Supervisors Fear Incarcerated Psychiatric Hospital Bills Will Continue To Rise

DELHI - Delaware County Supervisors moved roughly $40,300 from contingency funds to pay psychiatric hospital fees for incarcerated individuals. Walton Supervisor Joe Cetta, chair of the Mental Health Committee, said costs were accrued for two individuals for January.

The county is responsible for ensuring inmates deemed unfit to participate in trial receive psychiatric care until they are mentally prepared and can understand trial proceedings. Detainees are court-ordered to participate in mental health care, a service which the State once paid 50% of but has since pulled funding from.

Delaware County Behavioral Health Department is not updated on detainee status. There is no way of knowing when an inmate will be released from the program, explained Cetta. "It's obvious since we are only in March and already spent X amount that we are probably going to have to take more from contingency," he said. "It's just so expensive."

The county budgeted $50,000 for the program for 2025. Budget Director and Colchester Supervisor Art Merrill said since it is difficult to determine how many individuals, if any, will participate annually the budget was kept small. "This is one of those budgetary considerations where it's such an unknown amount we would rather pull from contingency than pad the budget with money we might not need," said Merrill. 

"It's a little scary though because of the increases in mental health issues there's a good chance this will become a bigger part of our budget in the future," Rebecca Walley, Deposit supervisor. 

Cetta and Merrill agreed with Walley.

In other business

The county was awarded a general elections grant of $20,490.27 from the State to reimburse costs generated from the 2024 election. A second grant of $26,956.87 for early voting and absentee ballots, postage, envelopes, and other supplies needed. 

Supervisors agreed to be lead agency for the replacement of the bridge over Spring Brook on County Route 7 in Colchester. The deteriorating bridge will be designed and constructed by use of State and Federal funding. 

Several annual bid awards were approved for the Department of Public Works for construction equipment rentals, hot mix asphalt, stone and gravel, gravel processing, transportation of materials, steel materials, cement, lubricating oils, and welding gas. 

Supervisors entered a lengthy closed session for attorney-client privilege. Planning and Watershed Affairs Director Shelly Johnson-Bennett was asked to join.

The next regular Board of Supervisors meeting is scheduled Wednesday, March 26 at 1 p.m.