County approves second CMH appropriation transfer as Medicaid caseload rises, director says

The Lapeer County Board of Commissioners approved a second appropriation transfer to Community Mental Health (CMH) after the CMH director told the board the county’s portion is being increased to reflect higher Medicaid‑funded hospitalization costs and an expanding client base.

The director said the office followed an outlook at the start of the year and adjusted the county request upward. “We did increase from the previous year's request about a hundred and $11,000 from years before,” the director said, and said the change stems from more Medicaid dollars being spent on hospitalizations in the community.

The director also told commissioners that auditors recommended the county request closer to the formula amount in the Michigan Medicaid mental‑health code; the director said that amount would be about $420,000 collected from the county, and that the quarterly requests had been adjusted toward that level.

Commissioners moved, supported and approved the second appropriation transfer by voice vote. No roll‑call vote tally was recorded.

Why it matters: Changes in the county appropriation affect CMH operations and the county budget. The director said increases respond to higher client counts and Medicaid hospitalization spending and were recommended by auditors to align with statutory formulas.

Ending: The director thanked commissioners and left the board to proceed with the appropriation transfer; commissioners approved the request.