Minutes - March 3, 2022 - Finance and Facilities Committee Meeting 

Members Present:

Mr. Mike Steele (Chair)
Mr. Matt Reid
Ms. Kelly Elliott
Mr. Selomon Menghsha

Regrets

Ms. Maureen Cassidy

Others Present:

Dr. Alexander Summers, Acting Medical Officer of Health
Ms. Emily Williams, Chief Executive Officer
Ms. Maureen MacCormick, Director, Healthy Living
Ms. Mary Lou Albanese, Director, Environmental Health and Infectious Diseases
Ms. Heather Lokko, Director, Healthy Start/Chief Nursing Officer
Mr. David Jansseune, Assistant Director, Finance
Ms. Stephanie Egelton, Senior Executive Assistant to the Medical Officer of Health/Associate Medical Officer of Health (Recorder)
Ms. Carolynne Gabriel, Communications Coordinator and Executive Assistant to the Board of Health (arrived at 9:11 a.m.)
Ms. Mariam Hamou, Board Member

At 9:02 a.m., Chair Mike Steele called the meeting to order.

Disclosures of Conflict of Interest

Chair Steele inquired if there were any disclosures of conflicts of interest. None were declared.

Approval of Agenda

It was moved by Mr. Matt Reid, seconded by Ms. Kelly Elliott, that the AGENDA for the March 3, 2022 Finance & Facilities Committee meeting be approved.
Carried

Approval of Minutes 

It was moved by Mr. Reid, seconded by Ms. Elliott, that the MINUTES of the February 3, 2022 Finance & Facilities Committee meeting be approved.
Carried

New Business

2022 Middlesex-London Health Unit Budget (Report No. 05-22FFC)

Ms. Emily Williams, Chief Executive Officer, introduced the 2022 Budget report. Ms. Williams noted that the budget process was expedited by 6 weeks this year to accommodate the provincial election in the spring. Further, the appearance of the budget ledger has changed to have split line items to improve transparency with funders and Board members, showing where funding sources are coming from. It was also noted that a 1% increase to funding from the Ministry of Health to the 2019 base budget was added as per Ministry direction, equating to approximately $198,000.

Ms. Williams introduced Mr. David Jansseune, Assistant Director, Finance to review the budget. The following was noted by Mr. Jansseune during his presentation:

•  The budget process will change to a zero-based process for 2023.
• To enable programs to be delivered, we have: 2 companies (Jan-Dec and Mar-Apr), 6 divisions, and 61 departments for 47 programs.
• The departmental budget will need to be re-created into a program budget for the Ministry, known as the Annual Service Plan.
• Funding sources:
• Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care (MOH) (80%)
• Ministry of Children, Community & Social Services (MCCSS) (4%)
• City of London (12%)
• The County of Middlesex (2%)
• Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) (0.5%)
• Public Health Ontario (0.2%)
• Miscellaneous Revenue through Client Services (1.3%)
• Salaries and wages include 1.7% inflation and 0.3% step increases for staff as required by Collective Agreements, PBMA incremental investments (1.4% and 4.5 FTE), the electronic medical records special project (1.0% and 2.0 FTE) and CLIF funding with no impact.
• Benefits with Canada Life: premiums for life, AD&D and LTD increased by 7.3% or $101,685 with additional increases on the ASO policy covering EHC (health, drug, vision) by 5.3% and dental by 10.6%.
• General expenses include expenses other than salaries, wages and benefits. Increases going up 6.8% and are largely related to retiree benefits, increases in insurance costs and software licensing costs
• Extraordinary costs are funded by the Province for COVID-19 case and contact management, vaccine and recovery.
• $12,517,509 budgeted for vaccine.
• $13,981,346 budgeted for case and contact management.
• $1,570,039 budgeted for recovery work.
• There is a budgeted gap of $1,613,768, which bridges the difference between expenses and funding/revenue to balance the budget. This challenge is met throughout the year through savings on the staffing line
• Budget at full complement
• Delays in filling vacancies
• New hires usually start at a lower pay band
• Staff redeployed to COVID when programs are delayed with restarting.
• Total budget for 2022 - $65,310,006.

It was noted that the City of London has approved the requested increase of $609,506 and the County of Middlesex funding of $121,949 is pending. Both funders have been made aware. It was further noted that the separation of companies (MLHU 1 and MLHU 2 on the budget) is based on funding and reporting to different provincial ministries.

It was moved by Mr. Reid, seconded by Mr. Selomon Menghsha, that the Finance & Facilities Committee make a recommendation to the Board of Health to:
1) Approve the 2022 Proposed Budget in the gross amount of $65,310,006 as illustrated in the attached Appendix A – Budget Summary;
2) Forward Report No. 05-22FFC and Appendix A – Budget Summary to the City of London and the County of Middlesex for information; and
3) Direct staff to submit the 2022 Proposed Budget in the various formats required by the different funding agencies and stakeholders.
Carried

Other Business

The next meeting of the Finance and Facilities Committee will be held on Thursday, April 7, 2022 at 9 a.m.

Adjournment 

At 9:34 a.m., it was moved by Mr. Menghsha, seconded by Ms. Elliott, that the meeting be adjourned.

Carried

Michael Steele
Chair

Emily Williams
Secretary