An advisory committee that helps direct funding for mental health and public safety programs in McLean County is signaling support for two court programs that lost federal funding. But how they will be funded in the long term remains unclear.
The emergency requests are testing the county’s ability to quickly address emerging needs that county officials say remains a work in progress.
The nonprofit Brightpoint supervises child custody visitation in cases of domestic violence and provides childcare for parents when they have hearings at the McLean County Law and Justice Center.
Brightpoint was informed in October that its federal funding for those programs was being canceled. Trial court administrator for the 11th Judicial Circuit, William Scanlon, has said the programs only have enough funding to continue through the end of January.
At a special meeting on Friday, the county’s Mental Health and Public Safety Fund Advisory Council [FAC] withdrew a request to use sales tax dollars to support the Supervised Visit and Exchange Center.
Instead, the county plans to use existing county funds that have accumulated over several years. The county charges $8 for each civil court filing that supports the child custody program.
Bloomington City Council member and FAC member Sheila Montney balked at using sales tax funds after pointing out an audit indicated the county has additional funds to cover the program for at least a year.
Montney wondered why the county had not indicated that before presenting Brightpoint’s request.
“Many of the members of the County Board sit on the Justice Committee that had access to and full knowledge to these funds,” Montney said. “I don’t understand why it was missed.”
County Administrator Cassy Taylor responded that Brightpoint’s request “came suddenly" and the county had not researched that before the Dec. 16 meeting when the county first made the request.
County Board chair Elizabeth Johnston withdrew the motion, indicating the county can instead direct its funding request through the Justice Committee and County Board, rather than seeking sales tax dollars.
According to the Justice Committee's Jan. 7 agenda, it will consider a plan to direct $77,930 in reserves from court fees to support child custody visitation, along with its annual county allotment of $28,000.
The plan also would need County Board approval when it meets on Jan. 15.
That funding would cover about 18 months of operation, according to county documents. The circuit court plans to seek outside funding to continue the program through 2027 and beyond.
The county receives sales tax dollars from Bloomington and Normal for mental health services and public safety. It’s been a source of contention as Bloomington and Normal leaders have argued that funding balances have grown too high.
Montney also questioned when the county was only budgeting $28,000 from court fees when that fund has consistently exceeded that in recent years. “Historically, they have been,” Scanlon replied. “I can’t predict that for the coming fiscal year, nor can it be predicted for any fiscal year.”
Childcare services
Also Friday, the FAC also withdrew a request to approve funding for ongoing childcare services.
The panel instead plans to open up a competitive bidding process, similar to what the FAC did when it approved funding for Home Sweet Home Ministries to build its shelter village in Bloomington.
“I think it would build goodwill and trust if you got back into this transparent process from [mental health providers] perspective,” Montney said.
Stephanie Barisch, an FAC member from the Behavioral Health Coordinating Council, agreed some providers don’t feel like they are part of the process.
“Not that they weren’t good projects or important, but that they came to the body without a process in place generally,” Barisch said.
Johnston said the county will be better prepared to handle emerging needs as it sets up a process to review requests on a quarterly basis.
“This is one that I do hope we are learning from as we are solidifying what that procedure is. I would say that we are not solidified yet,” Johnston said. “As community needs change and evolve that we will have to be ready to adapt.
“It's hard to account for everything.”
The board was in agreement the funding fit the definition of an appropriate program to receive funding from the county’s sales tax fund, based on the intergovernmental agreement among the city, town and county.
Normal City Manager Pam Reece said the town does not believe it qualifies for funding through criminal justice services, but does fit under community behavioral health initiatives.
“Programs consistent with the McLean County Behavioral Health action plan seems to be the logical fit for this,” Reece said.
Marita Landreth, director of McLean County’s Behavioral Health Coordination, said going through the more formalized progress would delay funding until February at the earliest.
Scanlon said the county has enough funding, less than $4,000, to cover one additional month for childcare.
