Findlay Council approves continuing contract with Hancock Public Health

Findlay City Council approved a continuing contract with Hancock Public Health at its regular meeting on Tuesday, but the vote wasn't unanimous or without debate.The vote was 9-1, with Councilwoman Holly Frische, R-1, opposed. Council members have spent more than a month reviewing the contract offer, calling into question how the city's share is being calculated and the need for an ongoing contract.Hancock Public Health, which has been operating as a combined city/county health department for six years now, asked Findlay officials to agree to a continuing contract, with three-year reviews. On Tuesday, a motion by Frische to alter some terms of the new agreement died for lack of a second. She motioned to remove a stipulation that requires the city to give a three-year notice should it want to end the agreement. She argued that there is no need for the notice and that it would most likely take the city three years to make the switch anyway. In August, Mayor Christina Muryn said she requested the "three-year out" clause because of the significant amount of work it would require to establish an independent health department for the city again. Frische also wanted contract language that would require a yearly review of the department's operation. The contract calls for reviews every three years. Frische said Hancock Public Health is "no different" than other city departments that must undergo yearly reviews. Other council members supported more frequent reviews. Council Grant Russel, R-at-large, said Health Commissioner Karim Baroudi routinely offers to update council on the health department's operation. Baroudi attended the Aug. 16 regular meeting of city council to address questions about the new contract. Hancock Public Health does report its financial information to the Combined Health District Board monthly. The board then determines how much money is needed to cover expenses. The board is composed of three representatives of the city, appointed by the mayor, three representatives of the townships and villages and a representative of businesses or individuals that rely on the department for licensing. Budget recommendations are then made to the Hancock County General Health District Advisory Council for approval. The D.A.C. includes the mayors of the city and Hancock County villages and the chairmen of each Hancock County township. The new agreement will keep the cost-sharing split between the city and the townships and villages the same: Findlay will pay 57.5% of the contract costs, and the villages and townships will pay the remaining 42.5%. In the first three years of the agreement, the city's share has added up to $366,778. That's $17,465 more than the original five-year agreement. The expense is split based on population and will be updated every 10 years, based on census numbers. The cost may increase by a rate not to exceed 5% for the next three-year period. In the event the health department's expenses decrease, the cost will be adjusted down. The Hancock County General Health District Advisory Council met on March 7 and voted to adopt the proposed amended agreement. Hancock Public Health was originally formed in 2016, combining the Hancock County and Findlay health departments. In December, council agreed to a one-year contract extension of the current five-year contract with the health department, at Baroudi's request. He asked to extend the contract due to the demands of the COVID-19 pandemic and "other uncertainties over the last couple of years." The contract extension expires on Dec. 31.