Budget board presses for clear financial plan for behavioral health center and new jail

The Oklahoma County Budget Board and county commissioners spent the bulk of the meeting pressing for a clear, shared financial plan for a proposed behavioral health center and the county’s new jail project.

Board members asked commissioners and staff to provide concrete cost and revenue estimates, timelines and identified responsible parties for day-to-day operations, noting the county must avoid opening new facilities without funding in place.

The item drew sustained discussion about who would operate the behavioral health center, how the county might bill Medicaid and Medicare for services, and how the county will pay routine operating costs for both the new jail and the existing facility while both remain in service.

“I thought that it would be good for us to continue the discussion about the funding of the behavioral health center,” said Marissa Treat, during the board’s item on funding adequacy. Treat asked who will manage the program and whether funds could be used for the new behavioral health center. A staff member reported grant and contract…