Faces were grim around the room Thursday afternoon as the five Republican members of the Porter County Council met with leaders of the Health Department in the second of four annual budget workshops.

They have to figure out how they’ll deal with a $2.5 million shortfall in the department’s budget from 2025 to 2026.

Outgoing director of the Health Department Carrie Gschwind told county officials she “started getting really nervous in March. I got home that night, got a message: ‘Halt everything. The budget’s been cut.’”

The department will lose $2.4 million due to changes brought about by Senate Bill 4 and another $115,000 due to losses from SB 1.

That leaves the department with an anticipated $909,000 budget per year for 2026 and 2027. Led by the auditor’s office for the second year in

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