Legislative budget writers, torn between a new mental health crisis center in Twin Falls and one in the Boise area, came up with a way this morning to fund both for the price of one: Both would open partway through the coming year.

“The purpose of this complex motion is the Legislature will provide the remaining ongoing funds for both centers in the fiscal year 2018 appropriation,” Rep. Luke Malek, R-Twin Falls, told the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee.

Malek’s motion was approved with just two “no” votes, after the committee split nearly down the middle,  narrowly defeating  a competing motion from Sen. Steve Bair, R-Blackfoot, to locate the new crisis center in Twin Falls.

“What I like about it is we’re going to get two crisis centers,” said Rep. Phylis King, D-Boise. “It’ll help twice as many people, I’m hoping.”

Idaho plans to eventually have seven behavioral health crisis centers, one in each of its seven regions. The first one, approved by lawmakers in 2014, was located in Idaho Falls, after the state Department of Health & Welfare held a competitive process. Coeur d’Alene was the highest-scored location, but the center went to Idaho Falls due to lack of political support from Coeur d’Alene-area lawmakers at that time. Last year, the Legislature specified that the next crisis center would be in Coeur d’Alene; it opened in December.

Malek noted that because the Coeur d’Alene center opened late in the year, there are some funds carried over for the next year’s budget; his motion allocates part of that carry-over to get the two new centers going next year. “Both areas are ready to roll, and have been for some time,” he said.

Ross Edmunds of the Department of Health & Welfare said once the funding is in place for the first four centers, the state won’t need to seek new startup funds for the final three, as the centers are supposed to transition over to having half their funding come from other sources once they’ve been up and running for several years. That means part of their existing state funding would become available for the next three centers.

The crisis center discussion came as JFAC set the budget for Mental Health Services within the state Department of Health & Welfare. The successful budget sets the division’s budget at $31.9 million in state general funds and $42.4 million in total funds. Gov. Butch Otter had recommended funding a third crisis center next year in southern Idaho.

Bair said his motion “stays the course of creating one behavioral health center per year.”

Sen. Sheryl Nuxoll, R-Cottonwood, said, “I thought part of the idea was to help locals try to get involved in this, and I think we’re pushing the issue.”

Bair’s motion then failed, 8-10. Malek’s passed, 16-2, with just Bair and Nuxoll dissenting.

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