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Funding for health services and Medicaid expansion highlighted in proposed Guilford County budget

The Guilford County Courthouse, home to Guilford County Government offices. Courtesy nccourts.gov

The Guilford County Courthouse, home to Guilford County Government offices. Courtesy nccourts.gov

 

Guilford County Manager Michael Halford presented his recommendations for a fiscal year 2024 budget to the Board of County Commissioners last Thursday.

Under the proposal, county residents would see no change in their property tax rates. Greensboro residents may still face a property tax increase included in the city budget proposal.

The county would set aside $5 million to support the transition to an expanded Medicaid program, which would include the hiring of 59 new workers in the County Department of Health and Human Services. Over $4 million would be directed to health services for vulnerable residents.

The proposal addresses children’s health issues by securing funding for school health services, in part by adding 10 school nurses and supporting efforts in preventive services and health clinics in underserved communities.

Almost half of the $832 million General Fund budget would be allocated to Guilford Technical Community College and Guilford County Schools.

And over $5 million would be directed toward workforce and economic development.

The county has tentatively scheduled three public work sessions for residents to weigh in, along with a public hearing at their June 1 regular meeting.

The full recommended budget is available on the Guilford County website.

Neal Charnoff joined 88.5 WFDD as Morning Edition host in 2014. Raised in the Catskill region of upstate New York, he graduated from Sarah Lawrence College in 1983. Armed with a liberal arts degree, Neal was fully equipped to be a waiter. So he prolonged his arrested development bouncing around New York and L.A. until discovering that people enjoyed listening to his voice on the radio. After a few years doing overnight shifts at a local rock station, Neal spent most of his career at Vermont Public Radio. He began as host of a nightly jazz program, where he was proud to interview many of his idols, including Dave Brubeck and Sonny Rollins. Neal graduated to the news department, where he was the local host for NPR's All Things Considered for 14 years. In addition to news interviews and features, he originated and produced the Weekly Conversation On The Arts, as well as VPR Backstage, which profiled theater productions around the state. He contributed several stories to NPR, including coverage of a devastating ice storm. Neal now sees the value of that liberal arts degree, and approaches life with the knowledge that all subjects and all art forms are connected to each other. Neal and his wife Judy are enjoying exploring North Carolina and points south. They would both be happy to never experience a Vermont winter again.

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