Mental health budget disputed

BY COLBY FRAZIER
DAILY SOUND STAFF WRITER

Local mental health advocates yesterday called for a “complete halt” to a Santa Barbara County budget discussion scheduled for Monday, at which $8.4 million in cuts to adult mental health services will be considered.
Leaders of the group ALL 4 CMH, an association of nonprofits opposed to the cuts, said inaccurate information in the county’s budget book and failure on the county’s behalf to respond to inquires are behind the request.

“Right now, concerned citizens and taxpayers have no way of knowing the truth about the ADMHS (Department of Alcohol, Drug and Mental Health Services) budget and do not have accurate information upon which to base public comment at the budget hearing,” wrote Mike Foley, executive director of the Casa Esperanza homeless shelter in a letter to county officials. “We ask ADMHS and the County CEO to release a comprehensive and accurate draft of a budget that Santa Barbara taxpayers can read in advance.”
Behind the group’s request to postpone the meeting are a series of numbers in the county’s budget book that don’t appear to match the projected deficit of $8.4 million.
On the page that outlines the adult mental health budget, the difference between the 2007-2008 budget and the 2008-2009 budget is roughly $5.6 million, not $8.4 million.
The only place $8.4 million is mentioned is on a separate page on the county’s Web site. But when adding up the proposed cuts on that page, they total $8.6 million.
“They put out all of this data in the budget book and the public is being led to believe it’s accurate,” Foley said. “It’s not. They’ve admitted it’s not.”
Foley said the only clarification from the county he’s been able to receive in the past couple of days came from an ADMHS official, who admitted the numbers in the budget were incorrect.
But William Boyer, the county’s communications director, said the numbers on the page are accurate. He said the remaining $3 million in cuts are spread throughout other areas of the department, such as jail services.
When asked exactly whether the budget deficit is $5.6 million, as the budget book seems to indicate, or $8.4 million, Boyer said he had been assured by the county’s finance director it is the latter.
“What I can tell you is the deficit we’re dealing with is $8.4 million,” he said. “That one page and that one spread sheet [the nonprofits are referencing] does not reflect the total amount of money that the budget is for adult mental health services.”
Boyer also said the meeting will go on despite the request for postponement. He said canceling a meeting that had been legally noticed would violate state law.
“The Community Based Organizations (CBOs) are asking the county to violate state law and we’re not going to violate state law,” Boyer said. He added that once the meeting commences, the Board of Supervisors could shut the meeting down if they wish and reschedule for another day.
Foley said he purposely sent the letter to the county more than 72 hours in advance, which he believed was enough time to legally remove an item from the agenda.
“I think it’s clear Mr. Boyer is saying they’re not going to change the agenda and if they go on, we will show up in force and we will make our case,” he said.
The proposed cuts have been vehemently protested for months. The bulk of the cuts — more than $5 million — are expected to come from nonprofit contracts. Some say this level of cuts could effectively force some nonprofits to the brink of fiscal disaster while simultaneously purging as many as 800 mentally ill adults from the system.
With such high stakes, Foley said he’s curious to find out why the ADMHS Director Ann Detrick, or another departmental head, won’t be making a formal presentation before the board during the budget hearing.
This isn’t the first time ADMHS has been in a tight spot with funds. Just last year the board bailed the department out of a $6.9-million deficit. That effectively delayed any layoffs or cuts until now. Foley said the department’s multiple failed attempts to get a handle on the budget warrants a presentation from the department.
First District Supervisor Salud Carbajal, the board chair, said yesterday he hadn’t noticed the discrepancy in the budget book, if there is one at all, but plans to get to the bottom of any inaccuracy during the budget hearing.
“I too would be concerned and am concerned about an discrepancy and I’ll be looking for answers during our budget deliberation,” he said. “I assure [those concerned] that I will be asking that question in terms of what is the accurate deficit number.”
Carbajal also said he would consider Foley's and other nonprofit leaders' demands for a forensic audit of the department and the formation of a blue ribbon commission that would be charged with reorganizing the department.
But Carbajal said he doubts there is political support on the board to shore up the entire ADMHS deficit, whatever it may be.
“I wish we could, but I think the sentiment of the board is going to be that we already shored up a $6.9-million deficit last year and no changes have happened,” he said.
That no changes have happened within the department is a story of its own.
Last November, the board directed ADMHS officials to sit down with nonprofit leaders and other stakeholders to begin reorganizing the department. But the effort dissolved nearly before it began, with both sides placing blame on the other.
“It was a failure on everyone’s side,” Carbajal said. “The county maybe wasn’t as strategic in reaching that solution, [and] I think the CBOs have to take some of that responsibility.
“Today we’re still in square one where we were eight months ago. The hole keeps getting bigger.”
The ADMHS budget discussion is scheduled to take place at 2:45 p.m. on Monday at County Administration Building.