OTTAWA COUNTY, Mich. — The Ottawa County officials are pushing back on claims that cutting the Public Health Department’s FY 2024 budget will force it to close.
This comes days after County Health Officer Adeline Hambley posted a proposal online laying out what she believes will happen if the department only receives $2.5 million from the general fund.
In a release Monday, County Administrator John Gibbs and County Chairperson Joe Moss called her claims false, and the public disclosure “inappropriate and unprofessional.”
"Claims being made by the Department of Public Health, such as that the department will be forced to close its doors or to cut essential mandated services, are patently false, bad faith, and disingenuous fear-mongering tactics,” the press release reads. “This approach represents a continued pattern of insubordinate and unprofessional behavior out of the Department of Public Health."
The press release explains that proposed cuts to Public Health would align funding near pre-COVID-19 levels.
"The FY24 DPH budget will include a $2.5 million general fund contribution, plus a contribution from DPH's fund balance, to come as close to the historic $3.8 million general fund contribution figure as possible."
It’s not clear where DPH’s fund balance currently stands.
