Harvey‑Marion CDDO asks Marion County for $75,000 to support local disability services

Kevin Gad, executive director of the Harvey‑Marion County Community Developmental Disabilities Organization, told Marion County commissioners the office serves as a single point of entry into services for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and asked the county to continue funding local access and oversight.

Gad said the service area includes 356 individuals, of whom 78 are Marion County residents, and that about 159 people across Harvey and Marion counties were on a waiting list; he described target case management, respite services for four children through a local respite program, day and residential services, and program supports such as Project SEARCH. "We respectfully request your ongoing investment in your local disability service system for local access to services and local accountability for outcomes. We're asking for a total request of $75,000 for fiscal year 2027," Gad said.

Commissioners asked clarifying questions about who receives targeted case management when Medicaid eligibility does not apply; Gad said county mill funds helped one adult with personal care services and that four people received targeted case management through county support because they were not eligible for Medicaid. Commissioners noted that the county usually considers outside-agency funding as part of the formal annual budget process and that approval of external requests typically occurs during that process, not at the presentation.

No formal county appropriation for the requested $75,000 was made at the meeting; staff and commissioners agreed to carry the request into the budget process for formal consideration.

Next steps: the presentation will be included in budget deliberations, with any formal appropriation to be acted on during the FY2027 budget cycle.