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Delaware County officials outline rising local costs for state-directed mental-health hospitalizations
Summary
County officials reported that Delaware County’s mental-health budget covered $327,557.78 in state-directed hospitalizations last year, including two residents currently hospitalized; the county expects further cases and says the shift of financial responsibility from the state is increasing local costs.
Delaware County officials told the Legislature that county taxpayers bore the full cost last year for multiple state-directed hospitalizations for county residents, including ongoing stays for two people.
A county staff member said the county paid $327,557.78 in total for what was described as “730 New York State hospitalizations,” with $49,244.74 attributed to the budget item presented at the meeting. “The county has spent on what we call the 7 30 New York State hospitalizations,” the staff member said. “And we've discussed it … the state did several years ago of putting the tax burden on 100% on the residents of the county versus splitting it 50–50.”
The staff member said the county’s mental-health budget also covered housing costs tied to those hospitalizations and that two Delaware County residents remain in institutions. One resident’s hospitalization totaled 72 days and the other 174 days; the staff member said another hospitalization is expected to be added to the list. The official said the county has limited control over placement or transfers. “Our mental health, DCS has no, no say in whatsoever. It's all court-directed,” the staff member said.
Legislators and staff discussed uncertainty about length of stay and the county’s continuing fiscal responsibility while a person is being evaluated or prepared for trial. In the meeting exchange, one member noted there is no fixed maximum length for these stays. “There’s not really a limit to how many days they can spend in there,” a legislator said. The staff member added that, in some cases, if a person is incarcerated in a state facility the local burden could shift.
Meeting remarks also noted a much higher daily rate for juveniles in comparable facilities, with an approximate figure of $3,300 per day cited for a child in a state facility.
Why it matters: county officials said the state policy shift that made counties fully responsible for these costs has created an ongoing and hard-to-predict budget pressure for Delaware County’s mental-health program. Officials flagged the issue to the Legislature while seeking routine budget amendments earlier in the meeting.
No formal vote was recorded on policy changes during the discussion; the remarks were presented as budget context and an informational update to the Legislature.
