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Gallatin County moves to negotiate contract for court mental‑health evaluations after costly trial appearances
Summary
Facing rising costs when mental‑health professionals must appear in guardianship jury trials, the fiscal court authorized staff to negotiate a service contract setting evaluation standards and fee limits (discussion centered on a $300–$400 evaluation benchmark and exposure for costly in‑person testimony).
Gallatin County’s fiscal court authorized staff to negotiate a service contract with medical and mental‑health professionals to provide court‑ordered evaluations for guardianship and conservatorship proceedings.
County legal staff said the county currently lacks a consistent contract with evaluators, leaving courts exposed when clinicians must attend jury trials and charge high appearance fees. Staff said they have recently faced a situation where an evaluator demanded roughly $1,000 to appear for a short courtroom appearance, and that two consultants were expected for a pending hearing.
The proposed contract would specify the evaluation standards the county needs for guardianship cases, set out the statutory references that govern those proceedings and establish fee schedules, with candidates for a ceiling in the $300–$400 range for standard evaluations. County officials said they would negotiate terms and seek clinicians willing to accept a stated fee cap; court members approved a motion authorizing staff to negotiate the contract and return with final terms.
Magistrates emphasized the need to limit exposure for expensive in‑court appearances while ensuring evaluations meet statutory requirements; staff said most evaluations are performed in the clinician’s office and the fee cap would include occasional court appearances when required.
