March 28, 2024

CPC to ask Board of Supervisors to join new mental health region

Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors meeting should prove interesting as Jasper County Community Services Director/Central Point Coordination Jody Eaton is proposing a major change in the county’s efforts to regionalize its mental health services.

Jasper County had been previously working with Mahaska, Poweshiek, and Marion counties to form a mental health services region. Eaton will propose that Jasper County join the Central Iowa Community Services Region instead.

The Central Iowa Community Services Region currently consists of Boone, Franklin, Hamilton, Hardin, Madison, Marshall, and Story counties.

When the board last met two weeks ago, Eaton said the county had been exploring its options at the request of supervisor Joe Brock. He is the county’s appointed representative in the regionalization effort.

“We have got to find the best fit for Jasper County and I don’t know if this is going to be the best fit for us,” Brock said of the originally proposed region with Mahaska, Poweshiek and Marion counties.

Mahaska County CPC Julie Bak and Poweshiek CPC Dawn Roth were both present at that last session and voiced their displeasure with that Jasper County had been exploring its options.

“The CPC’s in those four counties have been working together for a year coming forward,” Bak said. “My thought is that if Jasper County is going to be looking at all their options, I can’t say that I blame you one way or another, I would request that you notify the other three counties that, that is what you’re doing.”

Brock and Eaton assured both CPCs that Jasper County would go about proper notification to the other counties when and if a decision were made on changing regions. Bak was formerly the Jasper County CPC until 2007, when she was replaced by Eaton.

State law requires mental health regions to be established by June 30, 2014.

Other items of note on the agenda will include a request for additional funds from Elderly Nutrition Director Kelli Van Manen.

Van Manen is seeking $9,508 from the Nutritional Services Incentive Program funds granted to the county from Aging Resources of Central Iowa. One of the requirements to receive the funds is that counties have to purchase and receive food items before June 30, 2013, and provide them with an invoice.

County Engineer Russ Stutt will seek the board’s approval on rock salt bids for the 2013 to 2014 winter season. Independent Salt Company of Kanopolis, Kan., is the most likely to be named the winner. Their bid was $69.85 a ton.

The county expects an average purchase of 1,500 tons of rock salt from September 2013 to May 2014.

County Treasurer Doug Bishop will be seeking approval to upgrade the county’s email system at the request of Jasper County IT Director Celia Robertson. The approval would cost $1,000 initially and require a yearly maintenance fee of $1,757, which would be a locked-in rate for five years.

Tyler Technologies of Ames would perform the upgrade and maintenance.

The board also will consider a liquor license request for the Newton Moose Lodge.

Staff writer Ty Rushing my be contacted at (641)-792-3121, ext. 426, or at trushing@newtondailynews.com via email.