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State budget vetoes remove Vancouver Lake funds and delay staffing for Brockman behavioral health facility, county told
Summary
Clark County staff told council members on May 21 that Governor Inslee vetoed a $300,000 proviso for Vancouver Lake management work and that the Brockman behavioral health campus will not be staffed this year despite construction completing — leaving the facility in a warm-closed state.
County staff informed the Clark County Council on May 21 that two state budget decisions will alter local plans for environmental and behavioral-health projects.
Jordan Bogie, speaking for county staff, said the governor vetoed a $300,000 proviso in the state budget that had been intended to support ongoing Vancouver Lake management work. “He did veto the proviso in the budget that would have provided $300,000 to continue lake management work at Vancouver Lake,” Bogie told the council. Staff will follow up with the governor's office and the Department of Ecology and seek funding in the 2026 supplemental budget.
Separately, councilors were told the Brockman campus — a 48-bed, state-funded behavioral health facility near Vancouver that county and state officials had planned to bring into service for involuntary treatment needs — will be completed this summer but not opened for patient care because the budget provided only warm-closure staffing funding. Jordan Bogie said construction is expected to finish soon but the state provided insufficient operating funds, so the facility will not be staffed or operational this year.
Why this matters: The Vancouver Lake funds supported implementation of a lake management plan county staff say is needed to address harmful algal blooms and water-quality issues. The Brockman campus was intended to increase local capacity for involuntary behavioral-health treatment and to reduce the backlog of patients awaiting placement; delaying operation could prolong existing strains on regional behavioral-health and criminal-justice systems.
Council reaction and next steps
Councilors asked staff to engage elected state delegation members and state agencies to restore or identify alternative funding. Jordan Bogie said staff will pursue follow-up with Representative (name) and Senator (name), the Department of Ecology and the governor's office and explore options in the 2026 supplemental budget and federal appropriations where applicable.
Ending
County staff said they will report back to the council as they pursue follow-up with the governor's office, the Department of Ecology and state legislative offices. Councilors described both developments as disappointing and said they would work with partners to seek restoration of funding or identify alternatives.
