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County pauses external grants from mental‑health sales tax; council directs funds to Vancouver shelter project
Summary
Clark County staff told the advisory council there will be no external mental‑health sales‑tax application process this year; the county council directed most of the remaining fund balance to support a Vancouver shelter project addressing homelessness and related mental‑health and substance‑use needs.
Jordan Bogie, a senior policy analyst supporting the county manager and council, told the Clark County Schools Advisory Council that the mental‑health sales‑tax fund will not open an external competitive application this year because the county council directed most of the available fund balance to support a City of Vancouver shelter project addressing homelessness and behavioral‑health needs.
Bogie said Educational Service District 112 had submitted an application the prior year that did not move forward and that some members had inquired about reapplying. He said the new council prioritized using a large portion of the remaining fund balance for the Vancouver shelter project this year rather than running the usual June–August external application process. Bogie said the council expects to pursue external awards again in future years as the fund balance is replenished.
Council members responded that the decision reflects competing needs across the community and that addressing homelessness is an acute local priority. The meeting record shows staff invited ongoing dialogue about McKinney‑Vento and student homelessness and asked districts to identify designated leads so county staff can coordinate more directly with district staff on trends and needs for students experiencing housing instability.
