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News & Tools for Washington's Counties |
May 2011 |
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QUICK LINKS | | There is still time to register for the Western Insterstate Region Annual Conference in Chelan County, May 18-20. |
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| Legislative Update | |
Snohomish County champions new tool for evaluating mentally ill detainees
Triage Facility to Open in Everett
On April 22, Governor Chris Gregoire signed a bill authorizing triage facilities as a cost-effective alternative to jails and emergency rooms for the evaluation of mentally ill individuals who have been arrested for non-felony crimes. The bill was championed by the Snohomish County Council, and worked in cooperation with WSAC, as a way to reduce costs while ensuring that persons exhibiting signs of mental illness are placed in the appropriate facility immediately while a suitable course of action is determined.
Previously under state law, persons who had been arrested for non-felony crimes could only be held involuntarily in jails or hospital emergency rooms. Triage facilities could evaluate these persons, but individuals could not be held involuntarily. The new law allows for persons to be held involuntarily at a triage center for a maximum of 12 hours while they are stabilized and assessed for needed treatment.
"This is a win-win for law enforcement, county taxpayers, and for the mentally ill in Snohomish County" said Council Chair Dave Somers. "Now these individuals can be housed temporarily at a facility that offers medical expertise and treatment that is not available in jails, and at a significantly lower cost than hospital emergency rooms."
Snohomish County and WSAC would like to thank the prime sponsors of (bill #), Senator Mary Margaret Haugen and Representative Mary Helen Roberts.
The creation of a triage center was one of the catalysts behind the County Council's 2008 adoption of a sales tax for chemical dependency and mental health issues.
"An estimated 11% of jail inmates have serious mental health
issues, and another 74% have chemical dependency issues," noted
Councilmember Dave Gossett. "Finding a way to evaluate and process these individuals in an appropriate and cost-effective facility is just common sense."
The triage facility will be operated in partnership with the North Sound Mental Health Administration and Compass Health. A 90-day trial phase began at the facility in early March with the assistance of the Everett and Snohomish Police Departments to identify and correct any issues before it will begin accepting detainees from all county law enforcement agencies.
For more information, contact Rashi Gupta.
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| NACo Western Insterstate Region Annual Conference | |
Register now for Chelan County-hosted event
It is not too late to register to join over 250 of your peers in Chelan County (Wenatchee) at the National Association of Counties' (NACo) Western Interstate Region Annual Conference, May 18-20.
We are expecting about 250 conference attendees including County Commissioners, Council Members, Supervisors, Executives and other County Officials. This is an outstanding opportunity for Executives, Commissioners and Council Members from Washington State to participate and attend a NACo Conference and network and meet with their peers from throughout the western United States. More information and to register
NACo`s Western Interstate Region focuses on public lands and other issues critical to the western region of the United States. It provides county officials with the opportunity to hear speakers, discuss legislation and network with other officials on issues important to our state and your county. We hope you will take advantage of attending this conference while it is right here in Washington State. Below is a tentative list of conference workshops and events:
- Keynote addresses from
- Washington State Governor Chris Gregoire
- Congressman "Doc" Hastings
- Former EPA Director Bill Ruckelshaus
- Former Congressman Brian Baird
- Federal Agency Heads
- Business Leaders
- Two pre-conference tours are set for Tuesday, May 17th. The first tour will feature a tour of energy facilities and industries in Chelan County. The second tour will focus on a variety of agriculture and natural resource operations and producers. View more information on the tours
- Conference Wide Event at the Chelan County Exposition Center
- NACo Steering Committee Meetings
- Public Lands Steering Committee
- Agriculture and Rural Affairs Steering Committee
- Board Meetings
- NACo Board of Directors
- WIR Board of Directors
- Workshops
- Viability of Agriculture
- Making the Endangered Species Act Work
- Community/Tribal Collaboration
- Health Care - Southwest Washington
- Energy
- Performance Measures
View the complete preliminary schedule
If you have any questions please contact either WSAC Executive Director Eric Johnson or Chelan County Commissioner Ron Walter.
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| Member News | |
Jefferson County Commissioner named chair
 | | Commissioner John Austin |
Governor Chris Gregoire recently extended Commissioner John Austin's term on the State Board of Health and appointed him chair of the board. He has served on the board since 2007. Congratulations Commissioner Austin!
WACO members earn CPO
With the help of the Washington Counties Risk Pool's robust training schedule, several county members have recently completed their Certified Public Officials (CPO) designation. Certificates will be issued this month to:
Jessica Albert, Yakima County Clerk's Office
Terri Miller, Treasurer, Pend Oreille County
Deanna Walter, Chief Deputy, Chelan County Assessor's Office
Read the Risk Pool's March/April newsletter feature on two of the above graduates
More information on the Certified Public Officials program |
| WSAC Presidential Task Force | |
WSAC Insurance Programs Task Force to deliver first report
Last November, then WSC President Merrill Ott appointed Vice President Paul Pearce to chair a temporary Insurance Programs and Services Task Force. The committee was formed in response to continued issues being raised and discussed in meetings that WSAC Executive Officers had with counties, both Urban and Rural, surrounding the cost, type, and potential alternatives to providing both health care benefits to employees, general liability for the county, as well as other insurance needs.
Since then, the committee has met twice including presentations by the Washington Counties Risk Pool, the Washington Counties Insurance Fund and the Association of Washington Cities' Employee Benefit Trust. Additional presentations by other providers are planned.
It is clear that the topic is complex, with current and potential federal health reform changes bringing unknown impacts, double-digit rises in health premiums, emerging collective bargaining trends, and increasing LEOFF 1 liabilities changing the benefits landscape for the public sector.
The Task Force has directed WSAC staff to conduct a survey of counties' benefits offerings and policy issues, working with several county administrators and human resource directors. The information will be used in aggregate to make recommendations to the WSAC Board of Directors regarding the status of current and potential insurance programs utilized by County Government.
The Task Force will make its first report to the WSAC Board of Directors at its May 11 regular meeting.
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| Director Fox Leaves WSU Extension for University of Georgia | |
WSAC-WSU Task Force Work will continue
Linda Kirk Fox, who for the past 10 years has served as Associate Dean and Director of Washington State University Extension, has accepted a dean's position at University of Georgia Athens (UGA), Georgia, effective July 6th. She will be the Dean of the College of Family and Consumer Sciences, the 5th largest college at UGA (by undergraduate enrollment figures). UGA is a flagship land grant and sea grant research university which delivers on the promise of public service. Read the UGA's announcement of Director Fox's hiring.
Director Fox has been instrumental in engaging WSU Extension with WSAC and integrating the WSU Faculty, Agents, and Directors with WSAC and our County leaders.
"Linda has been a great asset to Washington's counties through her strong partnership and commitment to meeting counties' needs," said Eric Johnson, WSAC Executive Director. "She will be missed and we wish her the best in her new position down south."
What's next?
First, Dr. Fox will remain in her current position for approximately two more months. She will continue in her role of Associate Dean and Associate Director and be wrapping up many high priority projects, including steering the WSAC and WSU Extension Restructuring and Refinement Task Force through early- to mid-June. Second, an Interim Associate Director of Extension will be appointed. WSU will be initiating a national search for Dr. Fox's replacement in the coming month, hopefully to have a new person on board no later than early 2012.
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| WSU Extension & WSAC Task Force Survey Request | |
To County Commissioners and Council Members:
Washington State University Extension is currently engaged with the Washington State Association of Counties (WSAC) in a dialogue and preparation of recommendations on 'Restructuring and Refinement' of county-based operations. The joint WSAC and WSU Extension Task Force is seeking your input as a county government official. Task Force members believe it is critical to our development of a sound approach for our future and for the future of your constituents that we survey for broad opinion. We would greatly appreciate you taking 5-10 minutes out of your busy schedule to contribute your input to the seven (7) questions accessed online at this link:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/County_Officials_Survey
This survey is open until Friday, May 13th.
There is no right or wrong answer and your responses are anonymous and held confidentially. The Task Force will review summaries and patterns of response and will not be able to attribute individual responses.
If you have any questions, we encourage you to contact your colleagues on the WSAC/WSU Task Force:
Marc Boldt, Commissioner, Clark County, 360-397-2232, marc.boldt@clark.wa.gov
Tim Farrell, County Council Member, Pierce County, 253-798-7590, tfarrel@co.pierce.wa.us
Keith Goehner, Commissioner, Chelan County, 509-667-6215, keith.goehner@co.chelan.wa.us
John Hankey, Commissioner, Pend Oreille County, 509-447-4119, jhankey@pendoreille.org
Bill Knutzen, County Council Member, Whatcom County, 360-676-6690, bknutzen@co.whatcom.wa.us
Lisa Marsyla, Commissioner, Wahkiakum County, 360-795-8048, marsylal@co.wahkiakum.wa.us
Mark Richard, Commissioner, Spokane County, 509-477-2265, mrichard@spokanecounty.org
Ron Wesen, Commissioner, Skagit County, 360-336-9300, ronw@co.skagit.wa.us
The overall goal of the Task Force is to continue to have a vibrant local presence of WSU Extension in every county in Washington State, to retain the powerful community connections, to optimize Extension as an organization that spans the entire university to address relevant local issues, and to continue to grow partnerships and external funds.
In summary, the Joint WSAC and WSU Extension Task Force met again April 7 in Olympia. Eight county commissioners/county council members and six WSU administrators/faculty reviewed administrative restructuring of WSU Extension in light of budget reductions and multi-county or modification to the geographic deployment of administration and of program personnel. The Task Force also reviewed what other state extension services are doing in response to budget cuts.
The next meeting of the Task Force is Thursday, May 5 and will focus on alternative local funding models to sustain an optimum mix of local funds with the university-provided federal and state resources. Based on input the Task Force will devote time to private fund raising and WSU Campaign as it relates to county extension programs. On May 18th the Task Force will review input from a statewide survey of the county partners and a survey of the WSU Extension county directors. |
| Business Partners Program | |
New, renewing members show their support for counties
WSAC recently welcomed these new and renewing Business Partners to the program:
New
Washington Counties Insurance Fund
Renewing
Friends of County Government
Washington Counties Risk Pool
Waste Management
Thank you to these organizations and businesses who, through their Business Partners membership, help support the Association's member services programs.
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| Water: Shorelines and Stormwater | |
Ecology starts review of Snohomish County shoreline program update
 The Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology) seeks public comment on the recently updated shoreline master program by Snohomish County. The shoreline program guides construction and development on Snohomish County's estimated 2,000 miles of regulated freshwater and marine shorelines. It combines local plans for future development and preservation with new development ordinances and related permitting requirements.
The Snohomish County Council adopted the updated shoreline program in October 2010 after an extensive local process that started in 2004. The update began with a thorough inventory of existing land-use patterns and environmental conditions to preserve existing shoreline areas while protecting future economic development.
Snohomish County used a Shoreline Advisory Committee to assist with preparing their shoreline program update. The committee consisted of waterfront property owners, contractors, environmental interests, and state agencies.
Key features of Snohomish County's updated shoreline program include:
- Protects habitat and water quality through regulations that apply to marine and freshwater shorelines.
- Limits construction of new shoreline armoring, and encourages the use of soft-bank erosion control methods.
- Includes a restoration plan showing where and how voluntary improvements in water and upland areas can enhance the local shoreline environment.
- Helps support the broader Puget Sound initiative to protect and restore the Sound.
Review Snohomish County's proposed program and related documents
Stormwater Monitoring comment period moved to May 16 - June 17
As previously reported in The Insider, elected officials are encouraged to comment on the recommended stormwater monitoring changes as proposed by the statewide Stormwater Work Group. The recommendations are part of the larger NPDES permit reissuance. The Department of Ecology has moved the informal comment period to May 16 - June 17. The comment link will be posted on WSAC's stormwater monitoring webpage beginning May 16. For more information, contact Neil Aaland. |
| Upcoming Events of Note |
May 11-13 Chelan County
WSAC Board of Directors' Regular Meeting and Planning/Goal Setting Meeting
June 9 Tumwater, Thurston County
Local Government Partnership Spring Meeting
The Washington State Department of Revenue will host a meeting for local governments to review 2011 legislation of impact, discuss streamlined sales tax mitigation, update tax simplification efforts, and other issues. Registration is free. More information and to register
November 15 - 17 Bellevue Hilton, King County
WSAC Annual Conference
Save the Date for WSAC's one and only full conference in 2011! Hotel and registration information will be available in July. |
| NACo Note | |
County reentry directory being developed
NACo is working with the National Reentry Resource Center at the Council of State Governments Justice Center to develop a directory of county-led reentry efforts. The directory would connect reentry coordinators and provide a succinct list of local efforts that assist individuals returning from prisons and jail and their families. Please share with NACo if you know of a county reentry effort or would like your county reentry effort included in the directory. Contact: Rebecca Hsieh (202) 942-4279 |
| WSAC Electronic Communications | |
WSAC Members make Association a Constant Contact All Star
The Contact All Star Program is our electronic communication tool's way to recognize customers who stand out among more than 400,000 small businesses and organizations. These "power users" make the most of the marketing tools - both in how well they use Constant Contact to meet their goals and the results they get in return. WSAC uses Constant Contact for the Legislative Bulletin and for The Insider.
How do All Stars get picked?
All Stars come in all shapes and sizes - small businesses and organizations from different industries and areas. All Stars are chosen on the following criteria for success:
· Communicate with customers and members for all four quarters of the year
· Update mailing lists often and obtain permission from all their subscribers to contact them
· Have high open and click-through rates, and low bounce rates
· Use mailing list sign-up tools like "Join My Mailing List" on their website or Facebook page
· Use reports to gain insights about their contact list and online marketing activities
WSAC would like to thank its members, affiliate members, business partners and partner organizations for their readership! If you have suggestions for content or improvements to the Legislative Bulletin please contact Brad Banks or to The Insider contact Michelle Nelson. |
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