Chris Balusik

Reporter

CHILLICOTHE - The Ross County commissioners don't appear to have enough in their bag to provide a holiday miracle for the county's Health District as the public health agency faces additional significant cuts for 2017.

In what Ross County Health Commissioner Timothy Angel indicated was a last-ditch effort to find funds to help the health district save what personnel and services it can until a new levy attempt can be made in the spring, officials with the health district went before commissioners Monday afternoon to request county assistance. Much like other places Angel said he had tried, however, including the Ohio Department of Health, state legislators and others, commissioners indicated the money the health district needs just isn't available in their budget.

"The state of Ohio is cutting revenue to counties, townships and others," Commission President Jim Caldwell said. "We will lose over a full year about $1.6 million, somewhere around that amount of money. Surplus money I don't see that we're going to have, it's just that simple.

"If we're talking $25,000 or $50,000 or something like that to solve the problem, we might be able to do that, but if you're talking $500,000, I don't see any way that it's possible for the county to do anything close to that, if anything."

Angel presented commissioners with a budget showing it would take about $577,000 to "keep things pretty much intact with the exception of some of the grants. If you cut to very bare bones, you're down around $300,000 to $400,000."

Several of the existing grant programs will have to be discontinued, he added, as even though grants involve revenue coming in to pay for programs, many now require health districts to be able to pay payroll and other costs up front and wait for reimbursement from the state. He estimates the Women, Infants and Children program alone is about $100,000 behind in its reimbursements to the local district.

The Board of Health has called an emergency meeting for 4:30 p.m. Tuesday in the district's offices on East Second Street, where further cuts are expected to be acted upon, but Angel did say Monday the district has been looking for other agencies or organizations to take on the responsibility of some grant-funded programs. WIC oversight, he said, is likely going to be moved to Madison County, while another agency is looking at taking on the Help Me Grow offering.

Despite the county's stated financial concerns moving into 2017, people affiliated with the health district continued to make a case for whatever help they could get, first pointing to the accolades they said the county's public health operations have received from outside the county. Health Board Vice President Gary Prater expressed frustration over what he felt was an effort of a small group of people to spread false information that contributed to the failed November levy request and with the danger of making such massive cuts.

"We're stepping back 40 or 50 years with services, and that's really scary in this day and time," he said.

Board of Health President Chuck Halm said the health district is facing $196,000 in earned vacation time that will have to be paid out to employees by law, not to mention the district's portion of unemployment costs associated with large-scale layoffs. Any help the county could provide that may save a grant or two would also save some jobs, he said.

County Commissioner Doug Corcoran said he'd like to review a list of state-mandated public health services, as well as services that will have to be cut under present circumstances. Commissioner Steve Neal wants to see the Board of Health come together with its District Advisory Council — a collection of township trustee representatives, village mayors and other elected officials that meets once a year to appoint four of the members to the Board of Health — to explore long-term solutions with a county commissioner present for the discussion.

Both commissioners said they'd like to get an idea of which services beyond those required by the state are seen as most valuable to members of a community that voted down the levy request.

Angel, Halm and Prater said the health board would try to set up a date for a meeting with the DAC and representative of the county commissioners during their Tuesday emergency meeting and then report that date to the county.

"Let's get that meeting established and then we'll go from there," Caldwell said.