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Children’s waiting room faces possible county funding cut as commissioners trim outside agency support
Summary
Vanessa Behan’s downtown children’s waiting room — the county’s only such facility — was reviewed during the outside‑agency budget discussion; commissioners asked for usage data and alternatives before deciding whether to continue funding.
Commissioners discussed county support for a downtown children’s waiting room operated by Vanessa Behan during the June 2 outside‑agency budget review. The waiting room provides childcare for parents who must attend court and related appointments.
What staff reported: County staff and agency representatives said Spokane is one of the few Washington counties that funds a downtown children’s waiting room. Vanessa Behan staff provided usage snapshots showing quarterly fluctuations in jury donations and patron use; the agency reported relatively low counts of juror‑related usage (the original justification for the program) and higher usage tied to other courthouse and courthouse‑adjacent needs, including meetings with court‑affiliated advocates and public services.
Board concerns: Commissioners raised three practical concerns: (1) overall program cost relative to county budget constraints, (2) the low number of jurors using the service compared with prior expectations, and (3) whether a reduced schedule (for example, a few days a week) would save money while preserving access. Commissioners also discussed whether expanded coordination with Vanessa Behan’s main site or other community partners could preserve some services while lowering county support.
Next steps: Commissioners asked staff to collect and return with granular data: weekly or daily usage, breakdown of purposes (jury vs. court business vs. other services), and the impact of dollars requested on agency staffing. Commissioners signaled openness to reduction options but asked for specific service‑level consequences of any cut before making a final decision.
Ending: No decision was made; staff will return with detailed usage and cost scenarios and with options for partial reduction (e.g., reducing hours or days of operation) and alternatives such as vouchers or referral coordination with Vanessa Behan’s other locations.
