Franklin County commissioners raise sales tax to fund mental health, detox services

Franklin County shoppers will pay an extra penny for every $10 they spend starting in April to assist mental health services.

County commissioners unanimously approved the sales tax increase Tuesday night in a bi-county effort to fund chemical dependency and mental health treatment programs and services.

The increase is expected to raise about $1.4 million in revenue annually.

The vote was met by a round of applause and came after two hours of police and mental health professionals saying the Tri-Cities is facing a crisis because of a lack of those services.

“This is a problem the state isn’t going to help us with,” Sheriff Jim Raymond said. “They’re not coming. It’s time for us to help ourselves. ... This is a public health issue.”

Police have said many of the people who need help with drug treatment or mental health services aren’t best served by taking them to jail or to an emergency room, but they aren’t left with many other options.

There are only rooms for 10 people to get psychiatric inpatient treatment for the 300,000 people in Franklin and neighboring Benton counties. And there are no rooms for juvenile patients. There is also no detox facilities in the the two counties.

Benton County, which passed the same increase, is in the process of converting the former Kennewick General Hospital into a 50-bed mental health and chemical dependency facility — a project that has been in the works for years.

While the commissioners said they were willing to work with Benton County, they have not spelled out a plan for exactly how much involvement they would have. At least two commissioners said they wanted an equal say in whatever committee is formed to manage the services that will be funded by the new tax.

The move has been a long time coming, Commissioner Brad Peck said. He was part of a previous failed effort to get a facility built, and has grown concerned over the years about dedicating money to buildings.

Peck said Benton County’s efforts to convert the 10th Avenue facility seems like a good idea rather than starting a building from scratch. He also wanted to make sure they also considered the private practitioners in the area.

“The goal being to spend as much as you can on treatment and as little as possible on bricks, mortar and utilities,” he said. “I couldn’t be more happy that we’re finally, after a decade, at a table where it looks like we’re going to get this thing passed.”

Commissioner Rocky Mullen thanked the supporters for the measure. He said that he can see what has been happening.

“We need to get control of this before it escalates any worse,” he said. “I mean, just last week, I had someone pounding on my car in downtown Pasco in broad daylight, who was obviously not in a right state of mind. This issue isn’t going to go away. and we’re paying for it, regardless if we support the tax or not.”

Commissioner Clint Didier pointed out that the funds won’t necessarily solve the problem, but he was in favor of converting the former Kennewick General Hospital into a central location for drug treatment and mental health services.

He also worried that “a great facility” would attract people with drug and mental health issues from across the state. Didier told the audience member he heard from a State Patrol trooper that homeless people were being shipped from Seattle to the Tri-Cities.

“I warn you, we create a great facility, it’s not only going to be filled up with people of our neighborhood, but the state, they’re bringing them over in droves and we need to protect against that,” he said.“I warn you, we create a great facility, it’s not only going to be filled up with people of our neighborhood, but the state, they’re bringing them over in droves and we need to protect against that,” he said.

A growing problem

Franklin County sheriff’s and Pasco police officials presented a unified front as they explained the problems that are created by the lack of mental health and chemical dependency treatment options in the region.

They pointed to some high-profile cases involving people with mental illness issues and chemical dependency problems, or both. One of those was the fatal stabbing of Pasco school bus driver Richard “Dick” Lenhart in front of a bus load of children. None of the children were hurt.

While Pasco Capt. Bill Parramore didn’t say whether Joshua Dian Davis, 34, had mental health or drug dependency issues, he pointed out that the accused murderer is undergoing mental health evaluation at Eastern State Hospital.

“We dodged a bullet on this one, folks. (There was) a bus full of elementary school kids,” he said “We were very fortunate this one was not worse.”

In some cases, it’s made difficult because the people involved need help, but aren’t breaking any laws. Police pointed out a case where a woman walked into a bathroom, and then back into the entryway where she was obviously under the influence of narcotics, said Franklin County Sheriff’s Commander Monty Huber.

“In these current situations, she wasn’t committing any crime, and we didn’t have a place to take her,” Huber said. “So the resources are limited. ... I believe the answer is a facility that offers a lot of services.”

Right now, the police are left mainly with bringing people in crisis to jail, where they may get some treatment, but it won’t be long term. Police said in many cases this is not a long term solution.

Sgt. Brian Vaught pointed out a recent Washington Supreme Court decision ruled that the state’s drug possession laws unconstitutional. A new law, put in place in May, makes drug possession a misdemeanor rather than a felony.

“So much of the mental health issues that we’re dealing with are drug related, and the Blake decision effectively took away our ability to take people to jail for possession of narcotics,” Vaught said. “What they would get when they would go to jail was drug court, mental health treatment, drug treatment ... where they had at least a chance to get treatment, to recover and come back to society.”

What police and counselors want is a mental health and drug treatment facility so people who want help can get it easily. Several speakers pointed out that the more obstacles are put in the way, the less likely people will stick with a treatment plan.

This story was originally published December 8, 2021 at 12:30 PM.