Boulder County commissioners have proposed cutting the county’s portion of funding for Boulder County Public Health by about 18%, a decision that will likely impact public health programs and staffing for an agency that officials said is still reeling from the Covid-19 public health emergency.
The proposed cuts come as county commissioners prepare to pass the 2024 county budget. The county’s financial planners are forecasting a potential budget deficit as soon as next year. Meanwhile, county commissioners are proposing to increase spending on an affordable housing program and two homeless shelters, including the Boulder Shelter for the Homeless in North Boulder, and increase pay for public employees.
The county commissioners rejected tens of millions of dollars in new spending requests from all county departments. Boulder County Public Health was the only agency recommended by commissioners for spending cuts.
During a Nov. 9 meeting on the 2024 budget, commissioners proposed cutting the county’s contribution to Boulder County Public Health by $1.56 million from $8.56 million.
County spending makes up just about a third of the agency’s overall $27 million budget, which also comes from the state, fees for services and grants. So the total reduction will be about 6%.
The county budget in 2023 was $593.5 million.
When announcing the cuts, Commissioner Ashley Stolzmann said the agency should review its fee structure and seek outside grants. Stolzmann said the commissioners want the agency to begin tracking expenditures made with county funding. Additionally, she said the county commissioners want to “eliminate duplication of services.”
In an interview with Boulder Reporting Lab, Stolzmann said the public health agency does not currently report how it spends county appropriations. “Adding that transparency in will really help us understand where there are deficiencies and what they do need funding for,” she said.
The approximately 190-person public health agency implements state laws governing air and water quality, and works to prevent the spread of communicable diseases through monitoring, licensing and inspection programs. It also operates a home visitation program designed to improve child and family welfare.
Stolzmann said there could be overlapping efforts in behavioral and mental health between Housing and Human Services and Boulder County Public Health. The public health agency monitors metrics related to mental health, such as suicidal ideation. But Stolzmann said the county wants to focus more on support services. This includes getting more people enrolled in Medicaid and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, benefits. Enrollment efforts in these programs are overseen by Housing and Human Services.
The proposal to cut spending for Boulder County Public Health comes as the agency is still recovering from the heavy workload of the Covid-19 pandemic, health officials said. Moreover, the agency has seen a relatively high turnover in leadership in recent years. The current executive director, Lexi Nolen, is the third to assume the role since 2021.
Nolen said she learned of the proposed cut when county commissioners announced it at a public meeting earlier this month.
“It’s hard to understand why this was an urgent cut,” Nolen told the county board of health in a meeting on Nov. 16. “It feels like there’s a lot of risk that the county is taking on with this decision because this will certainly affect services.”
She said staff are “regaining their mental wellness” and recovering from the “outrageous workload” in recent years. It remains unclear whether she will have to let staff go under the proposed cuts.
“Our highest priority is not to lay off staff just because we have budget cuts but to be thoughtful and graceful about really looking at our agency and its strategic impact and where its best investments are,” she said.
While the county commissioners make overall budget allocations, they have little control over Boulder County Public Health’s policies. Under state law, a five-member board of health oversees the agency. The board hires the executive director and approves the agency’s budget based on money it receives from the county and other sources.
Morgan McMillan, president of the Boulder County Board of Health, told Boulder Reporting Lab in an email that the board recognizes the budget pressures faced by the county and that it is working with commissioners to cut expenses.
“We’re still working through the details but our goal is to minimize the impact on programs and on our staff, who worked tirelessly throughout the pandemic to keep our community safe,” McMillan wrote.
The county commission is scheduled to vote on a 2024 budget on Dec. 5. Residents can submit written comments ahead of the vote.
