By MIKE FERGUSON

Baker City Herald

As county commissioners mull extending a contract with Mountain Valley Mental Health, the county’s Mental Health and Developmental Disability Advisory Committee has issued its first-ever annual report since the committee’s inception in late 2006 a report that indicates the committee still believes MVMH has room for improvement.

It’s unclear whether the state’s Alcohol and Mental Health Division concurs. State mental health officials conducted a site review of the Baker City agency earlier this year, but they’ve yet to issue a report on their findings.

County commissioners were hoping to obtain that report before their regular meeting Wednesday, the last meeting before the contract with MVMH expires June 30.

Wednesday’s meeting begins at 9 a.m. at the Baker County Courthouse, 1995 Third St.

The advisory committee’s annual report is not on Wednesday’s agenda, but copies of the report were included in commissioners’ packets.

Commission Chair Fred Warner Jr. said the MVMH contract can be extended indefinitely after it expires, but commissioners want to know what’s contained in the state’s site review report before commissioners consider extending the contract.

Extending the MVMH contract will thus wait until commissioners have received the report from state mental health officials.

According to its annual report, the county’s advisory committee, chaired by Gary Dielman with Barry Nemec as vice-chair, rated 40 categories of work performed by MVMH in these categories: general, personnel, services, management/fiscal and community. Committee members were asked to rate the agency’s performance as satisfactory, not satisfactory or andquot;don’t know.andquot;

Five of the 40 categories were rated satisfactory, while 21 were not satisfactory. The remaining 14 were rated andquot;don’t know.andquot;

andquot;The 4 to 1 ratio of ‘Not satisfactory’ to ‘Satisfactory’ indicates that MVMH is performing well below the expectations of the Committee,andquot; the annual report said. andquot;While declining (state) revenues may explain part of the low performance, the Committee feels that a greater part of the low rating is the result of poor leadership on the part of MVMH’s administration.andquot;

Unlike last year when the advisory committee urged county commissioners not to renew the contract with MVMH, advice that county commissioners did not heed the advisory committee offered no recommendation this year.

andquot;But the rating chart clearly shows the Committee’s dissatisfaction with the services presented by the contractor (MVMH),andquot; the annual report indicated.

The advisory committee said it’s shifting its focus in the coming months away from MVMH’s operations andquot;to the bigger picture of mental health needs in Baker County,andquot; which the committee hopes will include a survey of mental health needs.

andquot;Cognizant of recent suicides in Baker County, we may want to devote a meeting to discuss suicide with participation of law enforcement, county medical examiner, district attorney, MVMH, other agencies and the public,andquot; the advisory committee wrote.

MVMH executive director Vicki Long said while the report is andquot;interesting,andquot; it’s andquot;based on few facts and a lack of information.andquot;

andquot;It is not their job to rate us,andquot; she said. andquot;Our rating agencies are the state and (Greater Oregon Behavioral Health, Inc.).andquot;

Those agencies, she said, have completed andquot;successful surveysandquot; of MVMH and have recertified the local mental health agency for two years.

She said MVMH also has not received the site review report but is eager to meet with county commissioners once the report has been received.

In other business scheduled for Wednesday’s meeting, county commissioners are scheduled to:

n Hear a department update from Assessor Allen Phillips, at 9:15 a.m.

n Adopt the 2008-09 budget, at 9:30 a.m.

n Consider a boating safety and law enforcement services contract, at 9:45 a.m.

n Learn from Baker City Public Works Director Michelle Owen about Baker City’s efforts to, according to a letter she sent to affected landowners, andquot;clarify its easement for the water transmission line through the Baker City Watershed.andquot;

Affected landowners, including John and Kate Rohner and the Foster Ranch of Baker City, have a portion of the transmission line traversing their property.

andquot;To solidify the City’s easement for water transmission dating back to 1862, the City is required to file a complaint in the federal court system,andquot; Owen’s letter to landowners states. andquot;We are sending this letter because Baker City does not want you to be alarmed by the receipt of the Complaint.andquot;

Owen declined to elaborate on the process until Wednesday’s meeting with county commissioners. Her talk is set for 10 a.m.

Reporter Mike Ferguson can be reached at 523-3673 or mferguson@bakercityherald.com.