Franklin Co. walks back vital bi-county human services breakup for now
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Franklin pauses exit from long-standing human services pact with Benton County.
- Dispute centers on legal liability and cost-sharing of vital grant-backed programs.
- Breakup risks $5M in housing funds and support services for disabled residents.
Franklin County has hit the brakes on a sudden decision to break up a longstanding bi-county partnership that serves veterans, children with developmental disabilities and Tri-Citians at risk of becoming homeless.
The Benton-Franklin Human Services agreement will remain in place for now, though leadership from both counties continue to criticize each other.
Benton County offered to enter into a new agreement that would continue services through the end of June 2026, but has not received a response as of 1 p.m. Wednesday. They are moving ahead on a short term basis for the time being, after a meeting between county administrators Tuesday afternoon.
Benton County also issued a news release Wednesday afternoon pushing back at Franklin County’s claims that they attempted to raise costs.
Franklin County leaders expressed frustration over concerns and confusion from community members, but have not publicly discussed a plan for transitioning to a new department. About a dozen students from the Pasco Transition Center, which serves adults ages 18 to 22 with disabilities, asked commissioners Wednesday for more information and to carefully consider how they approach changes to the contract.
Franklin County Administrator Brian Dansel said during the meeting that after the discussion with leadership in Benton County, he was optimistic about finding a favorable agreement.
Dansel said community members worried about the impact to services they rely on were not getting accurate information, but Benton County expressed concern over whether Franklin County leaders fully understand the scope of services covered.
Franklin County did not discuss ending the agreement before voting on it at their Sept. 10 meeting and only briefly mentioned it during a workshop after their Sept. 17 meeting once community members began speaking out.
“We had a great conversation (this week) about how we could make this work and what it would look like,” Dansel told his commissioners. “(We) agreed to another meeting, and if it doesn’t work, what would that look like? We talked about doing it in a way that isn’t so fast and have so many folks wondering, like today.”
Tentative agreement
Both counties have indicated they are evaluating all of their agreements with their counterparts, leaving the door open for a potential total breakup of bi-county services.
Benton County Deputy Administrator Matt Rasmussen told the Herald in an email that these partnerships likely cannot continue if the counties can’t reach an agreement on sharing legal liability.
Rasmussen also pushed back at Franklin County’s claim that Benton was asking for a lot more money.
During a Wednesday workshop meeting about funding county road improvements, Franklin County leaders continued to discuss the possibility of finding cost savings, including as part of reexamining their interlocal agreements with Benton County.
Franklin County also approved creating a Veterans Service Officer position to prepare for the possibility of taking on those responsibilities if they are not able to come to an agreement with Benton County.
“We’ve already talked about the (Interlocal Agreements) and contracts, but it’s worth nothing that that’s usually where the biggest amount of savings can be found and I’m not just saying, I want to be very careful about something, there’s been a lot discussed recently about Benton County and Franklin County and being good partners, and I think we all want that,” Dansel said.
“I want that too, and kind of one of the things I told the folks over across the river was, I’m not going to be the person that speaks up in newspaper articles or interviews, or anything that’s trying to throw anyone under the bus, what we’re trying to do is financially manage this county in a fiscally prudent way while delivering the services to so many of the fine people that were here today. It’s unfortunate that sometimes when things happen like they did, but also I look at it as an opportunity, I guess I’m an optimist that way, there are always opportunities here.”
“We’re not always going to agree on everything, I think that’s the other thing we’ve got to come to the conclusion of. Even if we don’t agree, we can disagree in an agreeable fashion, it doesn’t have to be a knock-down, drag-out fight, and I don’t think that any kind of media has to be involved. We can just have a gentleman’s agreement or disagreement. I think that’s a very possible and doable thing in the year 2025, even.”
County staff can meet and discuss the possibility of changes, as well as inform individual commissioners about discussions, but the boards cannot reach a consensus outside of meetings. Washington state law also prohibits commissioners from discussing any matters relating to county business among themselves or through an intermediary.
That leaves few options for members of the public and impacted families to be informed outside of either a discussion during a public meeting or news releases sent out before decisions are considered. The counties could also choose to host individual or joint public workshops on the issue.
What are the sticking points?
As it currently stands, the biggest concern for Benton County is that Franklin seems unwilling to share legal liability for joint services because they are administered by Benton.
Franklin is concerned about taking on that liability and the cost of the agreements. Benton has pushed back, saying their cost estimates are wrong.
Last week, Franklin County said they believe that the new human services agreement could potentially cost them hundreds of thousands of dollars out of its general fund. The agreement has been in place under a contract for five years and under a handshake agreement for about two decades prior.
Franklin County now believes the way these services have been paid for cannot be legally done.
The current arrangements are funded by a $5,000 per month fee, 10% of costs through grant funding and 10% of costs through recording fees charged when selling a home. These recording fees are often the largest source of funds for emergency housing vouchers.
Franklin County is saying it thinks the costs need to come directly from its general fund, which has not been the case in the past.
Franklin County Commission Chairman Clint Didier said Wednesday that they are not going to put up with Benton County making unjust demands.
“Again, we’re going to make sure they’re taken care of in Franklin County,” Didier said. “When we have Benton County putting down some demands on us that we’re not in agreement with, we have to find some way to make sure we stay solvent, and we just don’t keep handing over money without being accountable for it and indemnified.”
It’s unclear how Franklin came to the conclusion this funding agreement wasn’t legal, but Rasmussen said in an email that even if they chose to pay completely out of pocket, it would come in under $100,000.
These grant agreements often cover part or all of the cost of employees and require plans for staffing to be submitted as part of the application.
Benton County said in its Wednesday news release that the only new increase in the agreement comes from the addition of a second Veteran’s Service Officer, which both counties approved last year.
Benton County has already hired this Veteran’s Service Officer, using funding from the veterans assistance fund. The overall costs are expected to be evenly split, with only a previously agreed-upon 2.5% annual increase to the monthly fee.
Benton County said it has uploaded the documents in full for the public to review on its website.
The concerns about legal liability came up after a number of sexual abuse claims against the Juvenile Services department, dating as far back as the 1980s, were filed against Benton County, in the wake of a larger statewide juvenile services scandal, Rasmussen said.
When reviewing the claims, Benton County realized the juvenile services agreement did not ask Franklin County to share in potential liability, despite the facility handling all juvenile inmates for both counties. Benton then began updating the terms of contracts coming up for renewal to remedy that oversight. Franklin County rejected the request when it came up for the Human Services contract.
When asked if any bi-county partnerships can continue without updates to the indemnification agreements, Rasmussen was clear it is a hard line for Benton County’s commissioners.
“In short, no,” he told the Herald. “We cannot expect Benton County taxpayers to take on additional liability to provide services to another county. Franklin County needs to accept some liability as they would have to if they provided the services themselves.”
What is funded?
Breaking up the contract puts as much as $5 million in annual housing funding at risk for services used by residents of Franklin County. That’s an estimate based on 30% of the total $16 million in money Benton receives from the Washington Department of Commerce.
Dansel has pushed back, saying that the commerce department will continue to allocate the funds. While that is true, it is the Benton County office that would still be responsible for intake and administration unless Franklin sets up an office of its own.
“The impact of Franklin County’s decision to not renew the Human Services contract with Benton County is significant,” Benton County said in the Wednesday release.
“While many of the services are provided through grants from the state of Washington and will continue until Benton County can determine the appropriate path forward, any programs funded with local tax revenues will cease for Franklin County residents until they can stand up their own programs. This includes some level of homeless housing assistance and the veterans support programs.”
A spokesperson for the commerce department told the Herald that the city of Pasco could step in as a partner, but not until 2027, because a new 2-year contract was signed this summer before Franklin attempted to exit the agreeement.
Benton County is now concerned it’s on the hook to provide that same level of services for both counties, without the certainty of bringing in the funds that helped cover Franklin County residents.
That’s because many of the grants require the county to help anyone seeking services, no matter which county they call home.
Rasmussen said that the department is entirely grant-funded and they expect a 30% decrease in funding across all programs if Franklin County exits the partnership. That includes developmental disability services and veterans services. There are a limited number of local services that would not be impacted, provided Franklin County enacts a continuity plan.
Brian Dahl, interim director for the Washington State Developmental Disabilities Council, said in a statement to the Herald that Franklin County’s decision could have widespread impact. Dahl said that while the council does not determine or directly fund the programs, they are monitoring the situation closely.
“The Washington State Developmental Disabilities Council is concerned by the decision by Franklin County to withdraw from the bi-county Human Services partnership. It could threaten critical supports for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and their families in both Benton and Franklin counties,” Dahl said.
“Without a clear transition plan, families risk losing access to housing assistance, behavioral health coordination, and specialized transportation — services that are essential for daily stability and long-term inclusion,” he continued. “For individuals with IDD who also experience overlapping barriers, such as being unhoused or part of other underserved communities, the impact could be especially severe. This disruption not only undermines opportunities for people with IDD to participate in self-advocacy and community life, but also widens inequities and increases the likelihood of isolation for those already facing the greatest challenges.”
There is also a possibility that this breakup could lead to problems covering the cost of staff at the Benton County office, even if their caseloads remain the same. The cost of the department’s staffing is largely paid for through those grant agreements.
“It is too early to determine how it would affect staffing. We submit a budget request to Commerce regarding the (Consolidated Homeless) grant based off of staffing patterns. It is unclear if they would accept a similar budget with regard to staffing patterns if the overall allocation is adjusted down.”
Franklin County indicated in a letter to commerce officials last week that they do not want to participate in running housing programs. That could permanently shift more people who need homeless and housing assistance to Benton County where services are more readily accessible.
While everyone in the Tri-Cities currently receives services and assistance through the Benton County office, in many cases their primary residence is considered Franklin County. That’s because the Tri-Cities’ only 24-hour homeless shelter, and one of the largest supportive housing apartment complexes are in Pasco.
Franklin County did not respond to questions from the Herald about whether they have had discussions about Human Services with either the city of Pasco or Pasco School District.
Rasmussen said that determining how to move forward will require more conversations with commerce officials.
“I believe there may be other options that could be considered, but I am not certain of those and don’t want to speculate,” he said. “Cities can opt to manage their own program though, but we do not know if any conversations have occurred between Franklin County and Pasco.”
For now, it appears services will continue to be provided until either the counties can come to a satisfactory agreement or one party decides to walk away.
This story was originally published September 26, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
