CASSOPOLIS — Cass County commissioners heard reports on the work of three area organizations at their meeting last week and adopted the county’s 2019 and 2020 budgets. Commissioners also heard from citizens on two issues: the fate of the historic courthouse building as well as that of a small downtown Cassopolis lot the county owns.

Tom Katovsich asked commissioners to maintain a county owned lot on North Broadway in Cassopolis in the public domain rather than sell it to the highest bidder. He said the lot is adjacent to his son’s business, Shepard House Counseling, and would be a good site for a parking lot.

He suggested turning the lot over to the village, a view that was supported by Commissioner Dixie Ann File.

“I’ve suggested selling it to the village for a dollar,” she said.

Commissioner Michael Grice said he has attended village meetings and the council members are divided on whether they want it.

“Spend a little more time on it. Once it’s gone, it’s gone,” Katovsich said.

Zane Lankford, a representative of the Friends of the Courthouse committee, asked about the future of the courthouse and when residents might see the issue on a county commissioner agenda.

“Fairly soon, I think you’ll be hearing something fairly soon,” said board chairman Terry Ausra in response.

The county has been debating the fate of the historic 1899 building for a number of years. Over the last year, the Cass County Economic Development Corporation Board has offered a hybrid solution that would be a mixed use development that would restore the building as part of a larger downtown revitalization project.

Reports at last week’s meeting came from Woodlands Behavioral Healthcare Director Kathy Sheffield and Conservation District Invasive Species Program Director Eleanor Serocki, as well as from Friend of the Court Director and Court Administrator Carol Bealor and DHHS Director Charles Rose on the Child Care Fund.

Sheffield told commissioners that her organization has accomplished quite a bit over the last year when it comes to programming and meeting goals. She said they are working to integrate mental and physical health services to better serve clients and have hired more staff.

She said Woodlands is still waiting to get the funding needed to purchase and move into the Midwest building across the street next year. Currently, the organization sees 600 to 700 people weekly in its substance abuse program, 500 people a week in outpatient therapy, 300 a week in home and community based services and 100 a week in crisis situations.

In regards to strategic planning goals, the organization is working on opening new adult foster care homes, expanding psycho-social and autism programs, maintaining its financial position while boosting professional salaries, and increasing community engagement opportunities.

Serocki said she works with individuals, organizations and local governments to tackle invasive species issues. She makes home visits to identify invasive species as well as presents public programs to give people advice on how to address the problem.

“We want people to understand the threat and how to address and treat the problem,” she said. “There are some really harsh consequences to the economy when it comes to invasive species, such as the loss of property values and even damage to infrastructure. It’s easier to keep them out and treat them early before they get established.”

Bealor and Rose said the courts work with the Department of Health and Human Services to manage the child care fund. Rose said they started the year serving an average of 170 children in foster care and other programs and have now seen that number go down to 135 children in July.

Commissioners approved both the 2018-19 child care budget and the budgets for fiscal years 2019 and 2020. The county budgets were approved on a 4-2 vote with Clark Cobb absent and Michael Grice and Robert Ziliak voting no.

The 2019 budget calls for $536,305 to be taken from the budget stabilization fund and the fund balance to balance, while $538,388 will be taken from those two funds to balance the 2020 budget. The amounts taken to balance the two years’ budgets had been increased after a committee of the whole meeting earlier in the week.