The St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners has put its stamp of approval on an agreement regarding funding for Community Mental Health (CMH) Services of St. Joseph County.

As outlined in a letter from County Administrator Judy West-Wing endorsed by commissioners on Tuesday (September 2nd), the agreement includes the following key points:

• The Board of Commissioners will appropriate $64,286 to St. Joseph County CMH prior to the end of their fiscal year which is September 30, 2008
• The Board of Commissioners will increase the annual CMH appropriation to $257,268 effective with this county’s fiscal year which begins on January 1, 2009 with the understanding that this amount shall remain the same for perpetuity
• The Board of Commissioners agree, beginning with their fiscal year 2010, to appropriate an additional $90,000 each year for five years – 2010 through 2014 – for a total of $450,000, a sum that is the total of the appropriation reduction of $64,286 annually from 2001 through 2007.

West-Wing’s letter was directed to Mark Kielhorn of the Bureau of Community Mental Health Services in Lansing.