CACHE COUNTY – During their regular meeting on Jan. 28, members of the Cache County Council delayed approval of an agreement that would provide improved public health, mental health and substance abuse services for Cache, Box Elder and Rich counties.
Dubbed the “Multi-County United Local Health Department Interlocal Agreement,” the plan is intended to ensure quality and effective delivery of those services to citizens of the three-county area, according to Jordan Mathis, the director of the Bear River Health Department.
In a presentation to council members that was plagued by audio issues, Mathis emphasized the benefits of the interlocal agreement, which would combine the BRHD’s funding for substance abuse with the similar funding for treatment services now provided by Bear River Mental Health.
The integration of those funds would provide better service to the public, Mathis argued.
To oversee the new agreement, a Bear River Behavioral Health Advisory Council would be formed to coordinate with the county councils of Cache, Box Elder and Rich counties; liaise with a newly hired director of behavioral health; and solicit public input on behavioral services.
The membership of that panel would be based on county population, with five members coming from Cache County, three from Box Elder County and one from Rich County.
County Executive David Zook questioned the need for another advisory council, but his concerns about contradictory orders were quickly allayed by Cache County Deputy Attorney Jeris Kendall.
While most council members seemed to approve of the new proposed arrangement, council member Nolan Gunnell still expressed some doubts.
At his request, a vote on the interlocal agreement was delayed until specific language could be added to its text requiring annual assessments of the plan’s effectiveness.
The addition of those report stipulations, however, will require Kendall to consult with council members in Box Elder and Rich Counties about those changes before approval of the interlocal agreement could be voted on.
Barring further delays, the final vote on the Multi-County United Local Health Department Interlocal Agreement will likely take place at the next meeting of the Cache County Council on Tuesday, Feb. 11.