Ottawa County leaders backtrack on massive cuts to health department budget

OTTAWA COUNTY, MI — Ottawa County’s administrator has walked back a previously stated requirement for the county’s health department budget to be cut by nearly $4 million.

During a finance committee meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 5, Administrator John Gibbs provided new budget figures.

The county is currently finalizing its budget for fiscal year 2024, which begins in October. Originally, Health Officer Adeline Hambley submitted a budget for her department that included a $6.4 million contribution from the county’s general fund.

Two weeks ago, Hambley was directed by Gibbs and Ottawa County Board Chair Joe Moss to put together a new budget with a general fund contribution of $2.5 million instead.

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Hambley claimed such a budget reduction would cause the health department to close its doors within two months at best, which Moss and Gibbs called “fear-mongering tactics.” Gibbs and Moss have stated the health department’s budget must return to funding levels seen prior to the COVID-19 pandemic and decline all grant funding related to the pandemic.

Now, Gibbs told county commissioners during the Tuesday meeting that the current budget draft includes a $4,356,000 general fund allocation for the health department. Though Hambley said she was glad the general fund allocation has increased from the proposed $2.5 million, she said the health department will still see reductions in individual programs.

In order to lower the general fund contribution from Hambley’s requested $6.4 million, the health officer said 13 of the health department’s 16 programs will have decreased budgets. Hambley said those budget cuts “continue to put all public health services at risk.”

RELATED: ‘Fear-mongering tactics’: John Gibbs, Joe Moss blast criticism of health department budget cuts

These departmental programs include sexually transmitted disease prevention and treatment, communicable disease control, a dental service for uninsured children called Miles of Smiles, Medicaid outreach and family planning services. Other programs with budget reductions include environmental health services, which include real estate transfer evaluations and pool, campground and septic truck inspections.

In a statement to media, Hambley said these cuts “reduce services to the most vulnerable residents in Ottawa County.” She also stated the county leadership’s unwillingness to accept any grant funding related to COVID-19 will cost the county more than $400,000 worth of services.

Gibbs said during the Tuesday meeting that Hambley’s claims of having to eliminate services to county residents are false.

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“The narrative of wholesale cutting of programs are not backed up by facts,” Gibbs said. “This is going to have an impact on the county budget of reducing overall spending. Just like all American families and businesses looking at their budget and adjusting things, it’s important we do the same.”

Gibbs said the health department’s budget as it currently stands will be “more than enough for the essential programs being done by public health.”

Hambley spoke twice during the meeting, once during open public comment and again during discussion of her department’s budget. On the second occasion, Hambley was required to testify under oath that she was telling the truth, something no other county employee has been asked to do this year. Hambley’s attorney, Sarah Howard, said she was unaware Hambley would be required to testify under oath during the public meeting.

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Prior to the Tuesday meeting, Howard filed a request with the Michigan Court of Appeals for immediate aid to prevent the Ottawa County Board of Commissioners from wrongfully firing her prior to a scheduled Oct. 11 court hearing. The hearing is related to an ongoing lawsuit Hambley filed against far-right conservative members of the Ottawa County board for attempting to wrongfully terminate her employment earlier this year.

Though the court denied Hambley’s emergency motion on Tuesday, it did release a statement that “all the parties are cautioned, however, that they proceed at their own peril if they take substantial actions before this court hears oral arguments on Oct. 11.”

RELATED: Ottawa County health officer fears imminent firing, asks court for aid

During her public comment to the board, Hambley said she has not been invited to any discussions regarding her department’s budget in the last two weeks.

“I’m glad to see this latest version of this budget meets maintenance of effort for some programs,” she said. “I was provided the budget you’re discussing today on Friday afternoon… but it seems at some point you realized I was telling the truth the health department could not function with a general fund contribution of $2.5 million.

“In today’s version of the budget, there are cuts to STD testing, communicable disease programs, substance use prevention programs and the Miles of Smiles dental program. This is not a return to pre-COVID budget levels as it results in cuts to programs that existed before COVID.”

Moss told Hambley later in the meeting that the county’s 2024 budget has not yet been finalized. A public hearing on the budget is set for next Tuesday, Sept. 12, at 9 a.m. in the county’s Fillmore Complex board room.

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