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County policy updates: prenatal-care summit, mental-health sales-tax allocations and timber-sale notices discussed
Summary
Staff and councilors reported on a prenatal-care summit, the mental-health sales-tax allocation process (internal funding cycle and bridge shelter support), recent state legislative outcomes, and a timber-sale SEPA notice; councilors asked staff to pursue possible DNR land-swap opportunities.
Jordan Bogie, the county policy analyst, briefed the Clark County Council on June 11 about several policy items including a prenatal-care summit, the mental-health sales-tax funding cycle, a WASAC (Washington State Association of Counties) end-of-session report and a newly announced timber sale.
"We had a number of our state delegation attend, including Senator Cleveland, Representative Stoneyer, Senator Harris ... and we had a number of folks from various county public health agencies as well as the state Department of Health, Health Care Authority, the Office of the Insurance Commissioner," Bogie said of the prenatal-access-to-care summit. Public health will return to the board with next steps and possible items for the county's 2026 legislative package.
On the mental-health sales tax, Bogie said internal county department applications are due in August, followed by interviews in September; recommendations from the mental-health sales tax advisory board will feed into the annual budget process. Councilors also confirmed an earlier decision to allocate funds to the Vancouver bridge shelter this cycle and noted that external applicants were excluded this year because of that commitment.
Bogie summarized the WASAC legislative report and said some enacted items relevant to counties include a process to enable reprocurement when network adequacy is in question, a new point-0.1% sales tax option for public safety (House Bill 2015) available through June 30, 2028, a $100 million grant program for local law enforcement hiring, and Senate Bill 5801 providing additional county gas-tax funding. Councilors also mentioned CSB 5471, which permits increases to residential density in urban growth areas under certain conditions.
On forestry, Bogie told the council he learned of a SEPA determination of nonsignificance for the Turner timber sale near Yale Reservoir and that the auction is scheduled for Sept. 25. Councilor Little urged staff to compare Turner to a prior Dabbler site and to explore a newly created conservation funding source that could enable DNR land swaps to protect older-growth parcels. Councilors expressed unanimous interest in exploring the idea further and directed staff to pursue more information.
Why it matters: the prenatal summit and legislative changes could affect county public-health policy, Medicaid access and contracting; the mental-health sales tax is a county funding source for behavioral-health services; timber-sale notices and possible DNR swaps have implications for local conservation and revenue.
Ending: County staff will return with follow-up reports, including next steps on prenatal-access work and additional details about the Turner timber sale and potential conservation swap opportunities.
