Update 5:30 p.m.
Yellowstone County Commissioner Mark Morse is feeling the satisfaction of being heard by the state.
He told MTN News Wednesday afternoon he’s “extremely grateful . . .that the governor listened to the community and that they were unhappy and he hit the pause button. “
Watch video below:
Morse is reacting to news from earlier in the morning, when the State Board of Investment backpedaled on bringing a state mental health facility to previously considered sites.
The Legislature approved $26.2 million for a new mental health facility in eastern Montana. In early July, legislators and community leaders walked five sites in Yellowstone County that could serve as a possible location for the facility.
The pushback came when local leaders started asking questions. Specifically, what is the facilty going to be , what’s it going to do, how is it going to work and what’s the staffing model?
These are question officials with Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS), state lawmakers, Board of Investments (BOI) and even Gov. Greg Gianforte's office couldn’t answer.
As of Wednesday evening, the state has provided no timeline as to when they may be ready to move forward with the project.
(First report) BILLINGS - Gov. Greg Gianforte is expected to announce Wednesday that planning for a new state mental health hospital will take a "different direction," according to a state lawmaker.
Rep. Mike Yakawich, a Republican from Billings, told Q2 News on Wednesday morning that Gianforte has asked the State Board of Investments to step down as the lead agency in the project because he "wants to go in a different direction with the process of bringing a state mental health facility to Yellowstone County."
The announcement was expected to be made during a meeting on Wednesday morning of the Montana Board of Investments.
In recent weeks, city, county, and state leaders have examined five locations in and around Billings, including one location off the new Skyway Drive in the Billings Heights.
Local leaders in the Billings area have expressed concern about the possible location of the facility, and have complained that state officials have not been forthcoming with plans.
A spokesman for the governor released this statement late Wednesday morning:
During his time in office, Governor Greg Gianforte has prioritized the expansion of behavioral health services. That’s why, working with the Legislature, he made a generational investment of $300 million through the Behavioral Health Commission for Future Generations to reform and enhance Montana's behavioral health and developmental disabilities service systems.
Continuing his commitment to expanding behavioral health services, this year the Legislature passed and the governor signed into law House Bill 5, which included plans for a new behavioral health facility in Eastern Montana to provide care to Montanans with unique health care needs.
As part of the collaborative effort to implement House Bill 5, the governor’s office has asked the Board of Investments for additional information about its plans for the new Eastern Montana behavioral health facility; it has not asked BOI to abandon the project. Our office is committed to working with BOI and meeting the critical health needs of Montanans.
Dan Villa. executive director of the Montana Board of Investments, also released a statement late Wednesday morning:
I received a call Monday from the Executive that, in my opinion, necessitates a pause by the Board. The Executive and Legislative branches currently hold differing interpretations of the Board’s authority under Section 17 of House Bill 5 relating to the construction of a Behavioral Health Facility. In respect of both branches, in compliance with the Act, and to avoid acting without clear direction, I recommend the Board suspend any further consideration and forgo further implementation of House Bill 5 until we receive written guidance specifying services to be provided at the facility, the general location desired for the facility, and confirmation that the facility is to be built as an investment security held in trust for the State. The Board must avoid being placed between coequal branches to which we owe legal and fiduciary duties.
I thank local leaders of Billings and Laurel for their candid input, especially Councilmen Aspenlieder and Kennedy, Billings City Administrator Chris Kukulski, Laurel City Administrator Kurt Markegard, Director Brereton and staff at DPHHS, Budget Director Osmundson and staff at OBPP, as well as Senators Esp, Yakawich, Lenz, Ricci, and Representatives Etchart, Brewster and Schomer. Their efforts reflect a shared commitment to expanding behavioral health service capacity while protecting community safety and interests.
If due diligence resumes upon receipt of written guidance, no previously reviewed sites—including those on Skyway Drive—are viable, given local feedback, infrastructure costs, local zoning regulations, impacts on targeted economic development districts, and state land leasing processes. If BOI is to engage further, our future work must begin with clarity on services and siting from our partners, while still meeting our obligations to secure profits and cost savings for Montanans.
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Watch Billings council member express concern about the possible location of a new state mental health hospital in Billings
