Tammy Thompson, WIC program staff, told the Seward County Board of County Commissioners that WIC received a state allocation of $28,989 for October and November and that, with the county’s $35,000 support, the program expects to operate through early December under current spending levels.

"This amount will be applied toward our total grant allocation for the year," Thompson said, adding that monthly operating costs typically run "anywhere from $32,000 to $35,000 a month" and that food benefits funding could last only until about Nov. 20 if there is panic buying.

Thompson and Bree Greason of the Seward County Health Department said staff have already reduced work weeks from 34 to 32 hours during October to save payroll and asked the commission to confirm that schedule for November. Commissioner Abbott moved to continue the 32‑hour schedule during the shutdown; Commissioner Fuller seconded and the board approved the motion by show of hands, 5 to 0.

Greason presented a separate but related item: she said the department lacks a formal, written county procedure for accepting and documenting grant awards and proposed adopting a standardized workflow. "KDHE confirms that Seward County Health Department is in full compliance with all grant reporting, fiscal, and programmatic requirements," Greason said, noting that the state requires the commission chair to sign grant applications and the local health director to sign the aid‑to‑local contract once a grant is awarded.

Commissioners discussed the proposed procedure but chose to table formal adoption and asked staff to schedule a work session for a deeper review of health department funding streams, hours and staffing, and grant deliverables so the public record will be transparent and consistent.

On maternal‑health services, Thompson described a planned community breast‑pump lending library funded by a REACH grant. She said REACH has purchased 10 pumps and kits and that an MOU between Southwest Medical Center and the county maternal and child health program is being drafted to define responsibilities for housing, cleaning, check‑in/out and related duties. Commissioners requested the MOU be returned to the commission for formal approval rather than signed administratively.

The board also asked staff to consider posting the KDHE letter of compliance online to help answer public questions about past grant oversight.

Ending: The commission voted to keep WIC hours at 32 during the shutdown and scheduled a separate work session for more detailed review of the health department’s grants, budgets and operations.