SPVMH voices budget concerns
By
Rory Ryan-hcpress@cinci.rr.com
Representatives from Scioto Paint Valley Mental Health Center are the latest to present fiscal concerns to the Highland County Commission.
At Wednesday’s Board of Commissioners meeting, SPVMHC Executive Director Dr. Gary Kreuchauf and ADAMH (Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health) Associate Director Juni Frey brought concerns over a serious budget deficit and declining revenue to the board’s attention.
Both, however, stressed to the commissioners, “We are not here today to ask you for money.”
Kreuchauf and Frey discussed numerous reductions in funding for the department of mental health totaling 38 percent, staff reductions from 10 to six people, and an increased caseload.
“We received funding cuts in 2008 and 2009 and are looking at cuts for 2010,” Frey said.
“What we’ve done is to prioritize services,” Frey said. “The seriously mentally disabled population – those at the most risk for suicide – we’re going to serve them no matter what.”
Frey also said the agency has prioritized substance abuse cases.
The Scioto Paint Valley Mental Health District serves five counties – Highland, Fayette, Pickaway, Pike, and Ross. Currently, the district has a 10-year renewal levy, which is not up for renewal until November 2011. Frey said they are looking at a replacement or an additional levy. “In 2006, we asked for a new levy, but it failed. Some people have suggested we go with a new levy next year. We would like to hear the commissioners’ thoughts on this.”
Commissioner Gary Heaton asked how this would affect FRS. Kreuchauf said, “I can’t speak for FRS. Their funding was cut less than that of the Mental Health District.”
Heaton then asked, “How does this affect you?”
“We have done all the normal things to cut expenses,” Kreuchauf said. “Across the state, counties are saying, ‘if you don’t have Medicaid, don’t come in.’ If you meet (certain) categories, you will receive care even if you don’t have a payer source.
“We will have a deficit this year, no question. Also, I don’t know where the state budget is going. We wanted to make sure you were aware of this. We will do everything we can to be good stewards and to provide this public service.”
Commissioner Shane Wilkin said, “It sounds like you are in the same boat we are in.”
“Any levy is going to be a tough sell,” Heaton said. “We’ve been hit the hardest of any county in the area. Right now, everybody is looking at their dollars. You have a very needed service, but it’s sometime hard to quantify what you do.”
Kreuchauf said, “We are doing everything we can to quantify what we do. By treating patients locally, it saves on hospital expenses and other related expenses.”
Heaton said the economic stress on individuals is “really tough right now.” Wilkin agreed. “As the economic times get bad, the need for your services increase, kind of like all county agencies.”
“It’s our job to take care of the people who are most fragile,” Kreuchauf said.
The agency has served 10,123 people in its five-county district thus far in fiscal year 2009. This includes 1,746 Highland County residents.
No decision was reached on additional funding or the possibility of a levy next year.
Visit www.pvadamh.org for more information.
In other business, commissioners Heaton, Wilkin and Tom Horst passed the following resolutions (all by unanimous, 3-0 votes):
• Commissioners approved a resolution to reduce the Highland County Clerk of Courts budget by $450 in office salary and $2,500 in salary employees.
• Commissioners approved a reduction in the county prosecutor’s budget by a total of $8,858.31, which included more than $6,000 in salaries.
• Commissioners approved a resolution for modification of the Children Services budget from travel to other child care in the amount of $4,000 and from equipment to unemployment in the amount of $6,000.
• Commissioners approved an additional appropriation for the E-911 Improvement budget from unappropriated funds to other expenses in the amount of $20,000.
• Commissioners approved reappointments and one appointment to the Workforce Investment Board. The new appointment was Karen Davis, Central Campus director of Southern State Community College. She joins Starla Willey, Richard Redding, Tom Septer, Dan Cowdrey, Kelly Ward, Katy Farber and Peg Beekman.
• Commissioners approved a budget reduction in the recorder’s office of $2,544.25. A brief discussion preceded the vote on this resolution. Wilkin questioned a $400 shortfall in the anticipated budget reduction. “That’s all he (Recorder Dwight “Ike” Hodson) can cut,” Heaton said.
• Commissioners approved budget reductions within the sheriff’s office of a total of $128,000, which included $72,000 in supplies and $31,000 in contracts and services. The reduction did not include any layoffs, Heaton said.
• Commissioners approved a budget reduction in the court’s probate and juvenile divisions of $12,720, which included more than $11,000 in employees’ salaries.
• Commissioners approved an additional appropriation within the airport authority budget, from unappropriated funds to other expenses in the amounts of $18,883 and $2,959. Commissioners also approved a resolution for the Community Corrections Act (T-20 budget), from unappropriated funds to Community Probation Department advances out, in the amount of $10,800 and from the Community Probation Department advances out to the Community Corrections Act in the amount of $10,085.
• A resolution to approve travel expenses for the Veterans Service Commission was placed on hold.[[In-content Ad]]
At Wednesday’s Board of Commissioners meeting, SPVMHC Executive Director Dr. Gary Kreuchauf and ADAMH (Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health) Associate Director Juni Frey brought concerns over a serious budget deficit and declining revenue to the board’s attention.
Both, however, stressed to the commissioners, “We are not here today to ask you for money.”
Kreuchauf and Frey discussed numerous reductions in funding for the department of mental health totaling 38 percent, staff reductions from 10 to six people, and an increased caseload.
“We received funding cuts in 2008 and 2009 and are looking at cuts for 2010,” Frey said.
“What we’ve done is to prioritize services,” Frey said. “The seriously mentally disabled population – those at the most risk for suicide – we’re going to serve them no matter what.”
Frey also said the agency has prioritized substance abuse cases.
The Scioto Paint Valley Mental Health District serves five counties – Highland, Fayette, Pickaway, Pike, and Ross. Currently, the district has a 10-year renewal levy, which is not up for renewal until November 2011. Frey said they are looking at a replacement or an additional levy. “In 2006, we asked for a new levy, but it failed. Some people have suggested we go with a new levy next year. We would like to hear the commissioners’ thoughts on this.”
Commissioner Gary Heaton asked how this would affect FRS. Kreuchauf said, “I can’t speak for FRS. Their funding was cut less than that of the Mental Health District.”
Heaton then asked, “How does this affect you?”
“We have done all the normal things to cut expenses,” Kreuchauf said. “Across the state, counties are saying, ‘if you don’t have Medicaid, don’t come in.’ If you meet (certain) categories, you will receive care even if you don’t have a payer source.
“We will have a deficit this year, no question. Also, I don’t know where the state budget is going. We wanted to make sure you were aware of this. We will do everything we can to be good stewards and to provide this public service.”
Commissioner Shane Wilkin said, “It sounds like you are in the same boat we are in.”
“Any levy is going to be a tough sell,” Heaton said. “We’ve been hit the hardest of any county in the area. Right now, everybody is looking at their dollars. You have a very needed service, but it’s sometime hard to quantify what you do.”
Kreuchauf said, “We are doing everything we can to quantify what we do. By treating patients locally, it saves on hospital expenses and other related expenses.”
Heaton said the economic stress on individuals is “really tough right now.” Wilkin agreed. “As the economic times get bad, the need for your services increase, kind of like all county agencies.”
“It’s our job to take care of the people who are most fragile,” Kreuchauf said.
The agency has served 10,123 people in its five-county district thus far in fiscal year 2009. This includes 1,746 Highland County residents.
No decision was reached on additional funding or the possibility of a levy next year.
Visit www.pvadamh.org for more information.
In other business, commissioners Heaton, Wilkin and Tom Horst passed the following resolutions (all by unanimous, 3-0 votes):
• Commissioners approved a resolution to reduce the Highland County Clerk of Courts budget by $450 in office salary and $2,500 in salary employees.
• Commissioners approved a reduction in the county prosecutor’s budget by a total of $8,858.31, which included more than $6,000 in salaries.
• Commissioners approved a resolution for modification of the Children Services budget from travel to other child care in the amount of $4,000 and from equipment to unemployment in the amount of $6,000.
• Commissioners approved an additional appropriation for the E-911 Improvement budget from unappropriated funds to other expenses in the amount of $20,000.
• Commissioners approved reappointments and one appointment to the Workforce Investment Board. The new appointment was Karen Davis, Central Campus director of Southern State Community College. She joins Starla Willey, Richard Redding, Tom Septer, Dan Cowdrey, Kelly Ward, Katy Farber and Peg Beekman.
• Commissioners approved a budget reduction in the recorder’s office of $2,544.25. A brief discussion preceded the vote on this resolution. Wilkin questioned a $400 shortfall in the anticipated budget reduction. “That’s all he (Recorder Dwight “Ike” Hodson) can cut,” Heaton said.
• Commissioners approved budget reductions within the sheriff’s office of a total of $128,000, which included $72,000 in supplies and $31,000 in contracts and services. The reduction did not include any layoffs, Heaton said.
• Commissioners approved a budget reduction in the court’s probate and juvenile divisions of $12,720, which included more than $11,000 in employees’ salaries.
• Commissioners approved an additional appropriation within the airport authority budget, from unappropriated funds to other expenses in the amounts of $18,883 and $2,959. Commissioners also approved a resolution for the Community Corrections Act (T-20 budget), from unappropriated funds to Community Probation Department advances out, in the amount of $10,800 and from the Community Probation Department advances out to the Community Corrections Act in the amount of $10,085.
• A resolution to approve travel expenses for the Veterans Service Commission was placed on hold.[[In-content Ad]]