County staff clear outside agency contracts after Q4 wrap‑up reports; Vanessa Behan, MAC, AGC and youth commission highlighted

County staff reported on March 11 that outside agency contracts were ready for execution after all agencies submitted quarter‑4 (2024) wrap‑up reports.

Vanessa Behan Children’s Waiting Room reported serving 800 children in 2024 for a total of 1,260 service hours; the highest utilizers were those attending Superior Court proceedings, the youngest user was two weeks old and the oldest 12; Vanessa Behan’s 2024 expenses were about $134,000 and the county funds services through an outside‑agency contract plus jury donations.

The Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture will receive $25,000 again in 2025; its 2024 traveling exhibit drew about 13,600 visitors and the education program served roughly 1,800 K–12 students and just over 400 college students last year.

Inland Northwest Associated General Contractors ran seven classes in 2024 with 93 graduates; coursework included OSHA‑10, first aid/CPR/AED, flagging and forklift training, and staff said most participants were low‑income and many were formerly incarcerated. The organization plans to limit 2025 class sizes to 15 for quality and transportation reasons.

Chase Youth Commission reported that it has paired youth commissioners with city council members or county commissioners for mentoring and engagement.

Why it matters: these outside‑agency contracts deliver social services, arts and workforce training to county residents and rely on county oversight and funding. Staff said the contracts will be presented next week for execution.

What’s next: staff will present the contract execution items to the board next week and continue to monitor program performance per contract terms.