Date: Fri 19-Apr-1996

Publication: Bee

Author: KAAREN

Quick Words:

Health-District-budget

Full Text:

Hearing Set On Health District Budget

B Y K AAREN V ALENTA

The board of the Newtown Health District will conduct a public hearing at 7:30

pm on Monday, April 22, on its proposed 1996-97 budget of $311,623.

Mark A.R. Cooper, the district's health director, said the budget shows an 8.4

percent increase over the $287,483 budgeted for the current year because of a

negotiated salary increase of three percent for health district employees, the

creation of a position of director of environmental health, and the need to

restock supplies of hepatitis B vaccine for police, fire, emergency service

personnel and employees at the town pools.

Mr Cooper said that although the budget is up $24,140, the amount that the

town of Newtown and the Borough of Newtown contribute is up only $15,276.

Significantly more services are being provided since the district was formed

as a joint effort by the town and the borough in 1994, he said.

"Operating costs decreased 30 percent in 1994-95 when we formed the district.

But the budget can't keep going down if we want to provide services."

Mr Cooper said the creation of the position of environmental health director,

a position that carries a salary of $47,380, will increase the budget by about

$24,000, but part of this will be offset by funds from the Clean Water Act.

Newtown's Water Pollution Control Authority learned last month that it has

been awarded $660,000 in grants and loans for a sewer avoidance/septic repair

program; $66,000 of this will be for program implementation and

administration, part of which will be conducted by the health district staff.

Mr Cooper has projected it will cost about $25,000 to perform the septic

services required and he anticipates asking the WPCA for this amount, although

the revenue was not included in compiling the proposed budget. "Clean Water

Fund-eligible activities first have to be documented, then submitted for

reimbursement," he said.

The proposed $204,476 salary account covers five employees plus $12,541 which

is paid to Thomas F. Draper, MD, the district's medical advisor. The proposed

budget includes a three percent increase for Mr Cooper plus $1,200 which he

had been paid by the borough but inadvertantly was not included in computing

his original salary. Together, these would boost his salary to $55,146.

The budget line item for all health district salaries increased from $185,614

in the current budget to $204,476 in the proposed budget. Operating expenses

will increase from $9,569 to $11,260, Workmen's Compensation costs and Social

Security also increased slightly, and an additional $4,200 was added to the

contingency account.

The per capita cost of health services has increased from $9.50 in 1994-95 to

$9.77 in 1995-96 and $10.45 in 1996-97. But Mr Cooper said that this is

largely a result of cost-shifting between the town and the health district.

"Since the district was formed, costs such as Social Security payments, health

insurance and transportation (the health district uses three town pickup

trucks) which previously were part of the town budget now are part of the

health district budget," he explained. "We keep finding items like these."

By forming the health district, Newtown qualified under state law for more

state funding. Of the projected budget for next year, $218,535 will be paid by

local taxpayers, $35,862 from state funds, $44,038 from fees, and $13,187 from

funds carried over from the current budget. In the 1995-96 budget, $203,260

came from local funding, $35,693 from the state, $44,000 from fees, and $5,000

in carryover.