2017-09-27 Budget mtg - Health and Social Services for 2018Budget meeting with Public Health and Social Services
September 27, 2017
3:30 p.m.
Present: Commissioner Fund, Commissioner Jackson, Becky Butler, Steve Walton, JP Anderson, Danette
York, Commissioner Stamper (4:11 p.m.)
Guests: Justyna Tomtas, Mitch Townsend, Bill Marshall, Anthony Ahrens, Linda Williams, Matt Brock
(3:54 p.m.)
Recorder: Rieva Lester
PUBLIC HEALTH
2018 prelim budget
Revenue: $2,576,481; expenditures: $2,786,677; FTEs: 25.13 (includes Nurse Family Partnership)
Revenue review
Danette York said most of the grants Health receives are reimbursement grants.
Expenditure review
Danette said personnel costs and interfunds make up the bulk of expenditures.
Danette discussed some of the programs that fall under Public Health.
Danette said tuberculosis coverage is a communicable disease for which there is mandated county
response that is unfunded. She discussed other communicable diseases to which the county must
respond but does not receive funding.
She discussed funding that has been secured for new or expanded county response to communicable
diseases.
Danette said there has been a significant increase in the number of tuberculosis cases. Bill Marshall
asked if the increase was linked to illegal immigration. Danette said the state would have statistical data.
Danette discussed Public Health’s emergency response and incident response. She also discussed the
various programs Public Health is involved in, such as environmental health, sanitary surveys, and solid
waste.
Matt Brock joined the meeting at 3:54 p.m.
Danette discussed “site hazardous waste,” which she said is now an unfunded mandate because the
grant that once funded it no longer exists.
Danette said the county has one FTE who performs all on-site septic inspections.
Danette discussed the Coal Creek Road project, which involved residences in the city of Chehalis that
had old septic systems that were leaching into Coal Creek. She said the county and city worked together
to extend the sewer system to the residents there.
Danette discussed food inspections. She said building or selling a restaurant triggers a need for food
inspections, and she said all restaurants in the county are inspected annually.
Danette said all food inspections are done by hand, not electronically. She said Inspect To Go was
$25,000 to $30,000. She said counties are encouraged to use web-based support.
Mitch Townsend discussed a Microsoft-based program that might work.
Danette discussed code enforcement. She said Solid Waste gives $100,000 to offset some of the costs.
Commissioner Stamper joined the meeting at 4:11 p.m.
Danette discussed the water lab.
Becky discussed programs that are not mandated. Danette said she is considering doing away with the
immunization clinic, which costs $50,000 to run. She said the county is trying to link customers to
providers instead of giving vaccines. She said she would want to keep it open through roughly
September 2018. Danette said a test run has happened by chance because the clinic has been closed for
roughly seven months during the Health building remodel.
Danette discussed animal control, which is not mandated through the health department but is
mandated through the sheriff’s office.
Danette said that if the sheriff’s office were to take over animal control, she would suggest having
kennel permits go through the animal shelter.
Bill Marshall asked for an update on the senior centers. Danette said the status is that the plan is to have
to program transition to the nonprofit board. Bill asked the commissioners what their plan is.
Commissioner Fund said the county is waiting to see the group’s business plan. Steve Walton said the
group had concerns about the county’s proposed lease agreements.
The group said budget discussions regarding Social Services, veterans, and the Animal Shelter will be set
at a future date / time.
Meeting ended at 4:31 p.m.