Mountain Home City Council hears presentation from Baxter Day Service Center for funding

The Mountain Home City Council heard a presentation Thursday night from Baxter Day Service Center Executive Director Paul Neal asking for funding as the center continues to struggle financially. Neal told the council they have lost $460,000 over the past five years, mainly due to declining numbers of clients and Medicaid reimbursement rates that have not increased in over ten years.
The Baxter Day Service Center gets $52,000 each year from Baxter County, but does not receive funding from the City of Mountain Home. Neal is asking the city for $70,000 to help with their shortfall. He says recycling is not a profitable business and that is one of several reasons they had to discontinue accepting the curbside recyclables in the city of Mountain Home that were being picked up by Waste Connections, formerly Methvin Sanitation, earlier this year. Neal says not only do they lose money recycling the products, but sorting the products was taking more labor hours because so many residents were putting trash in with their recyclables.

He says they are also having a tough time getting grants because they are operating in the red. He says the center has no cash reserves either. Neal told the council the Baxter Day Service Center, which employs developmentally challenged adults, “faces tough choices ahead without your support.”

The council will be working on the 2026 budget over the next six weeks. Mayor Hillrey Adams told Neal they can’t make any promises, but they will see what they can do. Several council members voiced their support for the work the center does and said they want to find a way to financially support it as well.

In the only action item on agenda, the council approved an ordinance vacating road and utility easements located on Charles Blackburn Drive for the construction of the new Aldi store.

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