County approves MHDS fund balance projects

Board of Supervisors
By: 
Pete Temple
Express Associate Editor

     A preliminary list of expenditures for Jones County mental health fund balance projects was approved by the Jones County Board of Supervisors during its Sept. 21 meeting.

     The list includes requests for funding for Advancement Services of Jones County, Monticello; and for Life Connections, Anamosa.

     The estimated total of approximately $159,000 to $162,000 will come from Mental Health and Disabilities Service (MHDS) regional funding that was approved by the state legislature. Regions have until the end of fiscal year 2022 to reduce their fund balances below 40 percent – any unused funding would be returned to the state.

     Jones County was appropriated $170,000, so these expenditures would leave a balance of 4.7 to 6.5 percent in the budget.

     Lucia Herman, Jones County Community Services director, gave the board a list of financial requests from the two facilities.

     The total for Life Connections was $106,000 to $109,000, and included therapist sign-on bonuses, mental health provider retention longevity bonuses, training providers for specializing/continuing education, forming dual diagnosis groups for youth and adults in the county, and collaboration with law enforcement mental health crises.

     The total for Advancement Services was just under $53,000, and included technology replacement, membership to the Iowa Association of Community Providers Project, the purchase of two vans with accessibility for people with disabilities, and employee retention and new employee hiring initiatives.

     “I don’t have any concerns with their ‘asks,’ ” Herman told the board.

     The projects are estimated, and would be presented to the East Central Region Governing Board for final approval. The projects would also be subject to adjustments and reviews on a monthly basis.

     The board also approved a revised position withing the Community Services office, that of office coordinator/MHDS assistant. This position would replace the administrative assistant to the director position that had previously existed.

     The position would be for 28 hours per week, paying $18.74 per hour.

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