Elimination of joint Pierce County health department moved closer to reality Monday

A bill to dissolve the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department passed through committee Monday morning and will head to a vote of the full Pierce County Council.

The County Council is considering eliminating the joint health department and in favor of a health department that would answer to the County Council instead of an eight-member board, half of which are Pierce County elected officials, two from Tacoma City Council, one from the Pierce County Cities and Towns Association and one from the Pierce County Medical Society.

The move comes in the final days before a Democratic majority replaces the current Republican majority on the County Council. Voters flipped the legislative body blue for the first time in 17 years in November.

The Rules Committee voted 2-1 Monday to recommend the proposal to the seven-person County Council next week.

Both Republicans on the committee, Chairman Doug Richardson of Lakewood and Vice Chair Dave Morell of Lake Tapps, approved the ordinance, but Council member Derek Young (D-Gig Harbor) voted against it.

The Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department was created in 1972 in an interlocal agreement between Tacoma and Pierce County. The proposed ordinance would notify the City of Tacoma of Pierce County’s intent to sever the interlocal agreement and terminate the health department.

If passed, the ordinance would dissolve the existing health department by December 2021. Richardson has not introduced an amendment to push back the effective date by a year, as he previously told the News Tribune he would.

Council Republicans have said having the health department solely under the county’s authority would streamline processes and cut costs.

Morell tweeted a statement Friday saying he believes some of the health department’s responsibilities would be better overseen by Pierce County.

“Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department is responsible for other services such as permits for septic systems, water wells, and permitting of food services are also areas that a more streamlined service tied to the land use permitting would benefit the citizens of Pierce County,” he said in a tweet.

Morell did not respond to The News Tribune’s requests for elaboration.

Richardson previously told The News Tribune that legal and human resources departments in the current health department could be absorbed by the county if the ordinance passed.

Opponents of the proposal, including elected officials across Pierce County, medical professionals and some citizens, have said the proposal is being brought forward without discussion and would be a major disruption in responding to the coronavirus pandemic.

“It would behoove us to slow this down and explain this motivation,” Young said in the committee hearing.

Council members Marty Campbell (D-Central Tacoma) and Connie Ladenburg (D-West Tacoma), while not voting members of the Rules Committee, attended the meeting. They spoke out against the ordinance.

“We don’t need our front-line workers distracted by this,” Campbell said. “The timing is simply not right.”

Tacoma Mayor Victoria Woodards addressed the committee, asking the council to pull back and start a conversation between involved community partners. Making such a change during a pandemic is not the right time, Woodards said.

“I do want to express my deep disappointment and surprise,” she said. “Let’s have a conversation about why we’re going to make this move, why we think this movement is important, and, if it is really as good for the citizenry, as you say it is, then let’s make that argument.”

Board of Health Chair and Tacoma Council member Catherine Ushka is concerned.

“The time line is so dated that it doesn’t allow anybody to participate in conversation and find out what’s going on community staff at the health department. Everybody is frustrated and feel blindsided,” she said. “This would dismantle the independence of our health department. Changing it right now, it’s not just drastic, I think it’s irresponsible.”

Chairman Richardson limited citizen comment to less than an hour. The entire time was spent by opponents urging the council to drop the proposal.

The health department’s 290 full-time employees oversee local response to the coronavirus pandemic, investigate and work to limit disease outbreak, conduct food inspections and provide substance abuse programs.

The Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department’s annual budget is $40 million, nearly $5 million of which comes from Pierce County and $1.1 million from Tacoma. As a county department, the City of Tacoma would not continue to budget funds for the health department.

County Council Republicans have said county residents would be better represented by a county health department than by a Board of Health of community partners.

Morell said he agrees with bill sponsor Pam Roach (R-Puyallup) that the current eight board members do not directly represent Pierce County.

Roach said the proposal is merely replacing governance.

“It will be voted on and approved by the four Republicans,” she said. “The people that are objecting to this are the liberal Democrats from downtown Tacoma.”

While many who object to the proposal have called this a “power grab” by the county to control the health department, the county executive already has the power to remove the director of health of TPCHD.

“The county executive, after consultation with the Board of Health and the mayor of Tacoma, may remove the director upon filing a statement of reasons therefore with the legislative authorities of the county and the city,” the interlocal agreement said.

The final vote is scheduled to be held Dec. 15.