Safety center could open in 2017

State and local leaders say a Knox County safety center for the mentally ill will be up and running in 2017.

Just who pays for it remains to be seen, but officials are expecting the state to kick in a major chunk of change.

Tennessee lawmakers told WBIR 10News this week that they are counting on Gov. Bill Haslam to include money in his upcoming budget for the much-discussed facility but – if not – then officials will introduce new legislation to add the funds.

“We’re all in an agreement that we need to do something,” said state Rep. Eddie Smith, R-Knoxville. “We’ve seen the opioid epidemic in this part of the state and we’re finding that a lot of patients of opioid addiction also have some sort of mental health (problems)  . . . so we’re trying to change and chart a different course for a lot of different people in our community.”

Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett agreed.

“We’re going to do it with or without the state,” he said.

The mayor added: “This is an opportunity for when those folks are arrested to divert them from the court room to a mental health professional who can diagnose them, so we don’t tie up the courtroom with needless lawsuits and don’t send mental health patients to our jails and prisons.”

For years, local leaders have talked about building what they’ve recently dubbed a “behavioral health urgent care center” to help the mentally ill and alleviate jail overcrowding.

The county has set aside $1.2 million and the city has chipped in $200,000. The state thus far has declined to provide funding, although officials earlier this year privately said they expect the Haslam administration to acquiesce and set aside some money in the coming year.

On Friday, state Rep. Smith told WBIR 10News that the local Legislative delegation has submitted a $4.5 million request to the Governor’s Office to include in the state’s proposed budget, which will be released in early February.

County and state officials want to set up a 3-year pilot program that they estimate will cost $1.5 million a year to operate.

If the governor declines to include the money, Smith said lawmakers have other options.
“Plan B is we file a grant request through the (state) mental health department and we try and force it and get it in the amended budget,” Smith said. “And then we’ll do an appropriations request if those two things don’t happen from (project) money allocated to the General Assembly, so we have a three-pronged approached.”

Smith said the state currently has a $977 million surplus in non-recurring monies and an $856 million surplus in recurring funds. He said the governor plans to include “a lot” of the non-recurring money in the upcoming budget.

Earlier this year, the county sought bids from local agencies to develop and manage the proposed safety center. Only Helen Ross McNabb – one of the few mental health and substance abuse treatment operations in the region – submitted a proposal.

The county was looking for an organization with at least 10 years’ experience in community mental health, according to the county’s initial bidding documents that detailed the request. The organization also must be able to provide a building big enough to accommodate a 72-hour jail diversion program and a 72-hour crisis stabilization until.

The county figures that the operation will initially have eight to 10 beds, but will eventually divert “upward of 4,000” patients yearly.

No state money for safety center

The state this year has declined to give Knox County money to operate a much-talked about public safety center that would serve and treat the homeless and mentally ill who are arrested for nonviolent crimes, Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett confirmed to WBIR 10News.

Burchett, who had been working with Gov. Bill Haslam's office, said he was “very disappointed.”

“Obviously, this isn’t a priority with the state,” he said. “It just seems that East Tennessee usually gets the short end of the stick when it comes to funding, and this is no different.”

The mayor said state leaders told him there was less money than they initially thought in the proposed state budget. Still, Burchett said, he will try again next year.

The mayor figures the county needs about $1 million annually from the state to keep such a facility up and running yearly.

County leaders have long talked about building a facility to combat jail crowding at the main Maloneyville Road detention center, and help those with mental health issues get the care they need. But commissioners say they need the county, state and city to each chip in $1 million to get the operation up and running.

The county set aside its share several years ago, but the state and city have often hesitated to commit.

Past plans have suggested that the center would treat offenders who voluntarily stay for up to three days, and could serve about 4,000 people a year. Officials say the facility would cost about $2 million to build and then another $1.7 million annually to operate.

Task force seeking public input on Knox County safety center proposal

Knox County leaders want the public to weigh in on a plan to combat issues of chronic mental illness, substance abuse and jail overcrowding.

For years, officials have engaged in talks to build a safety center that houses and treats the mentally ill who are arrested for nonviolent crimes. The current proposal is to create the Knox County Safety Center.

Vivian Underwood-Shipe is the community representative on the safety center task force. The group is comprised of county commissioners and members of the Knox County Sheriff’s Office and the District Attorney General’s Office.

RELATED: Take the safety center survey

RELATED: Knox County leaders meet to discuss Safety Center
She is overseeing a survey to get the public's input.

MORE: Knox County to revist talks about safety center for mentally ill

“I just wanted to put together something brief so that the community would have a way to provide us input,” she said. “The safety center is something we definitely need. We don’t have to reinvent the wheel, but we have to do it right.”

She said the task force will talk about the results of the survey when it meets again at 1 p.m. on March 14 in the Large Assembly Room of the City County Building.

Knox County to revisit talks about safety center for mentally ill

The Knox County Commission is again revisiting plans to develop a safety center that houses and treats the mentally ill who are arrested for nonviolent crimes, and this time local leaders say they expect something to get done.

For years, officials have engaged in on-again-off-again talks to build such a facility, but proposals often have fallen through because of funding.

However, a handful of commissioners and several representatives from the Knox County Sheriff’s Office plan to hold a short public meeting on Friday to iron out some of the details. Then on Feb. 16, the full commission will talk more during a special meeting.

A week later – and during its regular monthly voting meeting on Feb. 22 – the board is expected to start the bidding process to determine who could operate such a facility.

“This is something that the commission wants to do but we need to get this right,” Commissioner Randy Smith said. “We only get one shot. If we throw something together and it falls on its face and fails, then we will lose the trust of the public. “

County leaders have long talked about building a facility to combat jail overcrowding at the Maloneyville Road detention center, and help those with mental health issues get the care they need. But, commissioners say they need the county, state and city to each chip in $1 million to get the operation up and running.

The county set aside its share several years, but the state and city have often hesitated to commit.

The county years ago even accepted bids to build and operate a center but only Helen Ross McNabb submitted a proposal. No action was taken regarding that submission.

Officials, however, say it will be different this time around.

“I would be shocked if we don’t move forward on this,” commission Vice Chairman Bob Thomas said. “I have stressed to everyone that we need to get it done and I think everyone agrees. I feel confident that in the coming 12 months we’re going to move forward.”

Rest of story HERE.

What's really going on with the safety center and why no traction

We’ve got a story regarding the safety center, a long talked about proposal that would help take care of the locally mentally ill and maybe help ease the overcrowding problem at the local county clink.

It’s a great idea, but I just don’t see this thing happening. (Actually, I’ve said this plenty of times in the past, but  . . . whatever. And, hey, I hope I’m wrong.)

Anyhoo, here’s the deal.

The county asked for proposals to build and operate the center and in February wrapped up the bidding process. Only Helen Ross McNabb submitted a proposal. I’m pretty sure no one has even looked at it. 

It’s certainly not been vetted.

There’s a public safety task force designed to look into these things. I think they might have met in February. They have nothing scheduled.

In the meantime, Andy Black, who’s run Helen Ross since forever and was a huge proponent of the safety center is retiring.

Randy Nichols, the county’s district attorney general and another huge proponent, also is retiring.

(The third major proponent, Sheriff Jimmy “J.J.” Jones, still has his fingers crossed from what I understand and says that the state does have a grant that can help. I’m told the grant is good for about $250K, which isn’t enough)

Then there’s the debate over who is going to pay for this thing.

Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett says there’s agreement that if the county puts up $1 million (which it has) and the city puts up $1 million (which it hasn’t), then the state will put up $1 million (it hasn’t).

(The center by the way is expected to cost $2 million to build and another $1.7 million annually to operate. However, there’s supposed to be some savings, although it’s hard to pinpoint a number until it’s up and running.)

Now, the city folks say there is no agreement, and were pretty surprised that the mayor said otherwise.

Also, the city isn’t so sure it’s willing to put up $1 million. Don’t get me wrong: Officials there want to help, but they want to see a “viable” plan first.

In the meantime, there’s the issue of whether city residents get double-billed.

The county says the jail is filled mostly with folks from the city. The city, however, points out that the sheriff’s office and jail is a county responsibility. Further, city officials note that city residents pay county taxes.

So, if the city chips in $1 million and they pay county taxes, are they paying double? Well, it does sound like it.

Then there’s the fact that the city has all sorts of social programs and homelessness initiatives that the county doesn’t fund. (They also supply a ton of coin to KCDC.)

Burchett says he’s willing to wait another year and get everyone on the same page. If not, then they’ll have to go to Plan B.

At this point there is no Plan B.

In another year, however, I suspect they’ll have to come up with one.

Anyway, here’s the story.

Safety center dies. Officials move on

I’m pretty sure the so-called public safety center proposal is dead.

The county just doesn’t have the money.

And residents aren’t going to foot the bill. Not if they have to make a choice between that and buying patrol cars or keeping teachers.

It’s just not happening. Finances being a roadblock and all.

But, county officials still want to do something to treat – rather than lock up – those taken into custody for public intoxication (like the average college kid and some of my friends) and the mentally ill who are arrested for nonviolent crimes.

It's not, however, going to be a $2 million diversion center. Instead, officials are taking a different route, one that started Tuesday in a meeting held by the mental health subcommittee, a panel county Mayor Tim Burchett formed in late January “to look at best practices and other potential solutions” to help thin down the jail population and help the mentally ill.

(By the way, Burchett isn’t a member of the subcommittee but he did drop by to wish the folks “good luck.” Then he said he was headed out to work on balancing the county’s budget. Members should have told him “good luck.” But I digress.)

Here's a snapshot of what was discussed:

The conversation was mostly informal; the group didn't have a set agenda. Members spent a good deal of the two hours talking about how the hospitals, courts and jails serve as revolving doors for the mentally ill.

As sheriff's office Chief Rodney Bivens noted: “Common sense tells you that if someone can't keep their clothing on then the judges aren't going to let them back out on the streets.”

In other words, they're going to jail. But, as Bivens also said: “That's not really the place for them.”

“They have no business being there,” he added. “Sometimes they don't even know where they're at. Other times their memory is so far gone that they don't remember what we tell them.”

I think what he was trying to say is that these people are really crazy. I mean crazy, crazy. But that's not politically correct. He won't say it. I will. I don't care. About political correctness, I mean.

But again, someone needs to find the coin to fund whatever the county wants to do. And that's tough to do, said the good doctor and county Commissioner Richard Briggs.

“It's a hard time getting society to step and up and help these people,” he said. “When people are looking for ways to cut the budget, this is the thing they cut. If you're looking at cutting schools or helping the mentally ill, they're going to pick the kids over this.”

(On a side note, Briggs was not advocating picking kids over the mentally ill, or vice versa. He was just making a point. An obvious one. I'd do the same thing.)

Still, they can't ignore the problem, said John Gill, special counsel to Knox County District Attorney General Randy Nichols. It will only grow.

At this point, no one is sure what they will do.

The conference was more of a “get-to-know-each-other” deal.

But they did agree to come back with possible solutions, perhaps private-public partnerships, perhaps pilot programs. Perhaps nothing.

They are expected, however, to act on one suggestion by Burt Rosen, present of Knox Area Rescue Ministries. He asked everyone to “come up with what they think Knox County needs – regardless of the money.”

Perhaps, he said, volunteers could fill the roles.

We'll see.

They meet again in May.

Maybe they'll have better luck than the public safety center proposal did.