EBOLA-SHMEBOLA....IDEOLOGY UBER ALLES CLARK COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS BOARD TIME MINUTES OF OCTOBER 1, 2014 clark.wa.gov/thegrid/BT100114.MP3 Public Health Fees Axel Swanson, Senior Policy Analyst, presented. Bob Stevens, Budget Director, joined the discussion and provided some background. Mielke opposed raising any fees at this time. Madore stated his support of Alan Melnicks leadership and staff but does not want to raise any fees but wants to continue the services and find funds to do so. Further discussion ensued. BUDGET MANAGER BOB STEVENS 15:10 This is a singular department (Environmental Public Health) that deals with life and death issues and has probably shrunk - and its General Fund support has grown - more so than any other department in the county. So again, Im not here to try and push you on policy. Im just here to say that in this particular case, these unique fees, we have worked this to the bone, and I can offer you no solution beyond cut service, or decide what youre going to give up in the General Fund, or raise the fees. This is a very, to me, when youre dealing with Environmental Health and youre talking about Food Poisoning issues, and Communicable Diseases, and Sanitary issues, it puts the county into a very dangerous liability place if we dont do a good job.[...] With the Health Department, there is no more low-hanging fruit. John Wiesman, the prior director [now Washington Secretary of Health], swung an ax in that department for years. Even when he wasnt forced to, he found better, smarter ways to do business. So that particular department, its going to be very difficult to do some more process improving, I think. ----------------------------------------------- Earlier, Stevens explained how earlier boards had made the decision that fee services [restaurant inspections, swimming pool inspections, sewage system inspections, etc] would be entirely fee supported, while other functions would be paid for through the General Fund. Their formulas had ensured that the fees only covered the cost of business for the fee services, but were also attaining 100% cost recovery. The requested 2% fee increases were only to cover increased costs. He had also indicated that, as Budget Manager, he was very uncomfortable with increasing General Fund support...the implication of his words was that the General Fund was likely to be asked to do more than it will have funds to deliver. Mielkes first complaint was that Commissioners lost some control because unions were attaining wage increases for their members [Sorta hypocritical from the guy grousing for an increase in his car allowance]. His next complaint was that 67% of services went to establishments inside Vancouver, but Vancouver wasnt paying any share. Stevens had to educate him that part of the impetus for making these services self-supporting through fees was that Vancouver establishments were paying 100% of their costs through the fees....doh! Madores all where else in the General Fund can we find savings so we dont have to raise those fees. Ill be happy to work with you, Bob, to see what we can pull out of the General Fund and what is a lower priority that we can pull out to make this a higher priority. Which is another way of saying, instead of business owners pulling their own weight by paying their fees, well transfer these costs to the homeowners of Clark County. Its very clear that county officials have put a ton of work into making this group of services 100% self-supporting while keeping the fees down to where they cover nothing but the services theyre collected for, and both candy-ass-coated commissioners - melt in their brains, not in your hands - are thoroughly blinded by their own ideological-colored glasses to see whats best for the county and its citizens.
Posted on: Sun, 19 Oct 2014 06:25:48 +0000
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