Governor releases almost half of Cottonwood's withheld funding

After withholding about $500,000 from the Cottonwood Residential Treatment Center's budget, Gov. Jay Nixon on Friday announced the release of nearly half that amount.

With the new financial plans for the Cape Girardeau facility being considered by the Missouri Department of Mental Health, those things could be enough to keep Cottonwood open.

The 32-bed, state-operated facility that serves children between the age of 6 and 17 with severe mental and emotional disorders was slated for closing after the state mental health department sustained about $34 million in budget cuts. The cuts were part of many across-the-board vetoes and withholds to the state budget made by Gov. Jay Nixon, who feared a number of tax-cutting bills passed in the recent legislative session would throw the state into economic disarray.

Nixon vetoed the bills and said if legislators did not override them in Wednesday's veto session, he would first release funding for education, followed by funding for mental-health programs. He announced the release of more than $143 million for education Thursday afternoon. Hours later, Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder sent an open letter to Nixon, urging swift action on the release of the funding for Cottonwood.

In a news release Friday, Nixon's office announced the release of more than $22 million for mental health services, local governments, job training and other areas. That total included $241,404 for Cottonwood.

Nixon also announced the restriction of about $54 million, including the line-item vetoes acted upon by the Legislature last week "in order to prevent the growth of government beyond available revenues and ensure a balanced budget."

Rep. Kathy Swan, R-Cape Girardeau, said releasing the money for Cottonwood signals the governor's interest in keeping the facility open.

"[The release of these funds] means he is interested in the mental health treatment of these children and interested in working on a plan or option that will maintain treatment for these children, and looking at a way to run [Cottonwood] more economically and efficiently," she said.

Weeks before the General Assembly gathered for the veto session, Swan submitted a financial plan that would lower costs and increase revenue for the facility and said she would continue working with Cottonwood staff and state mental health officials to work through all the details. She said she hopes the plan not only keeps Cottonwood safe next year, but keeps it from appearing on the budget chopping block again in the future.

srinehart@semissourian.com

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Cape Girardeau, Mo.