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On the Horizon <br />There will be increased debt service for the first installment of the Board's approved debt financing <br />plan. It is important to implement the County Classification and Pay Study. There are also start up and <br />construction casts associated with Elementary School #9. <br />A continued high profile item for the County will be the development and implementation of the <br />OPC Mental Health business and financial plans associated with State mandated mental health reform. <br />There will also be a major reworking of the County's comprehensive land use plan, and joint park <br />and recreation facilities will be developed. <br />John Link made reference to Appendix H in the budget document, which includes additional actions <br />to further reduce expenditures and further decrease the tax rate increase. This includes hiring freezes of <br />vacant positions. <br />The budget document is available in the office of the Clerk to the County Commissioners, the <br />County Budget office, the Orange County Library, the Chapel Hill Public Library, the Carrboro Library, <br />and some portions are available on the County's Internet site, which is ~uww.co.orange.nc.us. <br />Chair Jacobs asked far questions or comments. <br />Commissioner Gordon made reference to the proposed closing of the two mental health institutions <br />and the construction of an institution in Chatham County. She asked for any estimates on the costs to <br />the counties. She understands that this will result in a decrease in the number of beds. <br />John Link said that the initial group of Commissioner representatives, County Managers, and the <br />Mental Health Area Director Tom Maynard met and are trying to address these questions and to <br />determine the impact on the Counties during this mental health reform. <br />Commissioner Carey made reference to a lawsuit in Durham County where they ruled that Durham <br />acted unconstitutionally in not paying for a child's treatment ar placement outside the County for certain <br />services. He is not sure if this is the responsibility of the DSS ar the schools. He said that we need to <br />investigate what implications this might have for Orange County and its DSS ar the school systems. <br />Geoffrey Gledhill said that the juvenile code provides for this position where kids get into the <br />juvenile justice system, and the case in Durham was a treatment case. The judge decided that there is <br />no local treatment for these kids which meet the kids' needs. The law for several years has provided that <br />if there is no local treatment available and it is available elsewhere, then the Judge can order the <br />treatment. Furthermore, if the parents are unable to pay for the treatment and there are na other funds <br />available for the treatment, the county can be required to pay the money. In those instances, the County <br />is required to have notice of the hearing but is not a participant ar a party to the case. We have had <br />several of these cases here in Orange County. We have been fortunate here because of the <br />cooperation among DSS, Mental Health, and our district court judges. If there is no program, the county <br />is stuck with the bill, up to $300 per day for the treatment cost for these kids. The Durham case focused <br />on the fact that the county really has no role in that whole process, and in fact cannot even appeal a <br />decision by the district court judge to order the county to pay the money. Typically, the county is just a <br />pocketbook for these decisions. Locally, we have talked with Mental Health about the need to provide <br />local services to take care of these cases. He assumes that a local program is being developed at this <br />time because there is no way to adequately budget for these situations. <br />Commissioner Halkiotis asked Commissioner Brown if the group had come up with any preliminary <br />estimates about the costs of mental health reform. Commissioner Brown said that OPC Mental Health <br />Consortium is in the process of developing cost estimates. In several cases, the State has <br />underestimated the casts dramatically. As we work through this, we will find mare and more that the <br />support systems in our three-County consortium cannot provide financially to support those who are <br />being released from these mental institutions by the State. The services cannot be duplicated at the <br />