Commissioners earmark remaining behavioral-health tax funds for jail medical costs through 2027

Kathy Funk Baxter, finance director, told the Board of County Commissioners the county expects about $2,700,000 in residual proceeds from a behavioral‑mental health sales tax that has since sunset. "we're projecting that at the 2025, we will have about $2,700,000 left residual from the that tax," she said, and that amount "is not sufficient to continue a full year of funding for all of the…previous departments that had been funded from this tax." The finance director recommended earmarking the remaining funds to supplement the jail’s medical contract and related jail behavioral‑health services for 2026 and 2027 so the county can fully expend the residual funds within that period. "If we were to expend the funds [on] the jail for those purposes, we will completely exhaust these funds at the 2027," Baxter said. The jail’s medical contract alone is described in the meeting as being “well over $2,000,000,” and Baxter said the residual funds would only cover part of that contract and associated items…