Officials from the Union County Health Department are keeping a close eye on how the state’s budget bill could affect their operations.
Health Commissioner Jason Orcena said during the most recent Board of Health meeting that he sees one provision of House Bill 33, which would establish appropriations for fiscal years 2024-2025, as a “major red flag.”
He said the bill, which has been passed by the House but is still in committee review in the Senate, would eliminate the authority of local governments to place replacement levies on the ballot.
Orcena said he does not believe the restriction to only new or renewal levies are limited to just local health departments.
“Any new money would require a new levy,” he said.
The health department is funded primarily through two local levies, a 0.9 mill and a 0.5 mill.
In November 2021, Union County voters passed a replacement of the health department’s 20-year-old 0.5 mill levy. The vote reset the effective collection rate back to 0.5 mills from the 0.31 mills it was collecting.
Levies are particularly important to UCHD, as officials said 65% of their annual operating budget – $3.5 million – is supported by local funding of levies and fees.
The second largest funding stream for the health department comes from state and federal grants pursued by UCHD staff members.
Officials have said that levy funding allows the health department to provide services that help county residents from the beginning of life until their senior years.
Services include preventing and monitoring the spread of disease, inspecting restaurants, conducting newborn home visits, hosting safety town programs to educate children, facilitating fall prevention programs and developing parks and trails.
The local health department is a political subdivision and does not receive funding from the county budget. Less than 0.5% of its funds come from the state budget.
Orcena said another provision that would have allocated $20 million for public health was also removed from the senate version of the state’s budget bill.
Although he said the state imposes a number of “unfunded mandates” that UCHD is legally required to complete, UCHD will receive approximately $8,000 in state funding to do so.
The provision that was removed would have meant the health department instead received $1.68 “per capita,” Orcena said.
In other business:
– The board accepted the Mosquito Control Grant from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency in the amount of $25,000. The grant will be used for mosquito surveillance, hosting tire collections and education and awareness efforts.
– The board motioned to issue public health orders for 67 Millard Street, Magnetic Springs.
Orcena said there are two main concerns surrounding the property, which experienced a fire in 2017. He said the well is not secured and the septic tank has not been abandoned.
Alison Boggs, solicitor for the Village of Magnetic Springs, urged the board to issue public health orders, as she said the village has struggled to have the property owner clear safety hazards.
The public health orders mandate that the nuisances must be abated within 60 days of issuance of the order, or July 17.