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Pasco council seeks talks with county after warnings about potential Benton–Franklin Health District split
Summary
Council members urged formal outreach to county commissioners after staff warned a potential split from the Benton–Franklin Health District could put up to $14 million in programs at risk; council agreed to send a letter and seek joint meetings.
Council members raised alarms about reports that Franklin County may pursue a split from the Benton–Franklin Health District, a move council members said could jeopardize program funding and disrupt services tied to the region.
Council Member Parales outlined the implications, saying the two-county district has functioned as a partnership for decades and that splitting it could place up to $14 million in program funding at risk and disrupt dozens of joint contracts and permitting operations. He urged the city to actively engage county leadership. "We should be actively engaging... perhaps send a letter to the county telling them that they really need to rethink this stuff," Parales said.
Several council members and the mayor pro tem supported direct engagement. City Manager Stewart said staff have tried to schedule meetings with the county without success and recommended a formal council letter as a stronger step to elicit a response. Council agreed to direct staff to finalize a list of external entities for recurring outreach and to schedule joint meetings, including a tentative lunch meeting with the Pasco Chambers on June 23.
Council did not take formal action on any county proposals during the workshop, but members signaled a willingness to press for intergovernmental conversations and to protect city programs and constituents from service disruption.
