Supervisors make year's final cuts to Linn County mental health services

Linn County supervisors approved the final $1.38 million in cuts Monday morning t0 services for mental health and the developmentally disabled (MHDD), closing a $5.3 million gap.

Mechelle Dhondt, the county's director of MHDD services, said a Cedar Rapids drop-in center for people which chronic mental illness, now operated by non-profit Abbe Inc., will be taken over by another agency. Dhondt said her staff hopes to land grants to fund CABS, which provides taxi service for clients who need rides to work or services when buses aren't running.

"We've got a couple of leads," said Dhondt. "We're hoping we'll be able to fund it."

Operated by the Neighborhood Transportation Service, CABS arranges for taxis during off-hours when city transit and NTS itself isn't available. CABS clients pay a share of their fare.

The rest of the final cuts include $211,000 for Abbe administrative costs, $897,425 in county payments for people receiving residential care and other services, and the Mobile Crisis program operated by Foundation 2.

The cuts take effect at the end of the month, when the current fiscal year also ends.

The county will also face the need for MHDD cuts in the new fiscal year -- the latest estimate was $1.9 million, but that may change, according to Dhondt.