Whitley County Health Department receives clean audit reports

The Whitley County Health Department and Home Health Agency held its latest board meeting Monday evening where several items were on the agenda, including budget reviews and the discussion of Christmas bonuses for employees.

After clean audit reports from CPA Brad Hayes for both the Health Department and the Public Health Taxing District, Public Health Director Marcy Rein took a few moments to review the most recent statement of revenue and expenditures with the Whitley County Board of Health.

“We are 25 percent through the fiscal year as of the end of October,” Rein explained. “We are right in line with what we would expect to see at this point in terms of revenues. We are slightly above 25 percent in expenditures, though, at 32.8 percent.”

Rein told the board that the unexpected rise in expenditures was mostly related to increased travel cost, with it becoming more expensive recently to reimburse employees for mileage driven in their personal vehicles, as well as the increased cost of regular maintenance to company vehicles.

“This is not entirely unexpected or concerning to me,” Rein added, saying that anticipated additional revenues for the remaining fiscal year should help to balance out the current shortfall of just under $96,000.

In other Board of Health business, Rein proposed continuing the tradition of offering a Christmas bonus to all current employees of the Health Department. The board approved the motion to offer those employees a standard bonus of $500.

Board meeting dates were also set for the coming calendar year, with the next meeting scheduled to take place in March.