Tompkins County board begins 2027 local services plan review, seeks short work group

Tompkins County's community services board opened a review of the county's local services plan for the 2024—2027 cycle and called for volunteers to join a short work group to complete the formal review due June 30.

Harmony, a board member leading the update, summarized the board's statutory responsibilities under New York Mental Hygiene Law, Article 41, noting that the local governmental unit must submit a local services plan each year to secure state aid and to oversee contracts tied to state behavioral‑health funding. "That is why you exist," Harmony said, describing the plan as the board's central instrument for aligning county services and measuring outcomes.

Board members heard that the current plan operates on a four‑year cycle (2024—2027) with an annual written review, and that preparatory work for the next cycle (2028—2031) will begin after the 2027 review. The board discussed recent state changes that affect the plan process: the consolidation of OMH, OASAS and OPWDD plan sections into a single LSP; OMH's 2024 guidance clarifying how providers may share information for care coordination without violating HIPAA; and a new county‑level submission requirement for jail‑based addiction services financial plans, which must be submitted at the same time as the LSP.

Members emphasized measurable outcomes for the plan's goal areas — workforce, housing, crisis services, cross‑system services, nonclinical supports, adverse childhood experiences and transition‑age youth services — and asked staff to clarify which objectives remain to be completed for 2026 and which should be carried into 2027. Harmony asked anyone willing to join a short working group to help finalize the June 30 review; the board expects to receive the review at its July 6 meeting for a vote.

There were no formal policy votes during the meeting. A motion to adjourn was made and the meeting was closed by consensus.