Southwest District Health seeks smaller payment from county in FY 2021 budget

By: 
Steve Lyon

Washington County’s annual payment to the Southwest District Health for fiscal year 2021 will be lower than what the county contributed in the current fiscal year.
 Washington County is one of six counties that make up the health district, along with Adams, Canyon, Gem, Owyhee and Payette. Each of the six counties is assessed funds annually to support the health district’s operations.
 Nikole Zogg, SWDH’s director, presented the health district’s FY 2021 budget request to Washington County commissioners via a Zoom meeting. The agency has requested an overall 1.5 percent funding increase from counties in FY 2021 to help pay for services in rural counties.
 Zogg initially proposed a 3 percent increase for counties for FY 2021 in April, but the health district’s governing board was concerned about the economic impacts from the coronavirus pandemic and reduced the increase to 1.5 percent.
 “The board decided that supporting the 1.5 percent increase seemed more appropriate given the circumstances,” she said.
 The health district uses a formula approved by the Legislature to determine the amount that each county is assessed. The formula is based on 70 percent population and 30 percent taxable market value of property in each county. In total, the agency is requesting $1.4 million from the six counties for FY 2021.
 Washington, Adams and Owyhee counties will see their annual assessments for the health district go down slightly in FY 2021, while Canyon, Gem and Payette counties will pay more to support the health district’s budget.
 The health district’s FY 2021 budget request for Washington County is $52,217, a decrease of $1,538 from FY 2020. The computation is based on the county’s 2019 population estimate and the 2019 taxable market value of property. All six counties showed increases in net taxable market value of property.
 With the largest population and tax base, Canyon County pays the most of the six counties in the health district. Canyon County will pay $1,068,816 for the next fiscal year, an increase of almost 2 percent, or $20,507, over the current fiscal year payment. Sparsely populated Adams County will pay the smallest amount at $26,368.
 According to the health district’s proposed FY 2021 budget, which begins on July 1, the agency will receive $9.04 million in revenue. Fees, contracts and county and state appropriations will provide more than $8.5 million of revenues with other sources making up the rest.
 Contracts are the biggest source of revenue for the district, contributing $4.23 million or 47 percent of the FY 2021 budget. Many contracts are federal funds that pass through the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare to individual health districts. The district will see a $400,000 increase in contract funding in FY 2021, with additional funding earmarked for suicide prevention, drug use prevention and other programs.
 The agency’s FY 2021 budget estimates total expenses at $9.04 million. Salaries, wages and benefits for employees will cost about $6.76 million, with operating expenses estimated at $2 million. The number of employees has increased slightly from 95.7 in FY 2020 to 97.1 in FY 20121. The budget does not contain any money for merit raises for employees.
 The FY 2021 budget also includes the cost of operating the crisis center in Canyon County as a separate line item. The estimated contract revenue for the center is $1.52 million for FY 2021. Expenses are also pegged at $1.52 million for a balanced budget. Adding in the crisis center, the health district’s total FY 2021 budget is $10.5 million.
 The Caldwell crisis center is one of seven regional centers for behavioral health care. Crisis centers are designed as a treatment option for adults experiencing serious mental health issues who would otherwise be arrested or taken to an emergency room.
 It’s expected that counties like Washington County and the other six counties that make up the district served by SWDH could see some budget savings by using the crisis center for behavioral health issues instead of a hospital emergency room or jail.
 

Category:

Signal American

18 E. Idaho St.
Weiser, ID 83672
PH: (208) 549-1717
FAX: (208) 549-1718
 

Connect with Us