Drafter

Clerk 09/07/16

Title

A MOTION approving the comprehensive, historical review and assessment report of the mental illness and drug dependency funded strategies, services, and programs, in compliance with Ordinance 17998.

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, Ordinance 15949 authorized 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, Ordinance 15949 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, Ordinance 15949 established a sunset date for the ordinance authorizing the mental illness and drug dependency ("MlDD") one-tenth of one percent sales and use tax of January 1, 2017, while acknowledging that the county may amend the expiration date to provide for continued collection of the sales and use tax, and

                     WHEREAS, in preparation for the King County council’s potential consideration of an amendment to ordinance 15949 to provide for continued collection of the MIDD sales and use tax, and

                     WHEREAS, Ordinance 17998 called for the King County executive to transmit to the council a comprehensive, historical review and assessment report of the MlDD-funded strategies, services and programs that includes an evaluation of the effectiveness of the MIDD-funded strategies, services and programs in meeting the five policy goals outlined in Ordinance 15949, and

                     WHEREAS, the comprehensive, historical review and assessment report of the MlDD-funded strategies, services and programs recognizes that in aggregate, MIDD-funded strategies, services and programs are successful and effective in meeting the established policy goals, and

                     WHEREAS, significant reductions in jail and emergency department use and psychiatric hospitalizations are reflected in the report as documented by MIDD evaluation data, and

                     WHEREAS, the comprehensive, historical review and assessment report of the MlDD-funded strategies, services and programs submitted by the executive with this motion has been developed with input from, and has been reviewed by, the mental illness and drug dependency oversight committee;

                     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT MOVED by the Council of King County:

                     The comprehensive, historical review and assessment report of the mental illness

and drug dependency funded strategies, services and programs, which is Attachment A to this motion, is hereby approved.