Health board seeks steady state funding for local public‑health services

Sawyer County’s Health & Human Services Board on Aug. 6 approved a resolution urging the state to provide sustainable funding for mandated public‑health services.

Julie (public health staff) said the county is part of a consortium and described growing inspection workload and new fee structures. "Our reimbursement for this year is going to be around $20,764," she said, adding a projection that reimbursement could exceed $41,000 next year because of licensing and state fee changes. Board members noted public‑health work often comes in small, inconsistent grant pots and stressed the need for infrastructure funding.

Board discussion included whether the county should also pursue resolutions aimed at unfunded mandates more broadly. A motion to approve the state‑funding resolution was made and seconded; the board voted in favor and the resolution will be forwarded to the county board for action. Staff emphasized that routine mandated tasks such as lead investigations and communicable‑disease follow‑up have very limited dedicated funding (staff cited figures of about $3,000 per year for certain discrete program pots), increasing county costs for required work.