Gov. Gregoire Calls November Special Session

Gov. Chris Gregoire today announced that she will call legislators in for a special session, beginning Nov. 28, 2011. Her decision comes one week after Dr. Arun Raha, the state's economist, lowered the state's revenue forecast for the 2011-13 biennium by $1.4 billion.
 
"Congressional gridlock, the European debt crisis and high unemployment continue to take their toll on consumer confidence and our state's economy," Gregoire said. "Once again, we are facing a budget shortfall and once again I'm calling the Legislature back into special session to address the state's budget. My only option is across-the-board cuts, and that option is unacceptable. Solving this budget crisis will require the Legislature to act."
 
Raha is expecting another negative revenue forecast Nov. 17. Gregoire plans to tackle both negative revenue forecasts in one special session and hopes to finalize a budget with healthy reserves before Christmas. More than one month ago, Gregoire asked state agencies to detail how additional 5 to 10 percent cuts would affect their abilities to serve Washingtonians. She expects agencies to begin delivering those packages today.
 
If the Legislature approves a budget before the end of special session, Gregoire plans to spend the regular session focusing on policy bills to support job creation and economic growth.
 
"Let's get this budget done right in one swoop well before Christmas and then turn our focus to supporting jobs and growing our economy," Gregoire said.
 
Since the national recession began, the state has made nearly $10 billion in cuts. Gregoire has warned that additional reductions will continue to hurt public health, safety and education programs. 

WSAC staff will be meeting with the Governor, Leadership and Budget Leadership to discuss budget reduction strategies and implications.

WSAC staff have asked the Legislative Steering Committee for local budget reduction information and data for use in the aforementioned meetings.  If you have not submitted anything to date, please do so as soon as possible.  Send any info along to Max Brown at mbrown@wacounties.org.   

WSAC Hosting Regional Meetings in Okanogan and Skagit Counties  

Okanogan Meeting - County Budgets: 

WSAC will be hosting a regional meeting in North Central Washington focused on county budget development.  As you know, most counties are in the process of developing budgets for next year and this meeting that will provide you with an opportunity to meet with your peers and share your experiences and tips on balancing county budgets.  WSAC staff will be attending to facilitate the discussion that will include conversations about last year's budget implementation and challenges and opportunities for the 2012 budgets. Please feel free to include your budget staff in this opportunity.

The meeting will be on Thursday September 29th, from 2:00 to 4:00 in Okanogan.  The meeting will be held in the commissioners' hearing room located at 123-5th Avenue North, Okanogan.   

For questions regarding logistics please contact Josh Weiss at jweiss@wacounties.org and please RSVP to Sarah Bright if you plan to attend at sbright@wacounties.org.

Skagit Meeting - Regional Jails:

Many counties are struggling with jail capacity and have no clear path forward.  Additionally, the changing nature of jail populations has impacted our infrastructure needs. Regional Jails have not been widely utilized in this state, but is there a case for them now, and how would they work?  Experts from the SCORE Misdemeanant Jail Project and Martin Hall Juvenile Detention Facility will be on hand to share insights on how their partnerships have come together and how they made the financing work.   WSAC staff will also review recommendations from prior regional jail studies, what financing tools are available, and what statutory hurdles exist.  Please feel free to extend this invitation to your budget staff. 

The meeting will be on Wednesday October 5th, 1:00 pm at the Commissioners' Hearing Room at 1800 Continental Place, in Mount Vernon. 

For agenda and policy questions please contact Brian Enslow at benslow@wacounties.org and please RSVP to Sarah Bright if you plan to attend at sbright@wacounties.org.

We look forward to seeing you in Okanogan and or Skagit Countys.

Registration Now Open for Conference & Showcase in King County

WSAC members, affilate members, business partners and friends may now register for the Association's Annual Conference and Products & Services Showcase which will be held in King County from November 15-17, 2011 at the Bellevue Hilton.

The preliminary agenda is set and we are pleased to have Brian Baird, former U.S. Congressman, and William Ruckelshaus join us as keynotes speakers along with a host of issue sessions and round tables. Many WSAC affiliate members and partner organizations will be meeting in conjunction with the conference and the Showcase vendor spots are filling fast, so we hope you will join in for professional development and networking opportunities.

Early Bird registration discounts are available until November 3; hotel block discount information will be provided during the registration process. Find out more at the WSAC Annual Conference webpage: 

Agenda and Registration Information

Thanks to our event sponsors:

1. Be good stewards of what we already have by maintaining and preserving the asset;
2. Invest in projects and services that have the greatest benefit, be transparent and accountable;
3. Continue investing in safety improvements;
4. Focus future improvements on job growth and economic development;
5. Local governments will need diverse tools and options to meet the different needs around the state; and
6. Reduce the environmental impacts of transportation.

The next Task Force meeting is on October 4th.  If you have any questions, please contact Scott Merriman.  For all of the Task Force Materials:  Click Here

Public Asked to Help Make Washington a Healthier, Safer Place: 

Health Boards, Commissions and Committees Need Citizen Participation

The National Association of Counties has provided the following information related to health reform implementation.

You may also visit www.naco.org/healthreformimplement for other resources and send any questions regarding health reform implementation to healthreforminfo@naco.org. 

ACA Funds to Implement Health Information Technology in Beacon Communities
On 9/12, HHS announced health information technology (HIT) funding awards to support health centers in 15 of the 17 Beacon Communities.  The Beacon Communities receive funds through the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) to build and strengthen their HIT infrastructure capacity.  The funding, totaling $8.5 million provided to 85 community health center programs, is made available through the ACA to promote the adoption of health information technology applications.  For more information, please see: http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2011pres/09/20110912b.html

ACA Funding Opportunity for Community Health Centers
On 9/9, HHS announced the availability of approximately $700 million in ACA funding to support the building and improvement of community health centers. The announcement contains two types of funding opportunities for community health centers-specifically, one will provide approximately $600 million to existing health centers to support facility expansion and capacity enhancements, and the other will provide approximately $100 million in funding for smaller-scale projects to address immediate needs.  For more information, please see: http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2011pres/09/20110909a.html

ACA Funding Awards to Support Public Health Infrastructure
On 8/25 and 8/31 HHS announced two funding awards to support public health infrastructure, both made available in part through ACA funds.  The 8/25 announcement provided up to $137 million to states enhance efforts to provide tobacco cessation services, strengthen public health laboratory and immunization services, prevent healthcare-associated infections, and provide comprehensive substance abuse prevention and treatment. For more information, please see:  http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2011pres/08/20110825a.html.  On 8/31, HHS announced $40 million in funding made available to state, tribal, local and territorial health departments and several schools of public health as part of the five -year cooperative agreement program, the National Public Health Improvement Initiative (NPHII) Strengthening Public Health Infrastructure for Improved Health Outcomes program.  For more information, please see:   http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2011pres/08/20110831a.html

IRS Proposed Rules Regarding the Community Health Needs Assessment Requirements for Tax-Exempt Hospitals
Beginning in taxable years after March 23, 2012, the ACA requires nonprofit hospitals to conduct periodic community health needs assessments (CHNA).  The IRS recently proposed rules regarding the CHNA requirements, and comments on the rules are due on 9/23.  For more information, please see: http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-drop/n-11-52.pdf and http://www.healthreformgps.org/resources/irs-notice-and-request-for-comments-regarding-the-community-health-needs-assessment-requirements-for-tax-exempt-hospitals/

Bundled Payments for Care Improvement Initiative
On 8/23, HHS announced the Bundled Payments for Care Improvement Initiative, which is a new ACA effort that is designed to align payments for health care services that are delivered for one particular care episode, rather than payments for separate services. Health care providers and hospitals can now apply to participate in the program, which will be administered through the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation.  For more information, please see: http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2011pres/08/20110823a.html and http://www.innovations.cms.gov/areas-of-focus/patient-care-models/bundled-payments-for-care-improvement.html.

For updates on implementation at the State level:
The Joint Legislative Task Force on Health Reform Implementation will be meeting on September 28, 2011 at the WSU - Riverpoint Campus in Spokane, Washington. Documents related to the meetings of the Committee can be found at:  http://www.leg.wa.gov/JointCommittees/HRI/Pages/Meetings.aspx

Governor's Health Care Cabinet Website: 

Meet This Fall with Your DOR Partners

The Local Government Partnership Fall Meeting is scheduled for October 3, 2011.  It is a great opportunity for all local governments to share information with each other.  It's also a time to connect with Department of Revenue staff and peers.  Through your involvement, you can help develop communication tools and agenda items that enhance local tax administration.  So far, we have identified the following agenda topics for the October 3 meeting:

Meeting Information:
Date:  Monday, October 3, 2011
Time:  8:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.  (Check-in begins at 8:30; meeting begins at 9:00)
Location: Labor and Industries - Auditorium
               7273 Linderson Way SW
               Tumwater, WA 98501
 

Registration is Free
Please register by September 26, 2011, one of the following ways:
 
Register Online:
Send an email to Diane Mielke at dianem@dor.wa.gov and include:
Your name
Title
Organization
Phone number
Email address
 
When You Register
Please share your ideas for other topics.  Your input will make this a great meeting!  There is a space on the registration form for your ideas and comments.

For more information, or if you have a specific topic of interest you would like the Department to address at the October 3 meeting or a future meeting, please contact Diane Mielke at dianem@dor.wa.gov or (360) 534-1514.  Or visit the local government web page at: http://dor.wa.gov/content/doingbusiness/localgovernment.aspx.

AtWork Begins Under NACo Rural Counties Technical Assistance Grants to Strengthen Local Health Care Systems

 
As part of this year's Rural Health Works program, www.naco.org/ruralhealth activities, NACO provided Pacific County, WA with technical assistance awards to help them assess their local health needs and strengthen their health care delivery system. (Counties were selected on a competitive basis; here is a link to the NACo County News article on the project, on p. 4): http://www.naco.org/newsroom/countynews/archives/Documents/2011/CNews-July4-2011.pdf
 
The technical assistance will include analyses of local health indicator data, assessments of the economic impact of the local health care sector, and community surveys on where residents seek treatment. The results of these assessments will be presented and discussed at two community meetings facilitated by consultants from the National Center for Rural Health Works.
 
Pacific County has begun its work with NACo and consul¬tants from the National Center for Rural Health Works throughout 2011 to assess their local health care needs and develop strategies to address health care delivery chal¬lenges. The first community meeting was held on August 26 at the Columbia Pacific Heritage Museum and was attended by approximately 50 community members, including Pacific County Commissioner Bud Cuffel and members of the Public Health and Human Services Department. The assessment process will help identify health care services that may be lacking in the region and develop realistic solutions to improve local health care service delivery capacity.
 
Kathy Spoor, Pacific County Administrative Officer and former Director of the Public Health and Human Services Department, noted some of the chal¬lenges in the county that she hopes the process will help address. "Our county is fairly isolated, has high poverty rates and a rapidly aging population," she said. "Before being selected, one of our county hospitals was in the initial stages of planning for a community health needs assessment, and so the technical assistance will provide us with the needed capacity to move from planning to action." The next meeting is scheduled for October 20th and will include a review of the results of the assessment.
 
Here is a link to the NACo County News article on the project, on p. 4): http://www.naco.org/newsroom/countynews/archives/Documents/2011/CNews-July4-2011.pdf
 

King County Public Defenders Are Declared Public Employees

The State Supreme Court recently ruled that the nonprofit public defense firms that contract with King County are eligible for the state public employees' retirement system (PERS), allowing more than 200 attorneys to join the pension system.  In a 5-4 decisions, the Court found, "that employees of the agencies are also county employees for the purposes of PERS".  This finding was based on the majority's opinion that King County has, "such a right of control over the defender organizations that they are arms and agencies of the county".

WSAC is concerned that this ruling might not be limited to just this case and potentially opens the door to similar claims from other government contractors.  This concerned is based, in part, on the fact that the majority opinion does not articulate a clear test to be used to determine whether a contractor is in fact an arm or agency of government.  The decision lists factors, but doesn't really state what those factors mean or how they should be applied.  Prior to this case, counties have always relied on the clear direction provided in statute as to who was or was not a county employee.  This case has clearly blurred what once was a bright line. 

WSAC and the Washington Association of County Officials are submitting a joint brief requesting the court to reconsider its decision.  Given that public agencies contract for a wide variety of services, sometimes even required to do so, WSAC is concern that the Court could hand private industry the keys to the public retirement system at great cost to the taxpayers. 

The Legislature has submitted a brief requesting the Court to reconsider as well.

Open Government Workshops: Policy Development for Local Public Officials