Mental Health America withdraws county funding request

Apr. 4—A request for county income tax funds to support Mental Health America of West Central Indiana Inc.'s effort to build a diversion center and housing project has been withdrawn.

Last month, the Vigo County Council tabled a request for $750,000 to help fill a $1 million funding gap on a $14.7 million project to construct a community-based justice diversion center and build a low-income 42-unit housing project named Mullen Flats.

At issue was the use of the income tax money, which is aimed at funding public safety in the county.

The final $250,000 of the $1 million funding gap was slated to come from the Terre Haute City Council. The City Council also tabled action on funding last month.

On Tuesday, the County Council was to discuss a revised appropriation, which reduced the original request from the county down to $500,000.

However, Myra Wilkey, executive director of Mental Health America, told the County Council she wished to withdraw that request.

"The city, the [Terre Haute] Department of Redevelopment, has provided home funds to cover the apartments, the shortage," Wilkey said. "So there is $500,000 in a ... [federally assisted] fund that we have used on our other projects," she said.

"So those [funds] will cover the deficit [for Mullen Flats] and at this time ... we would like to withdraw" the request before the county. "We may be back in August or something," Wilkey said.

Councilwoman Marie Theisz questioned Wilkey if Mental Health America would return to the County Council yet this year for funding for the diversion center.

"We may," Wilkey said. "There is other funding available. We are going to build out the white box [of the apartment building] and we can do that with tax credits, so that space [that was to house a diversion center] will [still] be available there. What we do with it is yet to be determined."

After the meeting, Wilkey clarified that the money planned for the apartments are federal Housing and Urban Development funds directed to the city for low-income housing.

The Terre Haute Redevelopment Commission has scheduled a special meeting Wednesday at 4 p.m. to discuss an amendment to a purchase agreement for the proposed Mental Health America project. That purchase agreement is slated to expire April 7.

Mullen Flats is to be built on land at 2750 Elm St. on land to be purchased from the city; it is west of Mental Health America's Liberty Village. It is to be a 44,000-square-foot, three-story project that was initially slated to house a 5,500-square-foot justice diversion center on the ground floor.

The project includes 42 one-bedroom, low-income supportive housing units on the top two floors.

Trail at Wabashiki

The Vigo County Health Department told the council it seeks to use COVID-19 vaccination funds to reimburse the Vigo County Parks Department $137,189 to match a state grant for a new trail in the Wabashiki Fish & Wildlife Area.

The funding comes from disbursement payments from the Indiana Department of Health from fees billed to insurance companies, Medicare, Medicaid and the Health Resources and Services Administration for eligible claims.

Vigo County Health Administrator Joni Wise said the federal funds can be used for the trails, noting confirmation from Indiana State Health Commissioner Dr. Kristian Box.

"Trails can measurably improve a community's quality of life by providing opportunities for social connection and safe places for recreational activities," Wise said in a letter to the council.

On Tuesday, Wise told the council the health department has used the COVID-19 funds to purchase two trucks and a car for the health department and used $300,000 to provide every fire district in the county an automated CPR device.

Wise said the health department will get another distribution, which covers Jan. 1, 2022 to March 2, 20233, that will be $213,781.

Wise said the $137,189 to the park board would come from that disbursement.

Adam Grossman said the Vigo County Parks and Recreation Department received a Recreational Trail Program grant in 2019. That project was bid out in July, with the lowest bid coming back at $261,319. The parks department has $124,130 in the grant to pay expenses, leaving $137,189 needed.

The project will add 0.6 mile of 10-foot wide paved trail around a trailhead/pedestrian connector at the wildlife area that extends to a butterfly garden. It also adds asphalt parking with 10 parking spaces, plus two handicapped parking spaces. Grossman said he hopes to have the project completed this summer.

Compensation plan

Council President R. Todd Thacker said 18 department heads will be meet Wednesday and Thursday with Baker Tilly, a consultant working on a new county employee compensation plan.

If there are any changes to the plan, recommendations will be made to the Council by Baker Tilley, Thacker said. Once a final plan is reached, Thacker said it would be up to the Council to determine if the fiscal body funds all or a portion of the compensation plan. The goal is to have the plan completed prior to the Council's budget meetings that form the county's 2024 budget.

Due to the compensation study, several funding requests from the Vigo County Prosecutor's Officer were withdrawn.

Vigo Prosecutor Terry Modesitt, in an April 4 letter to the council, said he intends to provide updated information to Baker Tilly. "We have learned that the current salary study is based upon deputy prosecutor salary data from March, 2022. Since that time, the state of Indiana and many other Indiana counties have dramatically increased attorney salaries in the public sector," Modesitt said in the letter.

"We also understand it will take time for [Baker Tilly] to review the information and provide guidance to the County Council," Modesitt said in the letter.

Tim Cunningham, Vigo County veterans service officer, also withdrew a request seeking $273,930 for two part-time workers and one full-time veterans service officer pending the completion of the Baker Tilly compensation study.

Tuesday's meeting was the Council's "sunshine meeting," with the council slated to vote on funding decisions at its April 11 meeting. That will be at Terre Haute City Hall because the Vigo County Annex is being used as an early vote center for the primary election.

Howard Greninger can be reached at 812-231-4204 or howard.greninger@tribstar.com. Follow on Twitter @TribStarHoward.