It cost nearly $1.5 million to provide services to people with mental and developmental disabilities in fiscal 2009, the Emmet County Board of Supervisors heard Tuesday.

In her annual report, Emmet County Mental Health Coordinator Dorothy Christensen offered the statistic - and others in the mental health annual report.

The total cost for providing services was $1,474,621.79, Christensen said. Of that amount, just over $1 million, or $1,027,332.20, went for mental retardation services. That was followed by chronic mental illness at $227,775.63, mental illness at $151,963.37 and developmental disability at $67,550.59.

Christensen said every three years the department writes a strategic action plan in conjunction with its major service providers, ECHO PLUS and Seasons Center for Mental Health.

Christensen noted that day habilitation services at ECHO PLUS were picking up due to the decrease in paying jobs.

Christensen also noted 10 juvenile commitments last year and 11 this year. She said the commitments were court ordered. The county does not have to pay for hospital services but it does have to pay for transportation, she said.

After review, the supervisors approved the annual report.

In other business, the board acknowledged receipt of a bid and set a public hearing for 8:45 a.m. Dec. 8 for sale of a tract adjoining Lot 2, Block 8, Woods Addition.

The board also approved a utility permit for Ringsted Telephone Co. to construct utilities on the county right of way in Sections 28 and 33 of Jack Creek Township.

Roger Patocka, county engineer, said he would offer a temporary secondary roads position to a prospective employee.

Patocka also said he had not yet received an initial union wage package proposal. Supervisor Alan Madden suggested that a three-year contract might provide for yearly wage negotiations.

In the road report, Patocka said crews were putting up snowfence, trimming trees, mowing, blading, doing tile and intake work and doing edge rutting.

He said employees were holding off from burning right of ways with corn still in the field.