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HomeMy WebLinkAboutLPHA JBC Legislator Budget letter 03.03.2026 March 3rd, 2026 Senator Jeff Bridges Representative Kyle Brown 200 E Colfax Ave 200 E Colfax Ave Denver, CO 80203 Denver, CO 80203 jeff.bridges.senate@coleg.gov kyle.brown.house@coleg.gov Senator Barbara Kirkmeyer Representative Emily Sirota 200 E Colfax Ave RM 346 200 E Colfax Ave RM 307 Denver, CO 80203 Denver, CO 80203 barbara.kirkmeyer.senate@coleg.gov emily.sirota.house@coleg.gov Senator Judy Amabile Representative Rick Taggart 200 E Colfax Ave 200 E Colfax RM 307 Denver, CO 80203 Denver, CO 80203 judy.amabile.senate@coleg.gov rick.taggart.house@coleg.gov Re: Minimizing further budget cuts to Local Public Health Agencies Dear Members of the Joint Budget Committee, On behalf of the Pitkin County Board of County Commissioners, we write to express our concern regarding the ongoing and proposed reductions to General Fund support for Colorado’s Local Public Health Agencies (LPHAs), and to respectfully urge you to mitigate further cuts in the Fiscal Year 2026–27 budget. LPHAs assure and deliver essential services that protect life and health in every Colorado community. In Pitkin County, these services include immunizations, communicable disease investigation, environmental health protections, and emergency preparedness and response. These are core governmental functions that support community safety, workforce stability, and overall quality of life. The recent 15 percent reduction in LPHA funding has already led to measurable impacts on Pitkin County Public Health. Most notably, it resulted in a commensurate decrease to our Local Planning and Support Dollars contract—the department’s largest single funding source for the Public Health Planning Analyst position. This role is responsible for overseeing the County’s Community Health Assessment (CHA) and Public Health Improvement Plan (PHIP), which guide evidence-based decision-making, prioritize limited resources, and align local efforts with state and regional public health goals. When public health funding is reduced, the impact extends beyond the immediate loss of dollars. County staff must divert time and capacity toward identifying and pursuing funding sources, reducing the time available for direct public health work. If replacement funding is secured, additional administrative and contract management requirements further strain limited staff capacity. These inefficiencies undermine Pitkin County | 530 E. Main Street | Aspen, CO 81611 | 970-920-5200 effectiveness and increase long-term costs, rather than reducing them. LPHAs provide strong value precisely because they focus on prevention. Preventing disease, injury, and environmental health hazards reduces the need for more expensive medical and emergency interventions. While prevention outcomes are not always immediately visible, they are well documented. A recent study in El Paso County found that every $1 invested in public health resulted in $14.30 in county savings—demonstrating a clear return on investment for both local governments and the State. Maintaining state support for public health is especially important given the current uncertainty surrounding federal funding. Federal public health and human services funding streams remain subject to potential reductions, program changes, and administrative constraints. This uncertainty makes stable state investment more critical to ensure continuity of essential services and to avoid sudden service disruptions at the local level. At the same time, changes to federal programs such as Medicaid and SNAP are expected to make access more restrictive for some residents. As more individuals face barriers to care and basic support, the role of local public health in prevention, early intervention, and community-based response becomes increasingly important. Weakening public health infrastructure under these conditions risks shifting costs downstream into higher-cost emergency, medical, and public safety systems. We recognize that this is a difficult budget year and that the Committee (Legislature) faces many competing priorities. Our request is offered in that context. We respectfully urge you to mitigate proposed cuts to local public health funding and to continue recognizing public health as a cost-effective, preventative investment that protects both community well-being and long-term fiscal stability. We appreciate your past support for local public health and thank you for your continued partnership in protecting the health and safety of all Coloradans. Sincerely, Jeffrey H. Woodruff Pitkin County Board of County Commissioners, Board Chair Pitkin County | 530 E. Main Street | Aspen, CO 81611 | 970-920-5200