San Juan County staff outline draft language access plan; council asks for budget and department feedback

San Juan County communications and health staff gave the council a briefing on a draft countywide language access plan on June 9, 2025, and the council asked staff to return with implementation details and a budget request for the 2026 budget cycle.

Erin Andrews, San Juan County communications coordinator, and Kira Jahanfar, communications program coordinator for the health department, described the draft plan as a package that would include the plan itself, notices of language assistance, alternative communication formats (for example, live captions and universal signage), a library of translated vital documents and a complaint‑and‑resolution process. They told council the county triggers some Department of Justice language‑access reporting requirements because of its Spanish‑speaking population and that Spanish would be the initial priority for translated materials.

Andrews told the council the draft plan lays out a prework period through 2025 for departmental coordination and that staff plan to return for a budget ask before the upcoming budget cycle. She described a likely implementation timeline that would include developing contracts with interpretation and translation vendors, finalizing a list of vital documents for year‑one translation and launching services in 2026, then monitoring and evaluating the program into 2027. The health department currently uses LanguageLink for over‑the‑phone interpretation and has local interpreter lists for in‑person needs.

Council members asked about cost drivers, supply versus demand for in‑person interpreters and technical approaches such as QR codes or iPad access to translated web pages. Council member Fuller asked whether the county would prefer local interpreters for in‑person work and whether the program would use a hybrid approach; Kira Jahanfar and staff described a hybrid model combining contractor services for phone/video interpretation with local certified interpreters for in‑person needs. Council member Paulson asked whether the county plan is a policy or a plan; Andrews said statute and federal guidance require a plan and that the county may adopt a broader policy later if desired. Staff emphasized that the courts maintain their own, longer‑standing language programs and that the county plan is intended to be complementary.

The council directed staff to continue departmental and HR coordination, to factor language access into the county’s diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging work and to return with departmental feedback and an anticipated budget figure so the council can consider funding in the next budget cycle. Staff said they will collect vendor quotes and bring cost estimates back to council for a budget decision.