commodities and lab-supply costs. Presenters said salaries and benefits showed a net decrease because of retirements and replacement hires at lower salary steps; the budget includes one staffing request: converting a time-limited sustainability analyst (Zach Darby) to a full-time benefited position once funding allows.

Board members asked about uncertainty around county-wide cost-of-living adjustments, whether fee-for-service estimates were conservative and the funding mix for early intervention services (staff indicated roughly 95% grant-funded with a 5% county contribution). Phil told the board the department will undertake a three-year fee-schedule review in the final quarter of the year and will bring regular updates to the board on any changes as the budget moves through the county process.

A motion to support the 2024 proposed budget was moved and seconded and the board voted in favor. Jen will represent the department before the county budget committee; the committee will provide a recommendation to the county manager in mid-September, followed by county council deliberation and public comment with final adoption expected before the end of the year.