Insight Human Services closure could cost county up to $124,000

By STEPH TAHTINEN

Mt. Pleasant News

The decision to stop providing mental health services in Henry County could cost the county up to $124,000 in expenses associated with closing Insight Human Services (IHS).

This is the highest amount possible, IHS Administrator Todd Meyer told the board of supervisors on Thursday morning. He said it would probably cost closer to $34,000, plus or minus unemployment.

Broken down, it would cost the county approximately $33,000 in outstanding vacation, personal and comp time to IHS employees; $20,000 per person for unemployment; and an uncertain amount to terminate various contracts associated with the department.

Earlier this month, the supervisors asked Meyer to provide this information, as well as other details associated with the closing of the department. Due to changes in mental health funding coming to the state, the county may be forced to stop providing these services.

The services would still be offered in the county, but they would be privatized and there may be some changes in how they are run. Meyer has a group of people looking to privatize these services. He said that the group has met once and still needs to work on a corporate structure and being accredited to provide the services. He estimated a transition timeline of 9-15 months, with completion in December 2012.

However, both Supervisor Chairman Marc Lindeen and CPC Sarah Kaufman want it to be earlier, before the new fiscal year starts. This means that the new business would need to be up and running July 1, 2012.

Before then, the supervisors have more details to figure out.

?We need to have another sit down with Sarah and get it started,? said Lindeen.

The supervisors will be further discussing the direction of mental health services in the county during their Nov. 3 meeting.

In other business, the supervisors continued planning for permanent garbage service in the county after the temporary contract with WEMIGA Waste is done.

?What we have to decide is what we?re going to accept,? explained Lindeen.

The county will be accepting whites and browns (appliances and electronics) and tires from all county residents, not just rural county residents.

?If our goal is to keep them out of our ditches, then we should accept them from all residents,? said Kent White, supervisor vice chairman.

The permanent convenience center will also accept oil, sharps, scrap metal and all other recyclable materials including card board, all colors of glass, plastics one through seven, newspaper, magazines, junk mail, tin cans and aluminum.

The supervisors also discussed extending the hours at the four rural sites and the central site.

?I think you should expand your Monday through Thursdays until 6 p.m.,? advised Lyn Whaley, WEMIGA Waste owner. Currently the four sites are open until 5:30 p.m., but adding this extra half hour would make it easier for people to make it there after work, said Whaley.

The supervisors also discussed changing the hours at the central site so it is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Fridays under the permanent contract. Under the temporary contract, the central site, located at the Emergency Management Building, is open from 9 a.m. to noon on Friday and Saturday.