Local providers ask Crawford County to convene work group to clarify mill levy funds for intellectual and developmental disability services

Representatives from several local providers and operators urged the Crawford County Commission to assemble a work group to clarify how county mill levy funds intended for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) should be allocated and accounted for.

Bob Davis, identified in the meeting as president/CEO of one provider, said the provider’s service population does not fully overlap with Special Olympics participants and warned that a transfer of mill levy funding exclusively to Special Olympics would leave part of the served population without services. "The numbers that we do serve, not 100% of those people participate in Special Olympics," Davis said, and proposed forming a work group "to come to an equitable solution to present to the commission." He offered to provide unduplicated client counts and an economic-impact summary for Crawford County.

Sherry Courtney, introduced as president and CEO of a disability services organization, said existing spreadsheets may double-count clients across service categories and noted there is no separate column for self-directed-care clients. "I think that's something that we could do on the work group as well," Courtney said, recommending coordination with Amy DeMoss (the county’s data/CCD0 contact mentioned in the meeting) to reconcile counts.

Rosie West, director of New Hope Services in Pittsburg, said New Hope’s unduplicated client count in Crawford County is 103 and that roughly 40–45 clients participate in Special Olympics. West described capital and programmatic uses mill levy funds have supported locally — including a sensory ("snoezelen") room, gym equipment, recreation areas, shaded outdoor spaces, a bocce court and other adaptive equipment — and said the funds were used for activities not reimbursable by Medicaid.

Travis McBride, regional vice president with Medical Lodges (which owns New Hope Services), said Medical Lodges and other providers have been cautious about spending because the appropriate uses have not been clearly defined. He said providers used mill levy funds on "innovative services" and program facilities but found accounting and distribution methodologies unclear. He said local donors for athlete programs have declined and that mill levy funds are a remaining major local charitable source for these activities.

Scott Hines, president and CEO of Medical Lodges, said the county previously requested that mill levy dollars remain with Crawford County recipients and that the expectation was that funds be used within the county.

Providers requested the commission: convene a work group including providers and county staff, clarify whether mill levy funds must be used only for residents of Crawford County, specify appropriate allowable uses (for example: Special Olympics participation costs, home modifications, transportation, program innovation), and define reporting and accounting requirements. Several providers offered to serve on the work group and to furnish client counts, itemized spending records and proposals.

Commissioners agreed to facilitate follow-up discussions; one commissioner volunteered to serve as the county contact for the group and providers were given the go-ahead to coordinate meetings through that contact. No formal policy change or new appropriation was made at the meeting.