Who will pay for mental health services for inmates in Floyd County?

March 13--NEW ALBANY -- The Floyd County Commissioners signed a contract with Forensic Services of Southern Indiana for $80,000 in 2011 to provide mental health services to inmates.

While the company has been providing services since then, they have not been paid for work in the first two months of this year.

Floyd County Sheriff Frank Loop told the county council Tuesday night his budget does not include a line item for Forensic Services, and the contract is signed by the commissioners. He just wants the company to get paid before they decide to no longer provide services, which he said would lead to more problems.

However, Matt Oakley, county council president, said the commissioners signed the contract so the funds should come out of its mental health budget.

"It's not appropriated in our budget so I am not sure why a contract was signed," Oakley told Loop. "The commissioners need to pay this out of their money."

Loop attended the commissioners meeting last week with the same question and was directed to go to the county council since it is the financial wing of the county.

A frustrated Loop said the bill just needs to be paid.

"There is a disconnect it seems between the commissioners and council," he said. "We are on a slippery slope here."

Oakley said that if the commissioners are going to sign a contract, they need to make sure money is appropriated to pay the bill.

"They [Forensic Services] provided services in good faith," Councilman Jim Wathen said. "Are we going to say too bad, sorry about that."

Auditor Scott Clark said the commissioners have two line items for mental health services. The first for $350,000 for mental disability services goes to Rauch Inc., while the other line item, for $318,444, is for mental health providers, currently LifeSpring.

He said in the past, the contract was paid out of economic development income tax funds.

A mental health committee has been formed to help decide who should be paid for services provided, instead of the county just handing over the check to the mental health provider which it did in the past out of the tax levy. Mental health was taken out of the levy last year.

The council has called a special meeting for 4 p.m. Tuesday, March 17, to discuss budget issues, including having to cut $1.2 million from the general fund. The meeting will be held at Pine View Government Center. The mental health budget likely will be discussed.

County Attorney Rick Fox, who is a member of the mental health committee, said there are decisions that have to be made, but he said Forensic Services needs to be paid for the work it has done.

"From a legal standpoint, it just needs to be paid," Fox said of the bill. "These folks have provided services to the county and need to be paid. Where it comes from needs to be dealt with by the council and commissioners if they are pulled into it."

Oakley said with the council already looking at having to cut $1.2 million from the general fund budget next week, it can't add more expenses.

"Our general fund is already out of money," he said. "If we add additional appropriations that is just something else we are going to have to cut. They have money in their budget set aside for mental health to spend as they see fit."

Councilman John Schellenberger said mental health services have to be provided and bills have to be paid.

"We have bills to pay now; we need to take care of them," he said.

Loop said in order to pay the current bill from Forensic Services, he will take $25,000 out of his budget, for a part-time nurse, and make the payment. But he said moving forward it's important for the commissioners and council to solve the issue.

"This will buy us some time so the council and commissioners can get together to work this out," Loop said.

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