MAHONING COUNTY MRDD board approves 2004 operating budget

By WILLIAM K. ALCORN
VINDICATOR HEALTH WRITER
AUSTINTOWN -- The Mahoning County Board of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities passed a 2004 operating budget of $27.2 million, up from the 2003 budget of $23.7 million.
However, MRDD Superintendent Larry Duck said that when $2.6 million for major capital projects -- which will be paid for with carry-over funds -- and about $250,000 in flow-through grant funds are factored out, the actual 2004 operating budget is about $24.3 million.
Capital projects include about $2 million for renovation of a building on Javit Court, which will be used for day programming for adult clients; $185,000 for roof repairs at Leonard Kirtz School; and $125,000 for parking lot resurfacing and other work at the Meshel Mahoning Adults Services Corp. (MASCO) in Boardman, Duck said.
Major increases in the budget include negotiated employee pay raises, increases in the cost of health insurance and workers' compensation, and some inflation. Duck said about 70 percent of the budget represents personnel costs.
Also, Duck said, a contract with ISLE, a Youngstown agency that provides day programming for mentally retarded clients, rose from $110,340 for five months in 2003 to $420,000 for all of 2004.
Other one-year contracts, effective Jan. 1, 2004, approved by the board at its meeting Monday include:
U$17,000, Behavior Intervention Services of New Middletown, to develop behavior intervention plans.
U$4,000, Employee Assistance Consultants, Meridian Services.
U$200,000, Exceed Rehabilitation, Howland, to provide occupational and physical therapists.
U$12,000, Help Hotline, Youngstown, Guardianship Program for MRDD clients who don't have guardians.
U$281,000, MASCO, to pay client aide workers.
U$10,000, Rehab Services, Akron, to provide psychological services.