Provider warns 'dire situation' as Ottawa County budget plans no rate increases

At the annual public hearing portion of the Ottawa County CMH meeting, Krista Mason of Benjamin's Hope told the board she had reviewed the proposed 2027 budget and said "there's no increases planned for providers." Mason said providers face a "dire situation" that will affect labor, quality and the ability to meet compliance obligations, and she signaled she will send a detailed impact analysis to Director Michael Brashears.

Mason framed the problem for the board as operational and human: without rate increases, residential and other providers face staff shortages and hard choices about who the agency can afford to serve. "I hope there never is a day where I have to make a decision person by person of who we can afford to serve," she said. Director Brashears responded by saying he will convene a provider-network meeting and ask each provider for an impact analysis on not receiving budgeted increases; he also committed to preparing a needs-based budget for board review next month.