NEW ULM — Brown County Commissioners unanimously voted to table a request Tuesday for a letter of support for a Sleepy Eye man hoping to operate an outpatient chemical dependency treatment service in New Ulm.

Brown County Human Services Director Tom Henderson said he would invite Wade L. Lang of Sleepy Eye to a future county board meeting to answer board questions and provide more information on the subject. Lang is requesting that Henderson write a letter of support needed for the state licensing process.

In a March 1 letter to Brown County Commissioners, Lang wrote on behalf of a proposed mental illness and chemical dependency treatment center owned and operated by Ambassadors for Mental & Spiritual Wellness, PLLC.

Lang wrote that he hopes to meet the special needs of veterans and those suffering from trauma and impulse control disorders with Recovery 101, a small center with unique staff to patient ratios as high as one licensed person to eight clients. It would be located at 1215 S. Broadway.

“Immediately, we expect the (service) area to be 11 counties around New Ulm: Blue Earth, Nicollet, Le Sueur, Redwood, Cottonwood, Jackson, Watonwan, Martin, Faribault, Waseca and Sibley,” Lang wrote.

“The needs our organizational plan aims to fill are true MI/CD (mental illness & chemical dependency) treatment and programming, medication-assisted treatment for opiate disorder under the direct supervision of psychiatry and registered nursing staff; and compulsive gambling outpatient treatment,” Lang wrote.

Lang is new to providing this service in the county but is well known to staff due to his living in the county for a number of years as he worked for other chemical dependency entities.

The New Ulm Medical Center (NUMC) has provided services to the area for years. A second provider would give clientele a choice. Choice is strongly supported by the Department of Human Services for all services.

Brown County Human Services staff said NUMC is very busy with long waiting lists for chemical dependency treatment programs. In addition, they said New Ulm has a “significant drug and alcohol problem.”

Commissioner Dave Borchert said police have spent considerable time dealing with people with chemical dependency problems. He voiced concern about a treatment center without its own security. Borchert said New Ulm Medical Center has its own security.

Brown County Attorney Chuck Hanson said didn’t think there is enough documentation in the request including anticipated client numbers.

In other business, commissioners approved:

• The purchase of a Heartland Express replacement bus under the 2017 MnDOT Cooperative Vehicle Procurement process. The price of a mid-size, accessible bus with options from Telin Transportation Group LLC is $74,789.

The Minnesota Department of Transportation will reimburse Brown County Family Services for 80 percent ($59,831.20) of approved capital costs that do not exceed the capital amount allowed ($79,000) in the 2017 MnDOT contract.

Brown County is responsible for 20 percent of the allowed contract amount ($14,957.80). Of Brown County’s responsibility, the total will be covered by the Transit Reserve Account that currently has a balance of $64,452.

• Family Facilitator School Contracts with Sleepy Eye, New Ulm and Springfield schools. Costs are 50 percent school, 50 percent county and are the residual costs after medical assistance case management reimbursement for each school district is subtracted from the total cost.

• A guardianship contract with Wings Guardianship Services, LLC. Rates are $40 per hour for service to eligible clients with a discounted rate of $25 an hour for drive time for distances greater than 30 miles one way from North Mankato. No other costs for mileage, meals or long distance calls will be assessed. This is less than the current Lutheran Social Services (LSS) rate of $56.56 an hour.

The maximum amount of $12,000 was based on if 15 clients chose to work with this guardian at an average 2.5 hours a month times eight months at $40 an hour.

Brown County Human Services wishes to execute the contract with Wings and give clients the right to choose to change agencies and maintain Racheal Jeorg as their guardian or keep LSS and be assigned a new guardian. Jeorg’s last day with LCC was April 14. She has decided to open her own guardianship business, Wings Guardianship Services, LLC out of her North Mankato residence.

• Findings of Fact for the Redetermination of Benefits for County Ditch (CD) 22, 43, 63 and 29, with the Findings of Fact for the consolidation of CD 29 and CD 29 Branch 1.

• Set public hearing dates and times for CD 25, 54, and 73 for 11 a.m. to 11:15 a.m., May 23.

• The 2016 Annual County Feedlot Report. Brown County Feedlot Officer Robert Santaella said 34 onsite county inspections were conducted last year, short of the inspection goal of 50 due to dedicated feedlot staff shortages from mid July to November.