Drafter
Clerk 06/17/2009
title
A MOTION accepting the mental illness and drug dependency annual report for 2008 in compliance with Ordinances 15949, 16261 and 16262.
Body
WHEREAS, in 2005, the state Legislature authorized counties to implement a one-tenth of one percent sales and use tax to support new or expanded chemical dependency or mental health treatment programs and services and for the operation of new or expanded therapeutic court programs and services, and
WHEREAS, in November 2007, the council approved Ordinance 15949 authorizing the levy collection of and legislative policies for the expenditure of revenues from an additional sales and use tax of one-tenth of one percent for the delivery of mental health and chemical dependency services and therapeutic courts, and
WHEREAS, the ordinance defined the following five policy goals for programs supported through sales tax funds:
1. A reduction of the number of mentally ill and chemically dependent using costly interventions like jail, emergency rooms and hospitals;
2. A reduction of the number of people who recycle through the jail, returning repeatedly as a result of their mental illness or chemical dependency;
3. A reduction of the incidence and severity of chemical dependency and mental and emotional disorders in youth and adults;
4. Diversion of mentally ill and chemically dependent youth and adults from initial or further justice system involvement; and
5. Explicit linkage with, and furthering the work of, other council directed efforts including, the adult and juvenile justice operational master plans, the Plan to End Homelessness, the Veterans and Human Services Levy Services Improvement Plan and the county Recovery Plan, and
WHEREAS, the ordinance established a policy framework for measuring the public's investment, requiring the King County executive to submit oversight, implementation and evaluation plans for the programs funded with tax revenue, and
WHEREAS, each of those plans was developed in collaboration with the mental illness and drug dependency oversight committee and each was approved by the council in 2008, and
WHEREAS, the mental illness and drug dependency plans established a comprehensive framework to ensure that the strategies and programs funded through the one-tenth of one percent sales tax are transparent, accountable, collaborative and effective, and
WHEREAS, Ordinance 15949 set forth the required elements of the mental illness and drug dependency annual report, and
WHEREAS, the mental illness and drug dependency annual report has been reviewed and approved by the mental illness and drug dependency oversight committee;
WHEREAS, Ordinance 16261 directed the mental illness and drug dependency oversight committee, with input from the council and the executive, to propose a process and a schedule for new strategies and programs to be considered for funding by the sales tax revenue to be submitted to the council along with the mental illness and drug dependency annual report due to the council on April 1, 2009, and
WHEREAS, Ordinance 16261 recognized the need to expand mental health court services to more residents of King County in more locations throughout the county without further fragmenting of the justice system for vulnerable, mentally ill clients, and
WHEREAS, Ordinance 16261 directed the mental illness and drug dependency oversight committee to review options for enhancing the delivery of mental health court services and recommend a proposed strategy to provide mental illness and drug dependency funds for mental health courts in King County to be submitted to the council along with and in the same manner as the mental illness and drug dependency annual report that is due on April 1, 2009, and
WHEREAS, the mental health court expansion and new strategy process proposals that are Attachments D and E to this motion are to be addressed in subsequent legislative action and are not included in the acceptance of the annual report;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT MOVED by the Council of King County:
The Mental Illness and Drug Dependency 2008 Annual Report, Attachments A, B, C, F and G to this motion, is hereby accepted. Adoption of this motion accepting the mental illness and drug dependency annual report does not constitute approval of Attachment D to this motion, mental health court expansion proposal and Attachment E to this motion, new strategy process, which are attachments to the annual report that is attached to this motion. The council will consider approval of the mental health court expansion new strategy process proposals found in Attachments D and E to this motion through subsequent legislative action.