Muscatine County OKs shelter contract changes, approves mental-health advocate agreement as region ends

Muscatine County supervisors on Monday authorized the county’s community services director to execute a fiscal year 2025–26 contract with the Muscatine Center for Social Action (MCSA) for shelter services in an amount not to exceed $163,863 and approved a resolution to continue a mental-health advocate arrangement after the regional structure ends June 30.

The board’s action on both items came during a long discussion led by Community Services Director Jessica Bobst about changes to shelter payments and the state’s transition in how mental-health commitments and services are managed.

Bobst told the board the new MCSA contract would simplify payments to the shelter: the county will pay a $15 per-day rate for county residents and eliminate the previous tiered payment system and the county-funded case-management portion. The county will limit paid shelter days to 60 per lifetime for an individual county resident, down from the prior 90-day rolling calendar-year approach, with a director’s exemption for extraordinary events such as mass evacuations. Bobst said domestic-violence shelter stays would remain more lenient and that she did not propose applying a lifetime cap to domestic-violence placements.

“The proposal … is we pay $15 a day for 60 days for a lifetime,” Bobst said during the meeting.

Bobst described operational details the county and MCSA agreed to: applicants must return a shortened general-assistance application within five business days so county staff can verify residency, and residency for general assistance will remain a 30-day requirement under the county’s local rules. She said staff would verify residency using a driver’s license, utility bill or prior lease. She also said MCSA will perform initial verification for the domestic-violence shelter to limit exposure of sensitive information and that county auditors could review the shelter’s documentation if needed.

Board members pressed on practical effects: one supervisor asked how many shelter clients were non‑county residents; Bobst said roughly 10–15% of shelter entrants were from other counties. Another asked whether the change would reduce incentive payments that shelters pursue; Bobst said incentives were modest and the proposed contract should reduce administrative overhead for both the county and MCSA.

On the mental-health advocate item, Bobst recommended approval of Resolution 06232501 to continue a 28E agreement that preserves Greg Burnett in the role of mental‑health advocate after the current regional structure ends June 30. The board approved the resolution by roll call vote (Jeff: Aye; Danny: Aye; Scott: Aye; Kirk: Aye). Bobst said the county must retain an advocate under applicable code and that Greg Burnett has performed the role effectively.

Bobst and supervisors also discussed the broader transition in regional mental‑health services: starting July 1, some commitment billing will move to a new ASO/HHS billing system; a Disability Access Point (DAP) will handle front‑door intake across multiple counties; the certified community behavioral health clinic (CCBHC) run by Robert Young Center will go live in July; and 988 will be used for certain crisis referrals. Bobst said the county’s co-responder program will continue and that some functions will change hands as the region ends.

The board moved and seconded the MCSA contract authorization; a voice vote followed and the motion passed.

The measures are administrative and programmatic: the board did not appropriate new funding beyond the contract authorization, and Bobst said the proposed payment approach should cost less than current outlays within the budgeted amount for the coming year. She recommended revisiting budgeting next year as new housing programs and the county’s permanent-supported 21-unit project come online.

Supervisors gave the county director discretion to grant exceptions in unusual circumstances and asked staff to ensure shelter and domestic-violence placements remain accessible while reducing administrative burden.

The board also received updates about commitments transferring to Robert Young Center and about the DAP and ASO transitions, and Jessica Bobst told supervisors the county had no deficiencies in a recent Social Security audit.

The board’s action preserves the county’s immediate shelter capacity while changing verification and payment rules the county says will reduce administrative work and align payments with expected usage going forward.