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<< Previous   of   Next >>   ADVERTISEMENT   CONTACT THE HERALD Robert Frank, City Editor frank@heraldnet.com   Published: Wednesday, August 15, 2007 New tax to aid mental health By Sharon Salyer and Kaitlin Manry, Herald Writers Here's something you've probably never seen at a public hearing: People spontaneously rising from their seats and cheering after a tax increase has been approved. Yet that was the public reaction when Island County commissioners approved an addition to the sales tax of one-tenth of 1 percent to help people who need mental health services or drug and alcohol treatment. "I think it's because the need is so huge," said Jackie Henderson, human services director of the Island County Health Department. She helped lead a countywide group - including law enforcement officials, court representatives and mental health specialists - that spent eight months working on a list of projects to be funded with the new tax. When county commissioners voted unanimously to approve the tax on Aug. 6, members of the audience responded with a standing ovation. "I've worked for county government for a long time; I've never seen anything like it," Henderson said. One reason people may have reacted in this way: "Almost everyone knows somebody who couldn't get (the help) they needed," she said. The tax is expected to raise about $877,000 a year. Island County is the seventh county in the state to approve the "mental health tax." A state law passed in 2005 allows counties to take the action. Commissioner John Dean said passing the measure has been the highlight of his seven-month stint on the County Commission. "We had a teen suicide a couple weeks ago here on Camano," he said. "It's just another little canary in the mineshaft to let us know there's people out there who are really getting lost. And if we don't help them, they end up in the emergency room, they end up in the mortuary or they end up in our jails." Consumers will begin paying the tax by Nov. 1. The county expects to begin getting the tax revenues back from the state early next year. An advisory group of citizens and county employees will oversee the taxpayer-supported programs. "They should absolutely be congratulated," said Tom Sebastian, chief executive for Compass Health, a nonprofit agency which provides mental health services in Snohomish, Island and other northwest Washington counties. "Taxes are not a popular thing," Sebastian said. "It was really impressive." The new programs should begin early next year, Dean said. He expects the county to review the programs periodically to see which ones work and which are struggling. Some programs may be added and others taken away during the first few years of the tax. Island County Sheriff Mark Brown said he hopes the programs funded by the tax will help people with mental illnesses and cut down on their run-ins with deputies. "We get people calling 911 who may report aliens on their roof or break-ins when it's actually a mental health issue," he said. "It costs quite a bit of money to respond and take deputies out there." Dean said he was shocked to see so many people in the county jail with mental health problems. "That's often why they end up in jail. So we're paying for mental illness one way or the other. I think this was the humane way to get it - in the beginning." One of the single biggest efforts will be providing mental health services to those who can't now afford it or don't have health insurance to help pay for it, Henderson said. The study group that proposed the tax estimated that there are 2,300 people living in the county who need mental health services and can't pay for it. About $275,000 collected annually from the tax is expected to be spent on providing up to 12 counseling sessions a year to people who don't qualify for other government programs or don't have health insurance. The program should also help mentally ill inmates who lose their health insurance coverage while incarcerated continue treatment after they're released from jail, Brown said. He hopes it will reduce suicide rates, especially in youth, and cut down on the number of people who cycle in and out of jail. "The mental health issue has been neglected in our society as a whole for a long time, and I think we ... are starting to see more and more issues of mental health in our jails," he said. "I believe our county is acting responsibly by trying to take care of those who basically often can't take care of themselves." Other programs paid for by the new tax include: * $130,000 to pay for substance abuse or mental health programs for families who are in court for child neglect or abuse issues, termination of parental rights or other problems. * $90,000 to have counselors in schools at four area school districts. * $70,000 to help families, agencies and foster families with early childhood social or emotional issues. * $70,000 to help seniors and other vulnerable adults who are depressed or isolated or are having problems with their medications. * $60,000 to provide mental health and drug-and-alcohol treatment programs for people at the county's jail and juvenile detention center. * $53,000 to expand local juvenile and adult drug court programs, which provide treatment services as an alternative to jail. In Snohomish County, the tax is "one of a number of things we're looking at" to provide more mental health services, said Janelle Sgrignoli, human services director. "We want to make sure we explore all of them before we jump on any taxing initiative," she added. Reporter Sharon Salyer: 425-339-3486 or salyer@heraldnet.com. About the tax hike What it is: A sales tax increase of one-tenth of 1 percent in Island County to fund a variety of mental health programs. When it happens: The tax is to go into effect by Nov. 1. How much: Based on 2006 sales tax figures, it is expected to raise about $877,000. What it does: Provide mental health and drug and alcohol counseling services.

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