The meeting began with a presentation on foundational public health services (FPHS) by Kyla Botszian from BME Strategies. The preliminary survey results outlined within the shared service arrangement (SSA) highlighted current spending patterns and foundational capabilities across six towns. Total spending was reported at $1.03 million, with nearly half of this amount sourced from grants. Community-specific services, which fall outside the FPHS framework, accounted for a portion of the budget.

Kyla emphasized the collaborative nature of the shared service arrangements. Kyla encouraged dialogue among attendees to explore opportunities for municipalities with higher expertise to support those with fewer resources.

A key issue discussed was the allocation of resources for emergency preparedness and response. The council explored leveraging existing expertise from municipalities with higher capacity to support those with lower capacity. Opportunities to strengthen foundational capabilities were outlined, with specific attention to assessment, surveillance, and policy development.

Attention then turned to inspection activities and training programs. It was reported that housing inspections were not widely utilized, prompting discussions on potential cost savings by eliminating these services. The debate centered around the importance of maintaining robust training programs for inspectors, even if certain inspection services were reduced. A financial overview revealed that eliminating housing inspections could lead to savings, as no other towns were currently utilizing these services. The council also discussed the viability of pool inspections, with recommendations to eliminate both housing and pool inspections while maintaining essential training for inspectors.

The need to balance cost efficiency with adequate training and support for public health inspections was emphasized.

As the conversation shifted to budget considerations, the council discussed increasing nursing hours for Deerfield from 12 to 18 hours per week. The proposal suggested that the Shared Services Agreement could fund this increase at an estimated cost of $13,000 per year. The motion to fund the additional hours was unanimously supported, reflecting Deerfield’s current status as receiving the lowest amount of nursing hours compared to other towns.

Further discussion addressed the possibility of conducting public outreach for mosquito and tick control in Monagu. It was noted that Monagu is not part of a mosquito control district, and there was interest in engaging the community in preventive measures. Supplies for outreach had been procured with COVID funds, and proposals were made to host events at community locations, such as Unity Park, to distribute mosquito repellent products.

The council also explored the need for consulting services to assist with drafting board of health regulations. A proposal was made to allocate budgetary resources for consulting services to support the development of new regulations, highlighting the challenges faced by departments with limited staff.

Staffing updates were provided, noting that a contracted worker, Mary, would have limited hours until January due to social security regulations. This adjustment was met with understanding, as the council acknowledged the need to adapt to staffing constraints.

As the meeting concluded, a discussion arose regarding the collection of fees related to inspections. There was confusion about who would be responsible for this task, leading to a call for clearer communication among members.