Council Legislation

Proposed Ordinance No. 2020-138s

Title: An Ordinance of the Pierce County Council Levying an Additional Sales and Use Tax for Behavioral Health and Therapeutic Courts (Sales and Use Tax for Chemical Dependency or Mental Health Treatment Services or Therapeutic Courts, RCW 82.14.460) Upon State Approval of the Pierce County Accountable Care Organization Pilot Program; Establishing the Behavioral Health and Therapeutic Courts Fund; Adopting a Planning Framework for a Six-Year Behavioral Health Improvement Plan; Replacing the Chemical Dependency Advisory Board with the Newly Created Behavioral Health Advisory Board; Adopting an Interim Spending Plan; Requiring Performance Audit Review of Spending from the Behavioral Health and Therapeutic Courts Fund; Adopting Amendments to the Pierce County Code Related to Behavioral Health; Amending Chapter 2.51, "Chemical Dependency Advisory Board," Chapter 4.28, "Sales and Use Tax," and Section 4.48.020, "Special Revenue Funds," and Adopting New Sections 4.28.170, "Behavioral Health and Therapeutic Courts Tax –

Status: Passed

Sponsors: Councilmembers Dave Morell, Connie Ladenburg, Derek Young

Final votes

December 22, 2020
Aye Excused Nay Aye Aye Aye Aye


Documents
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Public Comments

Name Date Comment
Ralph Vendeland 12/13/20 3:49 PM What is the basis for a 9 person advisory board. If there is a cost associated with the board can it be smaller? Where does this proposal rank on the seriatim of other needs also requiring increases in the sales and use tax? Will this proposal increase the Gig Harbor 2.2% tax rate?
Debbie Ranniger 12/14/20 9:31 AM Members of the Pierce County Council, Passing the proposed ordinance # No. 2020-138 couldn’t be more critical than now. Pierce County needs to address the challenges of behavioral health in new ways. The current system is broken. People suffering from mental health issues need to be treated, not incarcerated. The expansion of the Trueblood funding is necessary and will ultimately reduce costs to the system and improve lives. Ordinance No. 2020-138 will move Pierce County in the right direction, expanding the MCIRT teams and expanding Intensive Services for Youth suffering from behavioral health issues. I urge you to support and vote for this ordinance. Thank you, Debbie Ranniger District 5
Elizabeth Knox 12/15/20 8:48 AM I strongly support this proposal.
Bob Winslow 12/16/20 8:55 AM HOPE. December is the season of hope. Now are extraordinarily challenging times for our community’s overall mental health. Ordinance 2020-138s offers a bright ray of hope. I want to thank Council Members Morell, Ladenberg, and Young for bringing this proposed ordinance forward. We’ve lost four years of hope debating this issue. It contains a well thought out spending proposal. It proposes funding a broad array of programs targeted at some of our most vulnerable populations and our most challenging behavioral health care needs. Its programs can have a positive impact. They can improve some lives. The value our community would receive from these programs would greatly outweigh the small cost individuals would be asked to pay. Now is the time for County Council to adopt the Pierce County Sales and Use Tax for Behavioral Health and Therapeutic Courts. Turn hope into reality. Don’t dash our hopes again as the 2015-2016 Council did four years ago during their last council meeting. I hope our dreams of improving behavioral health care will not be shattered by linking the ”Sales and Use Tax for Behavioral Health and Therapeutic Courts" funding to the creation of and outside approvals for the ACO Medicaid pilot. I would prefer these valuable programs not be linked. I ask the council give us some hope. Please adopt proposed Piece County Ordinance 2020-138s. Thank you,
Laura Gardner 12/22/20 9:20 AM I strongly support the proposal to levy the behavioral health tax - this is long overdue. I am not familiar with the Accountable Care Organization and the other plans (other than what I read in the News Tribune) so I don't have an opinion on the rest of it.
Janet Hazelton 12/22/20 9:45 AM I support this proposal. I think it can help
Kayla Becker 12/22/20 10:17 AM This is absolutely necessary. The county needs to focus more services and funding on mental and behavioral health services. These types of services are the foundation of overall health and wellness. Without mental health services, you end up spending more on all other services. Keeping your county constituents healthy and mentally well is of the utmost importance. Please vote yes on this ordinance!
Courtney Stoker 12/22/20 3:00 PM Please vote yes on Ordinance 2020-138s establishing a behavioral health tax for Pierce County. Thank you for all your diligent work on this proposal as it will greatly benefit all residents of the county.