In 2019, the Health District proposes to continue to make internal and external improvement while sustaining services to the most vulnerable and addressing priority health issues throughout Snohomish County.
Process
The Board of Health convened a budget ad hoc committee that met on 10/4, 10/16, and 10/30. The committee reviewed proposed revenues and expenditures and gave instruction to staff regarding budget parameters and direction. The parameters, direction, and factors that went into the budget recommendation included:
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Pending Rucker Building task force recommendation
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Foundational Public Health Services in the upcoming legislative session
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No increase in fees
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Propose a balanced budget
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Avoid staff reduction
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Provide the Board with a menu of options.
Proposed Budgets
The budget presented at the 10/30 Ad-Hoc meeting is the proposed 2019 budget in Exhibit A. This budget has a deficit of $389,752. The committee made tough decisions and settled on a balanced budget recommendation to the Board (Appendix B, Option A). However, Board members challenged staff to look for more savings to avoid staff reductions.
In response to this challenge, staff convened and took an extremely hard and detailed look at the budget and developed a menu of proposed savings in a second budget option (Appendix B, Option B). Those savings include:
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Reductions to in-state training/travel and limiting out-of-state travel to only those required by grants/contracts ($29,923)
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Reductions in advertising ($14,504) and legal costs ($40,500)
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Delaying IT infrastructure improvements ($30,000)
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Limiting cell phones to certain positions ($12,059)
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Eliminating T-1 and POTS lines ($44,000)
These savings and others in total are enough to prevent any immediate staff reduction, balance the budget, and give the Board space and an opportunity to respond after the 2019-21 state budget is complete.
Next Step
December 11 Board of Health meeting: Public Hearing and BOH vote.