Plumas County behavioral health presents MHSA annual update; staff flag vacancies, funding recognition and program reversion risks

Plumas County Behavioral Health staff presented the annual update for the Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) and walked the board through departmental revenues, expenditures and several requested budget adjustments.

Christie Pearson, MHSA coordinator, and Lisa Beck, newly assigned administrative services officer, said total departmental revenues for FY 2025–26 are approximately $15 million with expenditures near $16 million; the department plans to use fund balance to cover the gap. Staff reported service delivery and Medi‑Cal billing have fallen because of therapist vacancies following the Dixie Fire, and recommended using part of available fund balance for retention incentives and to cover high‑level care placements.

Behavioral Health asked to recognize a $250,000 state allocation for the state’s Care Court program that had been sitting in the auditor’s trust since 2022; the auditor and staff discussed accounting steps needed to move the deposit into the departmental revenue account and whether the revenue should be recognized in FY 23‑24 or 25‑26. Staff also described MHSA program categories (early intervention, innovation, workforce) and noted innovation funds are difficult to spend down because they must be for novel programs; staff projected a likely $109,000 reversion for legacy innovation funds that have been underspent.

Supervisors asked for clarifications on fund recognition, necessary journal entries to move trust balances into departmental accounts, and whether program closures (two small MHSA subaccounts) are appropriate. The board approved the MHSA annual update and directed auditor and Behavioral Health staff to coordinate budget transfers and return any required supplemental budget adjustments for inclusion in the Sept. 30 resolution.

No substantive policy changes were adopted at the meeting beyond approval to submit the annual update to the state as required.