Morton County will provide Guardian and Protective Services Inc. with $4,000 in 2008 despite some misgivings by Commissioner Andy Zachmeier.

Zachmeier requested representatives from Guardian to give a presentation and make a case for the county funds at Tuesday's commission meeting. Zachmeier doesn't feel that any agency requesting Morton funds should be seriously considered unless it gives a full accounting of its services.

"Too often, we're getting these one sentence requests for funding with no information about the services or how the money is used," Zachmeier said. He added that Morton was not required to fund Guardian.

"Guardian and Protective Services Inc. is a nonprofit corporation, established to provide needed protective services to vulnerable adults who have no family members or capable friends living nearby. We are able to offer assistance in a variety of different ways: ensuring daily needs are met; offering help with securing home and medical services; explaining documents that may affect financial well-being," said Judy Vetter, Guardian program director.

Guardian serves seven counties in this area including Burleigh and Morton, counties that have the highest number of clients. In Morton, Guardian is serving 27 residents. Of those, 12 have no ability to pay for services; 14 have a limited ability; and only one could pay the entire amount, but that status will change in about three months. Twenty-four were elderly, and the remainder either mentally ill or brain injured.

Most cases are court appointed, said Vetter. Guardian receives no federal or state funds, and relies mainly on funds garnered through grant writing, the United Way, fundraising and the cases that can pay. Morton does provide $4,000 and Burleigh $12,000 annually. The other counties, who have only one or two cases, provide no funding.

Vetter said the other counties are not asked because they don't have large number of clients. She added that most of the clients Guardian serves do move into either Burleigh or Morton because they can't get the services they need in the rural areas.

Zachmeier said the services provided by Guardian would be better provided by Social Services.

Vetter said Guardian takes clients on similar to a family that would be expected to take care of them, and there isn't a duplication of services.

"We get the cases that fall through the cracks; the situations are usually pretty bad," Vetter said.

Guardian has gone to the state for funding and during the 15 years Vetter has worked for the company, been turned down consistently by the Legislature.

"They're (lawmakers) not educated enough to understand. They think that these things always fall on the shoulders of the families, but in reality that doesn't always happen," Vetter said. "They did put $40,000 in the budget to provide a statewide program, but no one bid for the program because there's no way to provide a statewide program on $40,000."

One of the services Guardian does provide is taking care of estates after a client has died. Usually these people have no family or anyone to take care of these arrangements, and the few belongings left behind have little value, the money secured often being used to pay a portion of funeral and burial. If it weren't for Guardian, it would be the county's responsibility.

Vetter maintained that the services Guardian supplies are labor intensive and that its six full-time employees and two part-timers have plenty to keep them busy.

"If you have someone else to do it we'll turn these 27 cases over because they cost us a lot of money," Vetter said.

Matt Erhardt made the motion to fund the program in 2008, and the motion passed unanimously. Commissioner Mark Bitz asked that Guardian maintain communications with the county and keep the commissioners appraised of its services when they start putting together the 2009 budget.

(Reach reporter Gordon Weixel at 250-8255 or gordon.weixel@;bismarcktribune.com.)