Council directs staff to include phone-interpretation service in draft language-access plan; no budget yet approved

San Juan County communications and health staff presented draft templates and vendor pricing July 15 for a county language-access plan to help non‑English speakers access county services. The presentation included low‑cost options (Google Translate, translated web pages), vendor phone-interpretation rates and sample translation costs for common documents.

Council direction: Following discussion, council asked staff to finalize a no‑cost language-access plan using existing tools and to include a budgeted option to purchase a vendor phone-interpretation subscription (for live interpretation by phone) as the county’s first funded language-access tool. Council members said a vendor phone line would standardize quality and avoid reliance on child interpreters or on-site bilingual staff who cannot always be available.

Staff notes: Staff described a modest biennial cost estimate range for phone-interpretation service (in the low thousands), and offered higher-cost tiers for broader translation programs. Council asked staff to return with a specific biennial budget figure for the phone-interpretation subscription during the budget process; staff will also collect user data and vendor quotes and circulate a draft plan to departments for feedback.

Why it matters: County staff and departments currently rely on translators, bilingual staff and ad hoc use of free tools. Council’s direction to include a funded phone-interpretation subscription reflects a priority for more consistent, professional interpretation for non‑English speakers seeking county services.

Next steps: Staff will revise the draft plan, circulate it for departmental feedback and return with a budget proposal (biennial cost) for council consideration during the 2026–27 budget process.