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Snohomish County Councilmember Nate Nehring on Tuesday introduced legislation that he said is focused on addressing drug addiction, expanding access to behavioral health treatment and ensuring county resources are aligned with accountability and recovery-oriented outcomes.
According to a news release from Nehring’s office, the four proposals would shift county policy to better serve the community and improve health and safety for residents and neighbors in need of help.
“Drug addiction continues to have a devastating impact on families, neighborhoods, and communities across Snohomish County,” Nehring said. “These proposals are about restoring balance by pairing compassion with accountability. By prioritizing treatment and recovery, investing in behavioral health, and setting clear boundaries in public policy, we can make meaningful progress on addressing addiction in our communities.”
The first proposal would prevent the County from incentivizing county-funded housing programs to adhere to strict Housing First policies and instead level the playing field for entities that prioritize accountability. Acccording to Nehring, the Housing First model does not require participation in a treatment program and has not consistently produced positive long-term outcomes for individuals or the broader community, particularly in light of the fentanyl crisis. By allowing greater flexibility and opening the door to innovative programs that balance compassion with accountability, this proposal aims to improve outcomes from programs funded with taxpayer dollars, he said.
The second proposal would increase the share of funding from the County’s Affordable Housing and Behavioral Health (AHBH) Fund directed toward behavioral health facilities. Currently, $3 million annually (only 12.2% of these funds) are allocated to behavioral health facilities. The proposal would increase that share to 20%. This shift would expand capacity for treatment, recovery and stabilization services to better address substance abuse and mental health challenges.
The third proposal would prohibit local taxpayer dollars from being used to purchase and distribute drug paraphernalia. This ordinance is intended to ensure that county government does not facilitate activities that enable ongoing drug abuse. Instead, county policy would be focused on treatment, recovery and accountability.
The fourth and final proposal is based off the City of Everett’s recent child fentanyl exposure law and would criminalize the exposure of minors to deadly drugs such as fentanyl. State law criminalizes this same offense, but only for exposure to methamphetamine. Local governments around the state are now taking action to address child fentanyl exposure.
The ordinances were assigned Tuesday to the appropriate policy committees for initial consideration. Following committee meetings, public hearings will be scheduled to allow community members to provide input. Additional information about Council meetings and opportunities for public comment can be found on the Snohomish County Council’s meetings website.
For questions about the proposals or the County Council review schedule, please contact Russell Wiita at [email protected] or 425-626-4173.
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