Board approves funding and reserve reclassification to add 2 co‑responder positions for Olathe OPTIONS program
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Summary
The board authorized the county to reclassify mental-health fund reserves to allow Johnson County to host two positions (a clinician and a case manager) for an Olathe‑led program targeting high‑utilizer residents; the city will reimburse most costs under a COPS grant and commit a third year of funding.
Johnson County commissioners on Sept. 25 approved the addition of one clinician and one case manager — both county positions — to support the Olathe Partnership for Transforming Interorganizational Navigation and Solutions (OPTIONS) program. The county will reclassify mental‑health fund balance reserves: $37,000 from FY2025 and $220,000 from FY2026, to allow the positions to be staffed and paid while the city of Olathe reimburses the county from a 2023 COPS hiring program grant.
Tanner Fortney of the county’s Mental Health Center described the program as focused on ‘‘super utilizers’’ — a small group of individuals who generate a disproportionate share of officer contacts and emergency responses. Fortney cited Olathe’s 2023 analysis: the 100 most frequently contacted people represented 0.5% of contacts but accounted for 8% of police reports; three super utilizers produced $38,500 in jail fees, equal to 26% of Olathe’s jail fees in 2023.
Under the approved arrangement, the clinician will provide clinical follow‑up similar to a co‑responder role, and the case manager will perform follow‑up, court liaison and navigation duties. Fortney said the city is funding the roles for two years through the COPS grant and has pledged to fund a third year; county staff said continued funding beyond year three is not guaranteed but that the city expects to seek sustainability if the program succeeds.
Public commenter Ben Hobert asked for clarity about which mental‑health reserves would be used and whether the county was subsidizing an ineffective program. Fortney said the reclassification comes from the Mental Health fund balance (not the county general fund) and that Olathe will reimburse the county for the positions, with the county absorbing only the normal uniform allowance and a laptop to meet county security requirements. Staff estimated the county’s net exposure over four years would be about 1% of program costs, largely the one‑time equipment and uniform allowance.
Commissioners praised the initiative as an extension of co‑responder work and a promising strategy to reduce repeat emergency contacts. The motion to approve the two positions and the reclassification was moved by Commissioner Allen Brand, seconded by Commissioner Hanslick, and passed 6–0 (Commissioner Myers had stepped out of the meeting).