The Jasper County Board of Supervisors approved a contract during its regular meeting Tuesday allowing a minimal increase in the rates for inpatient psychiatric treatment for mentally ill citizens receiving services from the county.

In a 3-0 decision, the board approved a contract with Covenant Medical Center Inc. of Waterloo, changing the daily inpatient fee to $636 — a $40 increase. The extended patient fee for a hospital stay was decreased to $236, but records were not immediately available on the size of the decrease. The new rates will take effect on Aug. 1, and the contract runs through July 31, 2013.

In a response to increasing information technology needs, the board also upgraded the county’s existing Internet service with Windstream Communications on Tuesday at a cost of an additional $300 per month.