A bulk of Yakima County’s psychological well being tax might be spent on legislation and justice companies, in accordance with a latest proposal.
The proposal requires spending greater than $1.8 million on applications within the division of corrections and the courts, with a further $2 million to fund outdoors companies supporting the courts and legislation enforcement.
That may whole practically $3.9 million — about 70% of what the tax is anticipated to generate yearly.
However the proposal is extra of a measure of program wants inside authorities businesses and isn’t meant to function precedence over initiatives advised by non-governmental organizations, mentioned Yakima County Human Providers Director Esther Magasis.
“The intent has not been to prioritize legislation and justice initiatives over different sorts of initiatives,” she mentioned. “(Commissioners) wished to overview inner prices first to get a way of the county’s funding wants.”
A earlier board of Yakima County Commissioners accepted the 0.1% gross sales tax in 2019 in effort to fight homelessness. Income from the tax can be utilized on initiatives that present psychological well being and substance abuse companies.
The tax was embraced by legislation enforcement businesses, the courts, corrections and space service suppliers. All of them agreed the tax would assist fund applications to fight recidivism on the county jail, the place repeat offenders typically skilled psychological well being, substance abuse issues and homelessness.
The tax was first assessed in April 2020, and at the moment was estimated to generate $3.5 million yearly. To date, the tax has generated practically $13 million, and is anticipated to herald one other $5.6 million in 2023.
Now commissioners are in search of to seek out the most effective use of the funds.
Right here’s a breakdown on the proposed spending:
• Yakima County Division of Corrections — $111,914 for a medical group to supply detox companies on the jail in effort to chop down on emergency room transfers.
• Juvenile Courtroom — $95,428 for a household remedy courtroom that would offer wrap-around companies to oldsters with kids going through substance abused issues.
• Yakima County District Courtroom — $559,633 for a psychological well being supervision group that helps offenders comply with courtroom ordered necessities and entry remedy companies.
• Yakima County Superior Courtroom — $217,701 for a probation officer and police officer assigned to drug courtroom.
• County Clerk’s Workplace — $155,501 for extra employees to guarantee docket protection in juvenile dependency, therapeutic and remedy courts. The clerk’s workplace has been short-staffed.
• Division of Assigned Counsel — $195,610 for a paralegal.
Proposed extra expenditures embody:
• $1,028,866 for seven designated disaster responders, who reply to police calls when somebody is experiencing a psychological well being disaster.
• $166,803 for exterior companies from suppliers outdoors county authorities in DUI courtroom.
• $821,775 for exterior service suppliers within the division of corrections.
These are solely proposals presently as commissioners proceed to hunt the easiest way to make use of the funds, mentioned Commissioner Amanda McKinney.
The county used sequential mapping to evaluate behavioral well being wants within the following programs: prison justice, homeless response, and youth care.
“We’ve got the info which is improbable,” she mentioned.
Now commissioners will have a look at attainable initiatives proposed by service suppliers, who mentioned an absence of inexpensive housing was among the many high considerations.
Funding applications will differ every year and whole quantity will likely be based mostly on what the tax generated the earlier 12 months, McKinney mentioned.
“We’re not all the time going to spend $3 million, $4 million yearly,” she mentioned. ”So yearly this might fluctuate.”
A reserve fund additionally will likely be established, she mentioned.
Commissioner Kyle Curtis mentioned the county’s Division of Human Providers quickly will publish a request for info for service suppliers to determine proposed wanted applications to be funded.
These requests will likely be reviewed in April, he mentioned.
“It’s vital to me that we get these assets allotted to applications and companies that serve our most weak inhabitants, these which can be typically neglected and go unnoticed,” Curtis mentioned.