This week on The Exchange, we talk about the move by Woodbury County's action to exit the Sioux Rivers Regional Mental Health and Disability Services. The Sanford Center, which provides counseling to a large number of young people in Sioux City, will be affected by the change. We talk with Woodbury County Supervisors Mathew Ung and Jeremy Taylor. We also speak with Dr. Richard Owens, a board member at the Sanford Center.
We also talk with a researcher from the Public Interest Legal Foundation about the effects of having deceased voters on the rolls. One-third of Iowa's countyies have dead or "ghost" voters that are still registered.
And Ally Carson talks with Siouxland Public Media Artist of the Month,
The Exchange 101117
Introduction
You’re listening to The Exchange on Siouxland Public Media. I’m Mary Hartnett. Woodbury County is looking into joining the Rolling Hills Community Services Region, which provides mental health and disability services. The board of supervisors discussed th possibility at last night’s board meeting.
The region serves the counties of Buena Vista, Calhoun, Cherokee, Crawford, Sac, Ida and Carroll.
This comes after the supervisors voted a few weeks ago to pull out of a regional organization that delivers mental health services to low-income residents.
As of July 1, 2018, Woodbury County will no longer be part of Sioux Rivers Regional Mental Health and Disability Services, which also includes Sioux and Plymouth counties.
Supervisor Jeremy Taylor says he wanted to end the relationship primarily because he was dissatisfied with some of the mental health services provided by the taxpayer funded Sanford Center program.
Supervisor Taylor says he wanted to disengage from Sioux Rivers because he believes that Woodbury county residents are not receiving the best level of service possible.
Jeremy
That was Jeremy Taylor of the Woodbury County Board of Supervisors, talking about his reasons to support leaving the Sioux Rivers Regional Mental Health and Disability Services
Board Chairman Matthew Ung said it was time to leave the “contentious and dysfunctional” group.
Ung
That was the Chairman of the Woodbury county board of supervisors, Mathew Ung. Ung supports the county leaving the Sioux Rivers Regional Mental Health and Disability Services group. He believes that residents would be better served by another affiliation.
However, Dr. Dick Owens of the Sanford Center disagrees with Taylor’s contention that residents, including students, are being underserved. Owen’s also says he believes that the problem isn’t services or funding. He believes the problem is that at least one board member has issues with the Sanford Center.
Dr. Richard Owens
That was Dr. Richard Owens, a board member of the Sanford Center in Sioux City. The Woodbury County is looking into joining the Rolling Hills Community Services Region, which provides mental health and disability services.
You’re listening to The Exchange on Siouxland Public Media. I’m Mary Hartnett. Apparently, Iowa has a large number of so called “ghost voters” on its rolls. The nonprofit Public Interest Legal Foundation (PILF) of Indiana announced recently that it placed 34 counties on notice for holding more registered voters than adult residents in their respective jurisdictions.
Officials in 24 states now risk lawsuits if they do not disclose satisfactory data demonstrating effective voter roll maintenance efforts before and after the 2016 Election.
The foundation says that holding more registrants than living adults indicates that election officials have failed to properly maintain voter rolls.
The foundation’s Logan Churchill explains the issue further.
Logan
That was Logan Churchill of the Public Interest Legal Foundation. The foundation found that Iowa is among several states with a large number of deceased voters still on the rolls.
The Secretary of State’s office says the PILF is not getting an accurate count of inactive voters and that they are confident that the Iowa voter rolls are sound.
You’re listening to the Exchange on Siouxland Public Media. I’m Mary Hartnett.
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