Clay County Board of Commissioners
Dan Haglund
Along with the new Clay County Withdrawal Management and Detox facility next year will be a need for additional staffing, according to the Clay County Public Health administrator.
And with additional staffing comes additional salaries requested.
Kathy McKay presented the Public Health preliminary budget requests to the Clay County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday in Moorhead.
“We have at least two grants that we anticipate that will be an increase,” McKay said. “But the state does not have it ready to provide what the percentage will be for an increase. We can’t predict that on our budget. We will not know potentially until September.”
McKay said the Minnesota Department of Health is not hedging on a number for the two expected grants, so budgeting for them and their amounts can’t be done yet.
McKay also stated that with additional personnel, there are more billable hours of production.
“The more staff we have, the more revenue we can produce,” McKay said. “Because it’s based on the number of clients we’re seeing.”
Under county allocation, McKay gave the department revenue numbers of $1.544 million for this year and $1.698 million for 2024.
Commissioner Kevin Campbell, Dist. 4, asked if McKay had yet incorporated additional salaries and expenses related to the new detox center next year, and she said yes, that’s been addressed within it.
“When you see the payroll expenses being up, that’s mostly accounted to (detox center), right?” Campbell asked. McKay said yes.
Clay County Public Health finance director Carmen Barth added that the increased revenue will be generated from the increased number of clients, mainly through the detox center slated for a fall 2024 opening. The detox center will, in essence, double the number of detox beds in the county.
The board also heard two budget requests from the Lakes & Prairies Community Action group (CAPLP) for new employee positions of senior coordinator ($56,134) and a rural route transportation program.
This senior coordinator, which has been approved for funding in the past by the board, works with older adults one-on-one with various but important clerical tasks for basic needs. This position would also administer the community food box program, and organizes the distribution of 150-160 food boxes per month through volunteer drivers.
The second CAPLP request is for a rural routes transportation program for older adults ($54,075). Most rural seniors are paying about $10 per ride for this service at present. Last year, this program was funded through the American Rescue Plan (ARPA), which has since been depleted.
Campbell said he ran the numbers based on ridership and annual cost of the program, and said it breaks down to only about 204 rides per year, which would mean each ride costs the county about $265. “It’s just a really, really expensive deal,” he said.
Commissioner Jenny Mongeau, Dist. 1, suggested a future meeting with those who run the program to get a better understanding of exactly what the rural riders are facing.