Mr. Lane updated the Board on the situation with the State’s FY-05
budget. Little has changed from what was known last month. There were some
modest increases on the DD side. On the MI side, the FY-04 cost of doing
business adjustment was annualized. This means last years adjusted funding
becomes the base for FY-05. However, there was no new CODB for the coming
year. This means a net loss in purchasing power due to the effects of
inflation.
There were some cuts in domestic violence and senior services funding.
Additional cuts could occur later in the year since the state budget is
balance only because of some highly questionable assumptions about future
revenue and expenses.
Mr. Lane announced that the annual plan was undergoing its third revision
due to changing events and his decision to retire. He hopes to have the plan
finished by the end of the month and will mail or distribute at the
September meeting.
A meeting was held recently at the Kane County Judicial Center in which
the Kane County Protocols were discussed. The protocols were developed to
aid all community entities that deal with persons who are mentally ill. This
included mental health providers, law enforcement, the judiciary, advocacy
groups, hospitals, schools, etc. Its intent was to provide for a uniform and
consistent process for dealing with difficult situations involving persons
with mental illness. Recent events had pin pointed some gaps in the protocol
or its implementation that the stakeholders were meeting to address.
NAMI invited Mr. Lane to attend since the CMHB has expressed an interest
in implementing similar protocols in DeKalb County. The main problem in the
current protocols seemed to be at what point law enforcement involves mental
health providers in a potentially dangerous situation.
As part of the program, a speaker from the statewide law enforcement
training consortium spoke on establishment of law enforcement crisis teams.
There is limited funding to provide training to officers in selected
jurisdictions. The training is based on a successful model used nationwide.
Departments using this approach have not only been better able to resolve
confrontations with mentally unstable individuals but have also seen a
significant decline in officer injuries involved in such confrontations.
Mr. Lane distributed copies of the program summary and indicated he would
bring this program to the attention of the Sycamore Police Chief who
currently chairs the county Police Chiefs’ Association. Mr. Lane will keep
the Board informed about Kane County’s progress in refining the protocols
and hopes the board will continue to pursue this in DeKalb County. It could
be a good fit with current efforts to develop a drug / mental health court
locally.
Mr. Gilbert moved to adjourn. Seconded by Mrs. Fullerton. All in favor.
The meeting was adjourned at 9:00 p.m.
