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Winnebago-area counties press for state billing clarity as mental-health regions shift
Summary
County officials across several jurisdictions told the Winnebago County meeting they lack clear direction on who the state wants billed for mental-health advocate services as the regional structure dissolves; attorneys recommended billing the state where possible and to wait for formal guidance before finalizing intercounty 28E language.
Supervisors and county attorneys across the multi-county mental-health region told the Winnebago County Board on Tuesday they still lack firm state guidance on how to invoice for mental-health advocate services after regional responsibilities shift to state control.
Rachel Martinez, county attorney for Hancock County, urged the group to include language in intercounty agreements permitting the state to be billed directly where possible. "My recommendation would be it's kind of how it was before where things get billed to the state rather than sending a bill to each individual county," Martinez said, arguing that billing each county and waiting for reimbursement would cause duplicative work for county auditors.
Ray Hahn, also speaking for Hancock County, said the point of the state takeover of regional services is to make the state first-responsible for paying those obligations: "Ultimately, it puts the responsibility on the state. The state wants to take the mental health regions over...It puts first responsibility on the state to take care of the problem," he said.
Several supervisors said they had not yet received definitive instructions on where to send invoices for advocate services; the region is set to dissolve at the end of the month, and staff said the July 1 date creates urgency to have an approved 28E agreement or transitional process in place. County staff said Melissa Blore, the region CEO, had circulated an email indicating that, for now, invoices should be sent to the PCA (the state's Planning and Coordination Agency) and that there are dedicated state office hours for questions.
State official Russell (on the conference call) said he had no new, definitive answer for the group and recommended members contact Beth Manley, general counsel for the Iowa State Association of Counties (ISAC), for further detail. He also suggested that some counties with existing 28E arrangements (for example, Hardin County's multi-county agreement) could serve as models.
The board asked county attorneys and auditors to review the circulated guidance and to prepare a final draft or limited changes so that each county's chair could be authorized to execute the 28E agreement if the terms are acceptable. Supervisors scheduled follow-up coordination (a working meeting) for Monday to review the state guidance and the circulated email.
Why it matters: Counties must ensure continuity of legal and billing responsibility for mental-health advocates when administrative responsibility shifts to state-level managers; lack of billing clarity could create cash-flow burdens or duplicate administrative work for county treasurers and auditors.
What's next: Staff will circulate the state email and any guidance from ISAC; county chairs were asked to be prepared to execute finalized 28E language if it conforms to counsel and auditor recommendations.
