Health Department May Seek Property Tax Increase to Maintain Critical Services

The Will County Health Department is grappling with significant budget shortfalls as multiple federal grants have been terminated or reduced, potentially forcing the agency to seek additional property tax revenue to maintain essential public health services.

Elizabeth Bilotta, Executive Director of the Will County Health Department, told the Public Health & Safety Committee Wednesday that the department is “working with our board of health to determine the best strategy to retain critical programs that no others in the area provide” and warned that this “may include a request for additional levy funding for our FY26 budget.”

The funding crisis stems from a cascade of federal grant reductions affecting multiple program areas. The Well Women grant, worth $125,000, was terminated by the Illinois Department of Public Health, resulting in the elimination of one community health educator position through impact bargaining conducted June 26th.

Additional cuts include a $51,630 reduction to the Better Birth Outcomes Comprehensive Grant, which provides nursing assessments and support for pregnant women, and a 27.52% cut to the Public Health Emergency Preparedness Grant. The department also faces uncertainty over several other grants, including Cities Readiness and HIV Prevention funding, which began July 1st without formal notification of continued support.

“We still have not received formal notification for our cities readiness or our HIV prevention grant,” Bilotta explained. “They told us to hold tight, so we are holding tight to hear from them.”

The most significant long-term concern involves potential changes to Medicaid and Medicare funding, which generated over $7 million in revenue for the health department in fiscal year 2024 – nearly 60% of the agency’s service-related revenue. The department serves populations heavily dependent on these programs, with 85% of behavioral health patients and over 50% of immunization clients relying on Medicaid coverage.

Board member Julie Berkowicz pressed for detailed data on the department’s services, particularly regarding uninsured populations. “I represent my constituents who are struggling to pay their property taxes,” Berkowicz said. “I want to see the data, the numbers. I want to see how many people we can’t say whether what their status is but how many people have no documentation are we providing service to.”

Berkowicz emphasized taxpayer concerns, noting that some residents “have lost their home” due to property tax burdens, while expressing support for the health department’s work but demanding transparency about service populations and costs.

The health department provides several unique services in the region, including HIV and STI treatment, immunizations through the Vaccines for Children program, and emergency preparedness programs. Many private pediatric providers have discontinued participation in the federal vaccine program due to complex administrative requirements, leaving the health department as a primary provider for uninsured and underinsured children.

Bilotta committed to providing detailed budget breakdowns and service statistics to the committee before the August meeting. “We are going to look at our programs to see if other entities in the community provide those. If they don’t, then we are the safety net for those programs,” she said.

The committee will review the requested data at its August 7th meeting before any decisions on potential property tax increases for health department funding.