First look at Ottawa County's proposed budget shows $2M boost for health department
OTTAWA COUNTY — Several commissioners in Ottawa County have taken a first glance at the proposed 2025 fiscal year budget, which includes a boost of over $2 million in funding for the Department of Public Health.
Director of Fiscal Services Karen Karasinski presented the recommended budget to the county's finance and administration committee on Thursday, Aug. 8.
A copy of the proposed budget is available to view on the county website, under the fiscal services department page. The budget is not yet final and is subject to change.
How could Ottawa County's budget grow in 2025?
Karasinski said the budget estimates a 6.5% growth in county revenue through property taxes, and keeps the same 3.9-mill operating millage rate, well below the county’s maximum allowed rate of 6 mills.
The budget also uses a 4% cost of living increase and a 3% increase in health insurance, along with increases for some contracted services.
The total budget calls for $284,233,664 in expenditures. That includes $121,406,308 in the general fund and $150,743,228 in special revenue funds.
Special revenue funds include the health department, friend of the court, mental health, and parks and recreation. A total of $6.3 million is earmarked for the county's debt service funds, and just under $5.8 million is set aside for capital projects.
The total budget is up about $20 million from FY24, a 7.6% increase. Of note, the county recently approved a policy prohibiting the keeping of unrestricted money in several revenue funds, so more dollars will have to come from the general fund.
Increased draws from the general fund ($4.3 million) come from boosts to salaries and benefits ($2.9 million), contracted services ($1.4 million) and indirect expenses ($1 million).
More: Commissioners approve reallocating health department funds
The budget presented Thursday includes total revenues of $280,896,291 and the use of $3,337,373 in funding reserves to balance the budget, including about $2.2 million from the general fund.
That's not a reason for concern, Karasinski said.
“The recommended budget does propose using reserves, and that’s OK as long as it’s for one-time expenditures,” she said. “It’s important to note the reserves are not funding ongoing operations and this would not be categorized as a deficit.”
Ottawa County would have a projected ending fund balance of $27.46 million in the general fund.
Will OCDPH get a boost in 2025?
The budget for the Ottawa County Department of Public Health, a source of debate and controversy throughout last year’s budget cycle, is listed at $16,763,077 in the recommended FY25 budget. That’s up from an adopted FY24 budget of $14,397,715.
Of note, OCDPH's "actual" spending in FY24 was $16,675,133, only slightly lower than the proposed budget for FY25. However, of that number, $1,839,314 was transferred back to the general fund, leaving spending at $14,835,819, down over $865,000 since 2023.
The new budget proposal calls for $6,955,976 to be transferred to OCDPH from "other funds," an increase from $6,898,154 in 2023, and a stark increase from $4,873,790 in 2024.
About $600,000 of that increase is slated for salaries and benefits, with another $582,779 noted for indirect expenses.
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The finance committee — consisting of Gretchen Cosby, Joe Moss, Roger Belknap, Kendra Wenzel and Rebekah Curran — voted 5-0 to recommend a hearing on the budget at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 10.
The full board will formally schedule the hearing Tuesday, Aug. 13.
After the public hearing, the finance committee will hold a special work session Sept. 17 to recommend a budget to the full board. The budget will be voted on Sept. 24, ahead of the start of the new fiscal year on Oct. 1.
— Contact reporter Mitchell Boatman at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Ottawa County's new budget proposal gives health department $2M boost
