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Saratoga County committee approves $1.19M budget amendment for court-ordered mental‑health placements
Summary
The county law-and-finance committee amended the 2026 budget to provide $1,191,936 to cover three court-ordered placements at New York state mental-health facilities, citing a 2021 state law change that shifted these costs to counties.
The Saratoga County Law & Finance Committee on Wednesday approved a $1,191,936 amendment to the 2026 county budget to cover expenses for three additional court-ordered placements at New York state mental-health facilities. County staff said the placements result from a state law change in 2021 that made these hospitalizations an "unfunded state mandate" for counties.
"This unfunded state mandate ... falls entirely on the county," said Steve, a county staff member presenting the item. Staff told the committee the placements cost roughly $1,200 to $1,500 per day for adults and about $3,400 per day for juveniles. The requested appropriation will increase expenses and reduce the county fund balance by $1,191,936.
Chair and committee members questioned whether the cost had been anticipated in the budget. Chair asked, "So on the patient services... for about $1,200,000, do you know what that line was budgeted at in our budget?" Steve replied, "I think it was about $550,000 this year, because we already had a couple placements in there. So that is ongoing. This is in addition to that."
The health-and-human-services slate also included acceptance of additional state aid for addiction services: $50,000 for a Healing Springs gambling-recovery peer engagement program (expected to annualize to $100,000 in 2027) and $51,309 to supplement peer-advocate costs, plus a $70,640 Community Optional Preventive Services grant to offset part of the county's contract with Together for Youth.
Supervisor Anderson moved to approve the health-and-human-services items; Supervisor Tolleson seconded. The committee approved the measures by voice vote.
The committee did not provide a detailed roll-call tally in the public record; the motion was approved by voice vote. The items are effective as amended in the 2026 county budget.
