More budget requests on table for supervisors

Plains Area Mental Health Center and Plymouth County emergency management officials requested increased budgets for 2009-10 Tuesday.

Patrick Schmitz, Plains Area Mental Health Center's executive director, presented a 4.8 percent increase to the center's budget. The increase comes from an increase in services offered to county clientele.

"The total cost of services that we estimate for the Le Mars office in Plymouth County site for Plains Area Mental Health is $977,315," Schmitz said. "It's an increase over last year's."

This year's total request from Plains Area is $195,980.

Last year $971,289 was spent on client services.

"That is just based on a potential number of clients that may come in that we may see that year," Schmitz said. "That is not a hard number in terms of a block grant."

He emphasized the expected potential is not a firm estimate, but a starting point from which to budget for next year.

"We may come in less depending on the people that qualify for that service," Schmitz said.

He thanked the supervisors for their continued support of Plain Area Mental Health.

"It's very important to your citizens. They definitely benefit by having access to mental health services," Schmitz said. "We'll see how this next year develops with the economy. It's tough."

In addition to hearing Schmitz's proposals, the supervisors also heard a budget request from Gary Junge, Plymouth County emergency management director.

"There are a couple of little changes," Junge said. "The budget hasn't changed a lot."

The emergency management department is requesting a 1.6 percent or $1,381 increase for the upcoming year.

Most of that amount is due to salaries, rising postage costs, increasing proposed water and sewer costs as presented by the City of Le Mars recently, Junge said.

"It's been increasing pretty close to this 1.6 percent the last two years also," he said. "We are asking for $1,000 more from the county. We don't want to get negative."