The Summit County Board of Health has finalized an almost $11 million budget for the Health Department.“This year, [the budget] started out a little bit higher than what we had originally anticipated, but that is because there is a $1.2 million addition for mental health and the new University of Utah contract for mental health services and ensuring that we’re meeting those obligations for that,” explained Health Director Phil Bondurant.Jennifer Morrill, the Health Department’s business manager, also sits on the county’s budget committee, which collaborates with each department on a budget recommendation that goes to the county manager before heading to the Summit County Council for final approval.“We present very fiscally responsible budgets,” Morrill said. “We didn’t request any new positions. We did ask for five career ladders for employees, some that will be completing their degrees, some that have experience to move on to the next step and take on some additional responsibilities, but as Phil said, the main ask from the Health Department for this year was the mental health services in the county.”The budget committee, county manager and County Council did not make many cuts to the Health Department’s proposed budget earlier this year, according to Morrill. The few cuts that were made included reductions in travel and training, as well as some technology costs that were instead folded into the Information Technology Department’s budget.Excluding the $1.2 million for mental health services, Bondurant said the Health Department’s overall budget only increased by approximately 4%. With the funding for mental health services included, the budget increased by approximately 22%.“Given the cost of living and inflation over the past year, I’m really proud of the staff for getting us to that place,” Bondurant said.The County Council approved the county budget, including the Health Department’s budget, last week. The amount allotted for the Health Department totaled $10,856,086, although the Board of Health is also obligated to review and approve the budget, according to Bondurant.The Board of Health unanimously approved the budget on Tuesday.The post Board of Health approves an almost $11 million budget for 2025 appeared first on Park Record.