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Board of Optometry shifts to contracted management, plans database upgrade and cost savings
Summary
The Mississippi Board of Optometry reported it consolidated management functions under a contract with JBAR (a consulting group), moved into leased office space, reduced staffing costs by outsourcing management, and proposed a $60,000 to $150,000 plan to implement a back-end licensing database or join the ITS large system.
The Board of Optometry told the Appropriations Subcommittee it has reconstituted its management and operations and is seeking funding shifts to support a new, leased office, a contracted management arrangement and an upgrade to its licensing database.
Denise (last name given in testimony as the Cornerstone representative) and board representatives said the Board has a largely new membership and transitioned away from using a former director’s home as office space; the board hired JBAR (referred to in testimony as JVAR/JBAR) Consulting on an interim contracted basis and plans to continue that contract as the board’s executive management to save an estimated approximately $50,000 annually versus hiring direct employees because of fringe benefit costs.
The board reported it lacks a back-end licensing system; licensing renewals are handled online for payments only while the agency maintains much of its licensee data in manual spreadsheets or document files. Testimony said two main options exist: the state ITS large licensing system (estimated at a higher price) or a smaller implementation estimated at about $60,000 to get the board’s needs in place now, with a possible $150,000 cost for the state’s larger platform if adopted later. The board proposed budgeting $60,000 in FY26 to implement a workable system of modifications and initial setup and said fee increases recently approved by the board will help stabilize operations.
Board members also asked for authority to continue limited travel funding for training and for a modest salary/per-diem budgeting that covers board member per diems and potential DFA insurance charges. The board expects fee increases to produce roughly $40,000 additional revenue and said it still maintains a reserve of about $400,000.
Committee members asked about the timeline and recurring costs; board representatives said they are still developing specifications and would return with detailed procurement costs. No appropriation decision was made at the hearing.
