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Show Mental health Seeking More Money By TOM BUSSELBERG BOUNTIFUL County legislators will be nudged by mental health advisory board members to lend their support to proposed funding change legislation. BOARD MEMBERS received re-ceived materials for distribution distribu-tion during their regular meeting meet-ing Thursday held at the Red Flame Restaurant in Bountiful. Bounti-ful. Funding irregularities between be-tween Davis and other mental health districts have been noted by Davis officials for quite some time and now the potential exists to equalize that funding. To equalize, Davis County would have to see a $1.21 increase in-crease in per capita funding to meet the state average. Currently, Cur-rently, with a population just 2,000 under the combined Weber-Morgan district, Davis is set to receive $56,446 in Division Divi-sion of Drug and Alcohol state monies vs. $351,433 for Weber-Morgan, a specially prepared pre-pared chart said. TOTAL FUNDING for fiscal 1980 was drafted at $84,571 for Davis vs. $654,595 for Weber-Morgan. Weber-Morgan. "Last year the Department (of Health) said there was no problem but the audit showed there was. Now they're saying there is a problem but they can't do anything about it," Mental Health Director Russell Rus-sell Williams said. "WE'LL HAVE to be very active with the Legislature to see if w e can't get some resolution." resolu-tion." And incoming Board Chairman Chair-man Richard M. Youngberg proposed a tradeoff. "We should support the public intoxication in-toxication act as long as they (state officials) support equalization. equali-zation. If not w e should hold it ir. ransom. Other cities have agreed." THE PROPOSED tax w ould increase beer taxes, expected to generate enough funds that equalization would be possible, possi-ble, he said. Gov. Matheson urged up-page up-page in beer tax to bring it in line w ith other alcoholic beverages, bever-ages, Mr. Youngberg added. BIT BEER interests could charge discrimination if only those taxes were increased, he was told, with Dr. Williams noting, "Our position was to raise taxes on all spirits, not just beer. "The governor wanted it on beer only. The legislators writes the law. I'm sure they'll be some hacking and chopping (over present proposals)." THROUGH proposed equalization, Davis would receive re-ceive $303,595, or about $2.08 per capita, putting it in line with most other districts. The level would be higher only in Weber-Morgan and Salt Lake-Tooele, Lake-Tooele, at $2.85 and $2.59. Under the proposed equalization, equali-zation, local mental health authorities au-thorities would have to match ten percent of the state funding portion, as Davis County is currently doing. Allocations for "comprehensive mental health" w ould be on a per capita capi-ta basis with the population figure fi-gure annually adjusted. THE PROPOSED public intoxication in-toxication treatment act would enact treatment programs over placing those charged with intoxication in-toxication in jail. The Division of Alcoholism and Drugs would "develop, promote, establish and operate oper-ate comprehensive and coordinated coor-dinated programs for the prevention pre-vention of alcohol abuse and for the treatment of alcoholics and intoxicated persons shall, through the passage of this act. begin to expand such services to the public intoxicant." THAT WOULD include "Native Americans" or Indians Indi-ans "in urban settings." A $2.20 a barrel increase on beer would be assessed with estimated cost to implement the act set at $1.1 million the first year and $400,000 to extend ex-tend services to urban Indians and provide an alcohol prevention preven-tion demonstration program. It woul take affect July I. |
