Orange County NC Website
MINUTES-Draft <br /> ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF HEALTH <br /> September 20, 2023 <br /> Dr. Crandell requested clarification of the 20% variance in option 2, asking whether it applied <br /> quarterly and was based on projections, which Mr. Perschau explained would apply across the <br /> year based on annual and quarterly projections. <br /> Commissioner Bedford expressed that she prefers option 3, as she would be concerned that the <br /> board wouldn't be performing their fiduciary duty if they weren't regularly reviewing the financial <br /> statements. Mr. Whitaker also liked option 3, as he would prefer to have a budget report in front <br /> of him at least quarterly, ideally with a summary flagging any discrepancies or aberrations. <br /> Dr. Baldwin asked if the variance caveat from option 2 should be added to option 3. Ms. Stewart <br /> clarified that it was only included in option 2, and Commissioner Bedford suggested merging <br /> options 2 and 3 so the board receives quarterly reports, but any concerning or odd trends are <br /> still flagged and brought to the board. This idea was later echoed when Dr. Jonnal asked Mr. <br /> Perschau which option he preferred and if he felt there was anything missing from the options. <br /> Mr. Perschau said that he felt quarterly reports are the best practice, so he preferred option 3, <br /> but that he also liked the idea of having a system to flag aberrations. Dr. Jonnal then suggested <br /> merging all options, adding an option to report to the board 'at the discretion of the department' <br /> if something seemed off. <br /> Mr. Bagby expressed discomfort with the 20% variance from option 2, as he felt it seemed <br /> arbitrary and that such a variance might occur naturally, for example if the government was late <br /> to send a reimbursement to the health department between fiscal periods. He said he'd rather <br /> not spend time addressing the budget if there wasn't genuine cause for concern. <br /> Dr. Crandell asked how the health department might account for a large, unexpected expense, <br /> giving the examples of medical equipment breaking or the COVID-19 pandemic. Ms. Stewart <br /> replied that during the pandemic the impact to the budget was referenced frequently during <br /> board meetings, even outside of budget presentations. She also expressed that another similar <br /> catastrophic expense seemed unlikely—for example, the clinic's medical equipment is covered <br /> outside the budget—and the board would be notified almost immediately if something serious <br /> happened. <br /> Based on the discussion, Dr. Jonnal summarized that the board wished to have the budget <br /> presentation twice per year, with quarterly reports available and the option to discuss or have <br /> the information reported in the case of exceptional items. Ms. Stewart confirmed that the board <br /> agreed to move forward with option 3, adding a caveat that exceptional items in the budget <br /> could be brought before the board as needed at the discretion of the financial department. <br /> Motion to approve the Board of Health Policy Changes was made by Dr. Bruce Baldwin, <br /> seconded by Dr. Alison Stuebe, and carried without dissent. <br /> The adopted changes are as follows: <br /> 1.0 Mission Statement and Scope of Services <br /> • Replaced old mission Statement with new one adopted at the April 26,2023 meeting. <br /> • Added the new Vision Statement to the policy. <br /> I.A. - Requests for Environmental Services and Assessments <br /> • No Changes <br /> I.B. - Fee and Eligibility Policy <br /> S:\Managers Working Files\BOH\Agenda&Abstracts\2023 Agenda&Abstracts/ <br /> September Page 3 <br />