Task Force endorses VillageReach evaluation plan; calls for county funding and coordination, while a coordinator role is put on hold

The Whatcom County Incarceration Prevention and Reduction Task Force voted on July 28 to endorse VillageReach’s final evaluation and performance measurement plan for the county’s justice project and recommended the County Council and the county executive implement and finance the report’s recommendations.

The endorsement motion was moved by Bertie Safford and seconded by Scott Cortez. The task force recorded at least one explicit “no” vote from Roger Fung; several members abstained; the motion passed. After discussion about budget, legal constraints and departmental buy‑in, a second motion that would have more narrowly defined the recommended dedicated coordinator position to operationalize the plan was moved but then held until the task force’s next meeting in September.

Why it matters

Task force members and the VillageReach report framed stronger, shared performance measurement as a prerequisite for tracking whether the county’s justice reforms and diversion investments achieve intended outcomes. Task force members said a funded coordinator and interagency data agreements will be needed to make the plan operational, and…