Published: Tuesday, December 2, 2008
IN OUR VIEW
Invest in prevention with tiny tax increase
On Wednesday the Snohomish County Council is scheduled to consider what is rarely a good idea, but in this case is: a tax increase during a recession.
In this case, it's a modest investment with a potentially huge payoff. Despite the hard times -- or even because of them -- the council should approve a tenth of a cent increase in the sales tax for mental health and chemical dependency services.
As we've argued here before, taxpayers are already paying for a lack of such programs in the form of higher crime rates and lost productivity. And with budget pressures having increased exponentially in recent months, services that already address these needs are under greater pressure than ever. For an additional penny on a $10 purchase, the county will raise more than $10 million a year to address mental health and drug problems while it can still make a major difference, keeping people out of jail and putting them on a more constructive path.
A public process has resulted in a prioritized list of services to be funded. (It's shorter than it was just a couple months ago, however, because the ailing economy has forced revenue projections down 21 percent.) They're good ones, focused on strategies that work, including crisis intervention for youth and adults, and drug courts, which have come under the budget knife despite a glowing record of success here.
The connection between chemical dependency and incarceration is clear. The lack of treatment resources makes the problem more acute, with abusers continually cycling through the county jail, hospitals and emergency rooms, ringing up an expensive public tab each time. The benefits of effective prevention are obvious, which is why the county's Blue Ribbon Commission on Criminal Justice recommended earlier this year that the tax be adopted.
This isn't a new idea; the state gave counties the option of levying this tax in 2005, and several have done so -- including King, Island and Skagit. The Snohomish County proposal is overdue.
It should go without saying, but often doesn't, that the council should also adopt reliable performance measurements to help ensure the programs being funded are effective. They're included in the proposal.
Jails and prisons shouldn't be leading providers of mental-health services, but they are. Turning lives around through effective intervention and prevention will boost public safety and save money. That's worth doing -- in any economic conditions.
In this case, it's a modest investment with a potentially huge payoff. Despite the hard times -- or even because of them -- the council should approve a tenth of a cent increase in the sales tax for mental health and chemical dependency services.
As we've argued here before, taxpayers are already paying for a lack of such programs in the form of higher crime rates and lost productivity. And with budget pressures having increased exponentially in recent months, services that already address these needs are under greater pressure than ever. For an additional penny on a $10 purchase, the county will raise more than $10 million a year to address mental health and drug problems while it can still make a major difference, keeping people out of jail and putting them on a more constructive path.
A public process has resulted in a prioritized list of services to be funded. (It's shorter than it was just a couple months ago, however, because the ailing economy has forced revenue projections down 21 percent.) They're good ones, focused on strategies that work, including crisis intervention for youth and adults, and drug courts, which have come under the budget knife despite a glowing record of success here.
The connection between chemical dependency and incarceration is clear. The lack of treatment resources makes the problem more acute, with abusers continually cycling through the county jail, hospitals and emergency rooms, ringing up an expensive public tab each time. The benefits of effective prevention are obvious, which is why the county's Blue Ribbon Commission on Criminal Justice recommended earlier this year that the tax be adopted.
This isn't a new idea; the state gave counties the option of levying this tax in 2005, and several have done so -- including King, Island and Skagit. The Snohomish County proposal is overdue.
It should go without saying, but often doesn't, that the council should also adopt reliable performance measurements to help ensure the programs being funded are effective. They're included in the proposal.
Jails and prisons shouldn't be leading providers of mental-health services, but they are. Turning lives around through effective intervention and prevention will boost public safety and save money. That's worth doing -- in any economic conditions.
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