Lexington County cancels local funding for mental health care

May 25--Lexington County is ending its longtime donation for local mental health care so it can hire more paramedics.

State aid cuts are forcing council members to eliminate what they're calling extras -- things the county does that go above and beyond what the state requires counties to do.

In Lexington County, that includes assistance for those with mental health challenges, some County Council members said.

"It's a nice thing to do, but we can't do it any more," Councilman Jim Kinard of Swansea said. "We need to take care of necessities."

A spending plan for the year starting July 1 shifts the $650,000 that would have gone to mental health toward hiring 10 paramedics to handle increasing calls for emergency medical care. Those calls are expected to total nearly 40,000 in the year ending June 30, an increase of 3,200 over the previous year.

The state Legislature has cut nearly $20 million in money going to the county during the past six years. Lawmakers also installed a state cap restricting county tax hikes that make it impossible to make up for the cuts. In about seven years, Lexington County has received $15 million less in allocations from the Legislature than required under state law.

The cutoff of local assistance for services at state-run mental health centers in the county -- which began in 1980 -- will be effective in mid-2016.

The move comes after council members turned over $293,000 remaining from a property tax formerly earmarked for that use.

Continuing the voluntary aid for mental health is unaffordable as cuts in state aid mount, council members said.

"That's the dilemma we find ourselves in," Councilman Todd Cullum of Cayce said. "It's not that we don't want to help."

State mental health officials are surprised by the loss even though some council members warned for months that it could happen. It's too soon to say how the cut will affect services, said Rick Acton, who oversees state-provided mental health care in the 758-square-mile county.

The county aid was used to provide emergency care for persons brought in by law enforcement officers typically called to intervene in domestic disputes, officials said.

Canceling the mental health aid next year is "pulling the rug out from under them very quickly" but is necessary, Councilwoman Debbie Summers of Springdale said.

The decision to end aid for local mental health care is a no-win situation, some county leaders said.

Ending support for it "is not a decision anyone will be happy with," Council Chairman Johnny Jeffcoat of Irmo said.

Lexington not alone with budget woes

Richland County can no longer afford to dip into its savings to help pay its bills -- and that likely will mean a $1 million cut in county spending.

The effects of half a decade of cuts in state aid are hitting Richland County hard as County Council prepares to approve a $152.8 million budget for the year that begins July 1. In about seven years, Richland County has received $23 million less in state aid from the Legislature than is required by state law.

Transfers from savings have helped cover what the state hasn't provided since the start of the recession, but that's not an option this year, county leaders say.

The recommended budget does not include plans to raise property taxes to pay for most county services, although increases could come to help fund schools and other special agencies.

Sarah Ellis

Copyright 2015 - The State (Columbia, S.C.)