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ORANGE COUNTY <br />BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br />ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT <br />Meeting Date: June 8, 2004 <br />Action Agenda <br />Item No. ~-a <br />SUBJECT: Public Hearing on Establishing the Orange-Person-Chatham Local <br />Management Entity (LME) <br />DEPARTMENT: County Manager's Office PUBLIC HEARING: (Y/N) No <br />ATTACHMENT(S): <br />Interlocal Cooperation Agreement <br />INFORMATION CONTACT <br />Gwen Harvey, Asst Co, Mgr, 245 -2307 <br />Tom Maynard, OPC Director, 913-4013 <br />TELEPHONE NUMBERS: <br />Hillsborough 732-8181 <br />Chapel Hill 968-4501 <br />Durham 688-7331 <br />Mebane 336-227-2031 <br />PURPOSE: To receive public comment on entering into an Interlocal Cooperation Agreement <br />(ICA) to form athree-county public entity to serve as the Local Management Entity (LME) for <br />ensuring mental health, developmental disability, and substance abuse services (MH/DD/SA) in <br />the Orange, Person, and Chatham counties catchment area. <br />BACKGROUND: The Mental Health Reform Steering Committee of the OPC Area Program, <br />comprised of Commissioner representatives and County Managers from the three counties, <br />consumer liaison, and OPC management, has been leading and guiding efforts to address the <br />requirements of reform legislation adopted by the state legislature in 2001. Commissioner <br />Margaret Brown serves as the Orange BOCC representative. <br />In October 2002, the BOCC adopted a resolution that set forth Orange County's intentions to <br />join with Person and Chatham counties to create by ICA a new three county public entity that <br />would serve as the LME to fulfill the requirements of the Local Business Plan (LBP) for the <br />management and delivery of services. Person and Chatham counties are also conducting <br />public hearings prior to the adoption of the agreement. The BOCC, in December 2002, <br />approved submitting the LBP to the state for approval. The Plan provided detailed information <br />on haw the multi-county program would meet state standards, laws and rules for ensuring <br />quality services. The State approved the LBP in late winter 2003, <br />Under the ICA, the OPC Area Authority wotald be dissolved and a new governing board <br />established comprised of 7 members (including one Commissioner from each of the three <br />counties) and a citizen advisory group, Under state reform, the LME is a purchaser of services <br />and must privatize the service system -divest direct service responsibilities -with three years, <br />or by 2006. The new role of the LME will be to manage the provider network, create and <br />