Lewis County Commissioners Approve Requests for Mental Health Tax Funds
The ChronicleOct 14, 2017
The money in Fund 110 does not have any impact on the general fund, but instead is its own pot of money. The money generated from the tax has to be used for chemical dependency and mental health treatment, as well as court programs and services that include treatment, case management and housing services.
Commissioners to Begin Making Decisions on Budget Next Week
"We do not feel that this office's ROI or return on investment is adequate to continue funding at current levels," states the committee's report. "We would suggest partnering with
The county has been looking at how to save costs in the program by moving it out of the courthouse and potentially into a portion of the
Other recommendations from the advisory committee include the commissioners taking a pay cut equal to the percentage of new tax increases, not approving an increase request for the superior court commissioner's salary to tie it to 85 percent of the judges, ending the Public Health and Social Services immunization program -- which is already in discussions -- and proposing a new one-tenth of 1 percent taxes in several categories that were not specifically identified. Those taxes, according to the report, would not be for operating expenses or the general fund.
The group also does not recommend providing a
During the meeting on Tuesday, the commissioners will also hear the advisory board's full report and discuss their recommendations.
All programs not required by law will be given a close look as the commissioners seek to close the difference of
The approved funding requests include a
In a meeting earlier this month,
Also approved was a
Funding requests for both the juvenile department and the
"This is an addition to the Cascade contract for (mental health alternative) staff due to the reallocation of the coordinator position," Butler said.
The money will fund a psychiatrist through the Cascade contract that can prescribe psychotropic medications, a service that is not provided through
"I think that's something we are going to have to do regardless because
Commissioners supported the requests and gave the approval so the various departments could start working on the required contracts.
"I don't have any problems moving forward on this as long as the money is out there and available and it's not going to affect our fund balance," Commissioner
County Manager Update
After the commissioners expressed an interest in reorganizing current staff under the board to create a county manager position, Butler informed commissioners the position under that strategy would cost about
If existing support staff was instead utilized to support the new role, Butler said that cost would probably decrease by another
To create a new position and hire a county manager from outside of current staff, the cost would be
Commissioners now have three options as they move forward to decide if they will incorporate a county manager to oversee day-to-day operations in their office. They can either hire someone from existing staff into the position while hiring a support person, they can hire someone with no new support staff, or they can choose not to pursue the position, according to
Butler said the commissioners could look at allocating some of the cost across various departments that would operate under the county manager so the money wouldn't all have to come out of the general fund. There are several positions in the county that already utilize a similar fee structure.
Moving Discover Lewis County out of
After two years of operation, the commissioners are looking at transitioning Discover Lewis County, the county's online tourism effort, out from the umbrella of the information technology department and under the management of the Southwest
A preliminary discussion on the move was held on Wednesday.
"This is the first time the board had actually been as a group, anyway, discussing this option,"
Discussions centered around moving Discover Lewis County to the fairgrounds.
Currently, the IT department has an open vacancy. That position could be transferred over to the fairgrounds, which would result in an employee that is paid about
"The technical elements an IT employee has wouldn't be required as much over there," Wohld said of the potential cost savings.
Essentially, the new employee hired to oversee Discover Lewis County would be at a lower pay grade.
"I think this is a good move," Commissioner
Commissioner
The potential reorganization is something the commissioners will continue to discuss as they move forward with a budget for 2018.
Employee Insurance Update
Through the county's current insurance provider,
To decrease that cost, the commissioners have been looking at switching to a different insurance provider.
The process has been difficult as the desired company asked for proprietary information that was unattainable during the application process. Now, with those issues hopefully solved, the commissioners have decided to move forward with the Public Employees Benefits Board Program.
If the county successfully joined PEBB, the cost to both the county and its employers would go up, but it's much better than the looming increase offered through WCIF, county employees said.
"It's going to be higher for everybody and for some it's going to be substantially higher especially depending on the plan,"
A percentage increase for the amount plans will go up was not available, because there are 20 different classifications of insurance an employee can select from.
"Let's put it this way: It's way less than the 68 percent we were looking at," Commissioner Jackson said.
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