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Council hears first touch on countywide language access plan; staff to return with draft
Summary
Communications staff and public health presented an initial plan to develop countywide language access policies and tools to help limited English proficiency and deaf/hard‑of‑hearing residents access services. Staff will draft a plan and return for council review and public feedback.
Erin Andrews, county communications coordinator, and Kira Jahanfar from the health department described preliminary work to develop a San Juan County language access plan at the council's April 22 meeting. They said the purpose is to provide reasonable access to county services for limited‑English‑proficient (LEP), deaf, hard‑of‑hearing and deafblind residents through interpretation, translation and targeted outreach.
Andrews said the county has discussed language access previously as an annual initiative and presented steps to develop a written plan, notice materials, translation and interpretation services, alternative communication formats and a complaint resolution pathway. Jahanfar summarized local language data and said Spanish was the most commonly identified non‑English language in local datasets and court records; she recommended the county build flexible capacity to serve Spanish speakers while keeping the plan adaptable for other languages and formats.
Nut graf: Staff presented a research phase and a timeline that includes drafting a written plan, soliciting feedback from departments and communities, standardizing data collection, developing internal/external resources and returning for a subsequent council review before requesting funding in the 2026–27 biennial budget.
Andrews and Jahanfar described existing county resources that will be folded into a countywide program, including a website translation tool, Spanish social media accounts, translated press materials already produced by the health department, and a phone interpretation service used at outreach events. They said courts and Public Works already maintain practices and that the county plan should reinforce those departmental efforts.
Council members praised the countywide approach and emphasized in‑person outreach, printed materials in multiple languages, and coordination with courts and Public Works. Council member Paulson noted the website's language toggle and urged that outreach consider seniors and community members who do not use the county website.
Ending: Staff will return with a draft language access plan for council review and public comment, then present a third touch ahead of the 2026–27 biennial budget process for potential funding.
