Update: Franklin explains ending bi-county homeless, disabilities partnership
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Franklin County ended a key Human Services contract without public discussion.
- Benton County may shoulder service costs due to state-mandated coverage rules.
- The split threatens continuity of care for vulnerable groups in Franklin County.
Veterans, children with disabilities and Tri-Citians in danger of falling into homelessness will be the first to feel the fallout from a Franklin County decision to break up bi-county service agreements.
With no discussion during their Sept. 10 meeting, Franklin County commissioners voted against renewing a Human Services contract with Benton County.
The contract had been in place since 2020, but the partnership existed longer under a handshake agreement.
Benton County Human Services provides housing support and eviction prevention, resources for veterans, developmental disability services, substance use disorder prevention services and more for people in both counties. Much of the day-to-day work is funded by the Washington state Department of Commerce and various state and federal grants.
Franklin County Administrator Brian Dansel said in a news release Friday that they were disappointed they could not come to an agreement with Benton County.
“The decision stems from a letter dated August 26th, in which Benton County issued an ultimatum. The letter stated that if Franklin County did not agree to a new, significantly more expensive contract by September 30th, Benton County would assume Franklin County did not wish to continue the agreement and would begin separating human services work and related grant funding.”
Dansel said the letter indicated that if Franklin County didn’t agree to the new terms and increased costs, Benton would move forward with splitting up the partnership.
“The proposed new contract demanded an additional several hundred thousand dollars every year for the foreseeable future from Franklin County,” Dansel said. “This increase would have required the county to either lay off multiple employees, divert funds from its road maintenance budget, or both. For Franklin County taxpayers, who rely on their tax dollars for road upkeep and maintenance, this was considered an unacceptable burden.”
Chairman Clint Didier said in the news release that they were disappointed by the outcome.
“The financial demands from Benton County were simply unreasonable, especially given the significant increase in costs and the ultimatum we were given,” Didier said. “Benton County was fully aware that our sales tax revenue had diminished by an average of 15% per month, yet they asked us to make an impossible choice.”
Franklin County was previously paying about $5,000 per month, while Benton made up the difference in costs through the grant programs.
Dansel said Benton County wanted an additional 20% of funds for homelessness programs to come directly from Franklin County’s general fund, which they believe exceeds the amounts allowed under state law. They also took issue with having to potentially fund new Benton County employees without having any say in salary or benefit costs.
Fallout from a potential breakup
Benton County leaders responded the partnership ending during their Tuesday meeting, expressing concern that the hasty nature of the breakup will leave them footing the bill for providing the same services because they have contracts in place with the state.
That’s because the state funding for some services requires them to serve anyone who comes in, regardless of their home address.
“My concern with removing Franklin County from that and Franklin County not having anything set up is we’ll have one-third less money and all the same people because they won’t have anywhere to go in Franklin County,” Human Services Director Kyle Sullivan told Benton County’s commissioners.
Community members are worried that any interruption in service could hurt vulnerable Tri-Cities families that rely on the programs.
Without being able to speak with Franklin County’s staff, Sullivan is also worried about how in-depth their understanding is of the scope of the services and the legal requirements that come with them.
Dansel said there will not be any interruption of services. Joint agreements in place will continue.
“All the concerns about the programs going away or being affected are not accurate,” Dansel said in the news release. “The homelessness grant will not be lost; its administration will simply be transferred to the Department of Commerce, which will directly work with Franklin County to administer the funds, and at a rate that is affordable and doesn’t exceed the state statute.”
“Furthermore, Franklin County has secured the necessary funding to hire positions for Veterans Services, and these positions will be advertised immediately. In fact, by not signing the proposed agreement, which would have necessitated employee layoffs and a diversion of funds from road maintenance, Franklin County will now have more resources available for its veterans and residents.”
The sudden shakeup led Benton County commissioners to have staff review all of its other partnerships with Franklin County to figure out how to untangle services in the event Franklin leaders decide to sever more agreements.
Benton County leaders said they were caught completely off guard, but noted that they believe the decision is tied to a push for Franklin County to agree to share liability for potential lawsuits in the juvenile services department after the discovery of a decadeslong sexual assault scandal at Washington state juvenile facilities.
Now, Benton County is concerned they’re also going to be responsible for both the costs and legal liability that comes with running the Human Services office that has served everyone in the Tri-Cities for 15 years.
“I think that’s pretty crappy, I’d rather use the S-H-- word, of Franklin County to put that burden on Benton County taxpayers,” Commissioner Jerome Delvin said. “That’s my personal feeling.”
The only contact they had before Franklin County’s vote was earlier this summer when they told Franklin County it was time to renew the contract, which expired in June, according to Commissioner Michael Alvarez.
County leaders said during the meeting the only response they received was a comment from Franklin County Administrator Brian Dansel that said the August letter “seems like a divorce letter.”
Benton County most recently renewed their state consolidated homeless grant for both counties for a two-year term. It’s unclear how that funding would be split up, if it could be at all.
“I guess I’m a bottom-line type of guy, I’m kind of dumbfounded by this move,” Alvarez said. “I really am. I’m being straight up, I’m a llittle bit irritated because this affects a lot of people. It trickles down to our whole community.”
He said Benton County will do everything they can to continue helping the impacted families during the transition.
“We did everything we could to continue that contract, but we can’t control other counties,” Alvarez said. “That’s their right. If they can put the program in and be sufficient themselves, then so be it.”
Franklin County impact
It’s unclear if Franklin County reached out to the city of Pasco or Pasco School District about how their families will be impacted.
Franklin County has an estimated population of 103,250. About 83,000 of them live within the Pasco city limits.
Sara Sorensen Petersen, a Pasco special education teacher and the coordinator for the Pasco Transition Center, urged Franklin County commissioners this week to provide clarity and prioritize the continuation of vital services for Pasco families.
“These are not optional services, they are critical support that impacts the lives of Pasco students and their families,” Sorensen Petersen said.
“My question to you today is simple, but urgent, ‘What is Franklin County’s plan to ensure these essential services continue now that the bi-county agreement is no longer in place?’ Our families look to us for guidance and reassurance, and as educators we need to be able to tell them what supports will be available moving forward.”
Her students are ages 18 to 22 and learn life skills needed to live independently. She’s concerned about what will happen to Pasco students who already have job and life skills support setup through Benton County Human Services and its partners.
The Franklin commissioners did not discuss the changes during their regular Wednesday meeting, though the county did approve sending a letter to the “Department of Commerce regarding human services” as part of their consent agenda.
Dansel said that letter was to notify Commerce regarding the decision to not renew the agreement.
“The Franklin County Board of Commissioners is confident it made the right decision by protecting its employees and its road maintenance budget,” Dansel wrote.
“While this was not the desired outcome, the Board was given a short window to respond to an ultimatum that would bind the county to excessive costs (several hundred thousand dollars every year) for several years, that again, would most likely have to be paid for by laying off mission-critical positions in Franklin County and diverting road funds,” he continued. “In the end, the Franklin County Commissioners didn’t believe this would be a prudent financial move for one single agreement. The Franklin County Board of Commissioners is open to a reasonable proposal from Benton County, but the current proposal is not reasonable, as previously mentioned.”
Who Human Services helps
Children’s Developmental Center Executive Director Zahra Roach told Benton leaders that parents are worried about what this means for services for their children.
Roach said that Human Services works with organizations like Goodwill Industries and her organization, which serves children who were premature or have developmental delays until age 3 when they transition to public school.
“We are concerned about the fact that if this decision is made in a hasty way without a strategic plan for continued services for those families that live in Franklin County, that they’ll go underserved and that continuity of care will definitely be disrupted,” she said.
Under the agreement, Benton County applies for and administers:
- Consolidated Homeless Grants
- Community Development Block Grants from HUD and the state’s Department of Commerce
- Shelter Plus Care grants
- Developmental Disabilities Administration grants
- Substance use disorder prevention grants
- Homeless housing and affordable housing programs
- Veteran’s assistance fund, including determining eligibility for veterans
- Developmental disabilties transition acting as a liason between schools, state agencies and the community.
Contracts include work with ARC of Tri-Cities for Special Olympics, Lourdes Health for prosecutorial diversion services, and Developmental Disabilities Parent Coalition. It’s unclear what would happen with any of the ongoing contracts.
Who would a Tri-Cities divorce effect?
The decision to end their Human Services partnership could be the first salvo in what Benton County leaders called a “divorce” of bi-county partnerships.
Franklin County leaders have also kicked around the idea of exiting Ben Franklin Transit in favor of creating their own transit service relying on a model similar to Ubers, which they believe could be done cheaper.
The transit agency’s data shows that their on-demand ride vendor is actually the least cost-efficient program they run and the least likely to stay within budgeted costs.
They have also threatened to breakup the Benton Franklin Health District over issues ranging from vaccine policy to a new septic system requirement.
Some worry such moves could also be disastrous for economic growth in Franklin County and Pasco, making their side of the river less attractive to companies hoping to set up shop in the Tri-Cities.
The Tri-Cities Development Council has long touted the region’s interconnectivity as a major selling point.
There is also a push to pursue a legislative path to splitting up the bi-county court system.
This story was originally published September 17, 2025 at 12:31 PM.
