001-13 - Resolution - enactment of one-tenth of one percent sales and use tax - mental health chemical dependency programsIntroduced by: City Clerk
Requested by: Council
RESOLUTION NO. 001-13
Drafted by: City Clerk
Introduced: January 22,2013
Adopted: January 22, 2012
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY OF PORT ORCHARD,
WASHINGTON, SUPPORTING THE ENACfMENT OF A
ONE-TENTH OF ONE PERCENT SALES AND USE TAX IN
KITSAP COUNTY FOR THE PURPOSE OF PROVIDING
FUNDS FOR PROVISIONS OF MENTAL HEALTH
TREATMENT AND/OR CHEMICAL DEPENDENCY
TREATMENT PROGRAMS AND SERVICES, AND FOR THE
OPERATION OR DELIVERY OF THERAPEUTIC COURT
PROGRAMS AND SERVICES
WHEREAS, mental health and chemical dependency treatment
programs and services have been shown effective in helping people recover from
behavioral health illness, thereby reducing human and financial costs to society, and
increasing the productivity of individuals as members of our community; and
WHEREAS, such services are known to prevent and reduce costly and
unnecessary involvement with criminal justice and court system, emergency medical
care, shelters, and crisis services, and promote recovery for persons with disabling
mental illness and chemical dependency by implementing a full continuum of
treatment, including outpatient treatment, housing, and case management services; and
WHEREAS the public mental health system, funded by state and federal
dollars, does not have adequate resources to provide outpatient treatment to non-
Medicaid eligible individuals; and
WHEREAS, current and forecasted funding does not provide the needed
funds to establish and/ or maintain therapeutic court programs shown to reduce crime,
recidivism and support recovery; and
WHEREAS, decreased availability of less costly behavioral health out-
patient services rapidly results in use of emergent and far more expensive crisis services,
where these increasingly scarce dollars must be used to treat people in costly inpatient
units and hospitals, an unnecessary toll in both human suffering and financial burden;
and
WHEREAS,, the Washington State Legislature adopted in 2005, Chapter
504 (E2SSB 5763) authorizing counties to fix and impose a sales and use tax in the
amount of one-tenth of one percent (1/10%) to provide new or expanded mental health
or chemical dependency treatment programs and services that include but are not
Resolution No. 001-13
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limited to treatment services, case management, and housing that are a component of a
coordinated chemical dependency or mental health treatment program or services, and
to provide for the operation of new or expanded therapeutic court programs; and
WHEREAS, 20 of 37 counties in Washington State have successfully enacted
E2SSB 5763, in order to promote recovery for persons with disabling mental illness and
chemical dependency; and
WHEREAS, the City of Port Orchard _is gravely concerned the loss of local, state,
and federal funds to our community has resulted in a diminished capacity to provide
necessary behavioral health services for children, families, adults and older adults, and
that the uncertain forecast for additional funding losses will result in an even greater
lack of access to behavioral health care, compromising the health and safety of
individuals and the community; and now, therefore,
THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PORT ORCHARD,
WASHINGTON, DO ORDAIN AS FOLLOWS:
THAT: The City of Port Orchard stands firmly behind enactment of a
sales and use tax increase and recommends adoption of this tax to help
ensure mental health and chemical dependency treatment programs and
services, with specific attention to provision of services through the county
jail, juvenile justice system, children's services and schools, county courts,
inpatient and outpatient facilities, shelters and housing services for
eligible, high need individuals .
PASSED by the City Council of the City of Port Orchard, SIGNED by the Mayor and
attested by the City Clerk in authentication of such passage this 22nd day of January 2013.
~~c1$~~
Timothy C. Ma hes, Mayor