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County and police present behavioral-health funding and 'Handle With Care' trends
Summary
Kittitas County officials reviewed projects supported by the 1/10th of 1% Mental Health and Chemical Dependency Tax; Ellensburg Police Chief presented Handle With Care program trends and described impacts of mental-health interactions on policing.
At the joint meeting on May 8, 2025, Commissioner Brett Wachsmith and Kittitas County Public Health Human Services Manager Kasey Knutson summarized projects supported by the county's 1/10th of 1% Mental Health and Chemical Dependency Tax.
Knuts on described how the funding is allocated to behavioral-health programs and services (the minutes summarize program support but do not list specific grant recipients or dollar amounts). Separately, Ellensburg Police Chief Wade presented information on the department's interactions with people experiencing mental-health crises and described trends related to referrals under the Handle With Care program.
Presenters emphasized program-level impacts on service coordination between public-health and public-safety partners; specific referral counts and budget figures were not recorded in the minutes.
