CSTS Budget Approved by County Board

A net gain of 1.7 full-time-equivalent (FTE) positions is part of a proposed 2012-2013 budget for Washtenaw County’s community support & treatment services (CSTS) department. County commissioners approved the CSTS budget at their Sept. 19, 2012 meeting.

The CSTS budget runs from Oct. 1 through Sept. 30, in sync with the state’s fiscal year. The county operates on a calendar year cycle.

The proposed $29,607,596 budget – an increase from the $26,838,557 budget approved for the current fiscal year – calls for eliminating 1 FTE as a result of reclassifying the job, and creating 2.7 new FTE positions. (Last year’s budget had a net loss of five FTEs, and an additional 19 FTE positions were reclassified.)

Though CSTS is a county department employing about 300 people, it receives 91.2% of its funding from the Washtenaw Community Health Organization, a partnership between the county and the University of Michigan Health System. The county provides another 1.2% of CSTS funding for services at the jail. The remaining revenue is generated by fee-for-service billing, according to a staff memo.

The WCHO is an entity that receives state and federal funding to provide services for people with serious mental illness, developmental disabilities and substance abuse disorders. At this point, WCHO “leases” its employees from the county, and contracts for services through CSTS.

This brief was filed from the boardroom of the county administration building, 220 N. Main St. in Ann Arbor. A more detailed report will follow: [link]