Nobles-Rock public health budget shapes up

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WORTHINGTON — With the end of the year just two weeks away, the budget for the Nobles-Rock Community Health Services is looking surprisingly better than previously expected.

During its board meeting Wednesday afternoon in Worthington, NRCHS director Brad Meyer said the agency is at 95 percent of its budget for expenditures, while revenues are at 97 percent of the budget.

“I am very pleased with how the budget is looking at this point … in spite of what we had to deal with this year,” Meyer told board members.

Changes made during the year, such as making some supervisory staff member positions exempt from overtime pay, cutting back on training and travel expenses and purchasing a copier, all helped to reduce the agency’s expenses, Meyer said.

“Supervisors have done a tremendous job to keep those expenses in check,” he added.

While the 2008 budget year wraps up, Meyer also updated board members on adjustments to the 2009 budget. During budget planning in July, Meyer estimated a 2009 budget of more than $1.4 million. As of Wednesday, nearly $100,000 had been shaved from that estimate.

“Our initial deficit in July was between $50,000 and $61,000,” Meyer said. “Now, we’re looking at a $6,645 deficit.”

The agency will dip into reserves in 2009 to make up the difference.

The new budget approved by the board is $1,317,116. That includes cost of living adjustments of 1.5 percent on Jan. 1, and another 1.5 percent on July 1 for employees.

In other action:

• Public Health Nurse Barb Navara provided an update on the tuberculosis investigation. By the end of this week, there will be three children and three adults receiving direct observational therapy for active TB infections. There are 70 people identified through the contact investigation that have the latent form of TB, and another 23 people who recently moved to the area that have latent TB infections.

• Board members approved the reappointment of Lyla Hieronimus to another three-year term as a consumer/community volunteer on the board.

• The board approved a contract with Rock County Family Services for a shared employee between the two agencies.

• Meyer updated board members on the grant request made to the Centers for Disease Control. The agency requested $26,000, but has not received final notification of the amount it will receive. NRCHS has already been notified of a $10,000 grant coming from the state to help with the expenses incurred in the TB outbreak.

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