Public health in Snohomish County has been a kind of "poor cousin" when it comes to financial support, receiving about the same funding now as it did a decade ago, said Dr. M. Ward Hinds, who heads the countywide health agency.
On Tuesday, Hinds made a plea, through both a memo and a briefing to Snohomish Health District board members, for the county to restore next year the $300,000 cut from this year’s budget out of a total contribution of $2.17 million.
Without the additional money, the health district will receive $50,664 less from the county next year than it received for general public health programs in 1994, Hinds said. And that will likely drain its financial reserves.
Without new revenue, the public health agency may have to cut about $2 million in services in 2005 from a $16.8 million total budget, he said.
However, board member Dave Gossett, who also is a member of the Snohomish County Council, fired back with an analysis of his own showing that the health district has ended every year since 1998 with a balance of at least $6 million.
"I’ll note that the county is laying people off," he said. "When the health district’s financial situation matches the county’s … that is the time to discuss should we provide additional funding."
A financial report shows the health district’s fund balance was $5.57 million as of the end of August.
"Given the fund balance … it seems to me the health district is really fairly healthy," Gossett added.
Although the health district is a separate agency and not part of county government, the county provides money for its budget. The district also receives money from the state.
The 15-member health district board that governs the agency is made up of members of city councils from throughout Snohomish County and all five members of the Snohomish County Council.
The health district is responsible for a wide range of public health services, from inspecting restaurants and private sewage systems to providing immunizations, helping battle disease outbreaks and diagnosing sexually transmitted diseases.
Roger Neumaier, a budget manager for Snohomish County, said he understands the importance of what the health district does.
"We’re not in a position to increase the level of funding to them, yet we didn’t reduce it, either," he said.
In his budget address, County Executive Bob Drewel said he would support other funding for the health district, perhaps from the state, Neumaier noted.
"Unfortunately, the health district and the county are in similar positions," he said. "There’s a lack of funding, and it’s a time for tightening and using fund balances."
Reporter Sharon Salyer: 425-339-3486 or salyer@heraldnet.com.
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