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MINUTES-Draft <br /> ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF HEALTH <br /> February 28, 2024 <br /> multiple-choice items but there are plans to have conversations with staff to learn <br /> more specific details. Ms. Stewart added that this survey was conducted during <br /> the active pandemic phase and staff were already fatigued by many surveys and <br /> extra work, so the goal was to keep the survey as simple as possible. <br /> o Dr. Rodgers wondered if neutral might be an equivalent to "I don't know," and <br /> Ms. Rawlinson agreed this was a possibility. Dr. Stuebe commented that some of <br /> the questions appeared to be double-barreled (that is, containing two or more <br /> questions), which may have made them more difficult for participants to answer. <br /> o Dr. Stuebe asked about validated instruments and Ms. Stewart replied that she <br /> believes the questions used for the survey came from a validated tool. <br /> • Dr. Royce asked if there were plans to conduct focus groups to learn more detailed <br /> information, to which Ms. Rawlinson replied this is something REC plans to do in the <br /> future, though it may take the form of team meetings or informal conversations. <br /> Regardless of method, the hope would be to encourage more openness among staff. <br /> • In response to Dr. Rodger's question about whether board members are permitted to <br /> participate in REC activities, Ms. Stewart replied yes, so long as there is not a quorum <br /> present. <br /> • Dr. Royce mentioned that comparing only "agree" and "neither agree nor disagree" <br /> somewhat undersold the overall level of agreement—she suggested that, when <br /> presenting this data in the future, "agree" and "strongly agree" should be combined. <br /> VIII. Actions Items <br /> A. 2024 — 2025 Proposed Budget <br /> Frederick Perschau, Finance and Administrative Services Director, presented on the 2024 — <br /> 2025 Proposed Health Department Budget. <br /> Some highlights of his presentation are below: <br /> • The Total Budget Request was $8,111,112 (-$34,142 under base, with a decrease of <br /> less than 1%). In response to several board members' questions about this figure, Mr. <br /> Perschau explained that it was calculated based on how much of the budget from the <br /> previous year was used and in which areas. <br /> • Several major changes highlighted included that the American Rescue Plan (ARPA) <br /> funds have expired, the Regional Infection Prevention & Support (RIPS) Teams are <br /> being removed, additional funding is available around public health infrastructure and <br /> addressing concerns around lead poisoning, there are ongoing increases in <br /> pharmaceutical costs, and that service fees in several divisions are increasing, including <br /> the fee schedule for the Dental Health Services division being updated for the first time <br /> since 2013. <br /> • Mr. Perschau explained that there are four major areas of the budget— revenue, <br /> expenses, personnel, and overall. These cover five divisions — Dental Health, <br /> Community Health, Environmental Health, Personal Health, and Finance and <br /> Administrative Services. <br /> • There is a net proposed personnel expense increase of$56,793 (which is separate from <br /> the Overall Budget Request), based on the creation of 2 new positions and amendments <br /> to 6 current temporary positions to convert them to FT/PT Permanent (a total addition of <br /> +5.09 Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) workloads across all 8 positions). Mr. Perschau <br /> clarified that this number is the sum of the time commitment across all eight positions <br /> S:\Managers Working Files\BOH\Agendas &Abstracts\2024 Agenda and Abstracts/ <br /> February Page 5 <br />