Community Mental Health Employee Bonus Tabled

The Board of Directors for County Community Mental and Substance Abuse Services of St. Joseph County (CMH) tabled a proposal by Chief Executive Officer Kristine Kirsch to provide the agency’s employees a one-time bonus.  Kirsch raised the proposal at CMH’s regular monthly board meeting on Tuesday evening in which each employee would receive $2,000 in recognition of their service and hard work during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

The total cost of the proposed bonuses would be around $155,000, or around $162,000 if part-time staff were included. There are restrictions on certain funds in the agency’s budget, including grant dollars as well as some funds that must be returned to its sources if unspent at the September 30 end of the fiscal year.

Typically, employee recognition would come each year in the form of parties, picnics, or other events, but pandemic restrictions have precluded that kind of activity. In recent years, board and staff and staff worked hard to bring the budget into an improved state of health, according to discussion Tuesday. Despite that, financial constraints stemming from the pandemic and other factors that are impacting revenue this year make it uncertain whether there will be any unspent, uncommitted surplus at the end of the year.

Board member and County Commissioner Dennis Allen said he is unaware of any public agency that has awarded pandemic bonuses to its employees. He and several others present at Tuesday’s meeting expressed concern over optics and fairness if the measure were to move forward. Allen said he supported the intent behind Kirsch’s proposal, but also questioned whether the move would be a wise departure from its recent progress in fiscal responsibility. Board member and Sturgis Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Cathi Abbs made a motion to table the proposal, which the board approved.

In other CMH business:

• Following a discussion at CMH’s previous board meeting, Kirsch put forth a document providing additional details of revisions she proposed that would bring her contract into alignment with those of other employees. The board voted to table Kirsch’s proposal until the time her contract is due for renewal in November.
• Kirsch also presented a calendar of activities for her position that she said would help board members conduct her annual performance evaluation through various metrics  and provide guidance to anyone who might succeed her in the future. It will also help her track her own work, including various directives she receives from the board.
• A recent Level of Care Utilization System (LOCUS) fidelity review produced largely clean results, with a collection of minor recommendation for improvement of the agency’s management, care, and training practices, Kirsch said. A Certification and Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF) review also went well, she said, but Kirsch will provide further details on that after she receives an official results report.
• Board members approved a range of contracts that manage and continue its arrangements with various partnering service providers, public agencies, and outlets regarding services, staffing, training, operations, and funding.
• A public hearing to review CMH’s proposed budget for the next fiscal year is set for its September board meeting. The budget hearing is normally held offsite but will take place at the CMH facility due to pandemic concerns this year. Virtual access will be available through the GoToMeeting platform. Staff will post additional details online shortly.

Dave Vago is a writer and columnist for Watershed Voice. A Philadelphia native with roots in Three Rivers, Vago is a planning consultant to history and community development organizations and is the former Executive Director of the Three Rivers DDA/Main Street program.