Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
Kosciusko County Board of Health discussed financial matters during a meeting Monday.
Health Department Administrator Bob Weaver said a staff meeting recently took place involving Kosciusko County Council President Tony Ciriello. The meeting was in regard to Senate Bill 1 and its effect on property taxes.
"So (the council's) advice to us was that our budget for 2027, which we start working on in May, stay the same as 2026," said Weaver. "This has happened before in the past, but sometimes things change at the last minute. This means kind of a freeze on hiring ..."
Weaver also addressed a question about COVID-19 monies earned by the health department several years ago.
"There was a question of 'Are we using that COVID set-aside money?’" asked Weaver. "The answer to that is 'yes.' We earned approximately $600,000 in giving those shots, and we have spent $105,000 in supplementing our general budget. That's one of the uses of that money. And with this freeze on the budget, it might get used quite a bit more in the months to come."
With the COVID monies, Board member Larry Coplen asked if the board needed to make a motion about only using those funds with the prior approval of the board. Coplen also said the motion should state the funds would only be used to support the health department's duties, including Health First Kosciusko.
Other board members and health department staff believed that's how the monies' use was already structured, but that it was possible nothing was in writing on that. The board approved documenting that statement in writing for future use.
The board's next meeting is at 6 p.m. July 13 in the Kosciusko County courthouse.
