The Courthouse Journal A Joint Publication of the Washington State Association of Counties & Washington Association of County Officials July 14, 2000 Number 13 SIX INITIATIVES CLEAR MAJOR HURDLE Six initiatives cleared the first major hurdle while one stumbled and fell short. Initiative 717, which would reduce the State Property Tax, reduce the 106% limit to 102%, expand the property tax deferral program to all residential property owners and use the state surplus to further reduce the state levy, missed the filing deadline for qualifying initiative for the fall ballot. On Friday, the news reported that the Initiative's sponsor arrived at the Secretary of State's office four minutes after 5:00 p.m. and the Secretary of State had closed the doors. According to the sponsor, his watch showed that it was one minute before 5:00 when he arrived, however, that was not the time that showed in the Secretary of State's office. Nonetheless, the Secretary of State's office numbered, marked and sealed the initiatives in boxes and took them for safekeeping in case there was a legal challenge and the courts ruled the late filing should be accepted. News reporting as to the reason for the filing delays seemed to conflict. At one point the press indicated that the sponsors were busy making copies of all the petitions and that was the reason for the late start to Olympia. Later news reports indicated that the sponsors were counting the names to see if they had enough valid signatures but ran out of time and headed for Olympia with the petitions. As noted above, the Secretary of State's office refused the filing, but did take possession of the petitions. Early this week the press reported the sponsors indicated they were not going to pursue the court challenge even though they thought that they had met the timely filing because they had completed the "count" and now determined they did not have enough valid signatures. Query: How could they complete the count of the names on the petitions when the petitions were in the possession of the Secretary of State's Office sealed into the boxes which they were delivered in? The six other initiatives that have apparently turned in enough signatures and have a high likelihood to be validated for the fall election. These include I-713 which makes it illegal to use a steel jawed leg hold traps, neck snares, or other body gripping traps to capture animals. I-722, sponsored by Tim Eyman, rolls back any tax and fee increases imposed between July 2, 1999, and December 31, 1999, places some sort of a 2% limitation on increases in property taxes, reduces the 106% limit to 102%, rolls back values to 1999, and makes other miscellaneous changes. I-728 creates the "School Achievement and Construction Fund." The bill is described as an effort to reduce class sizes by redirecting state funding and other unobligated lottery revenues into an achievement and education construction fund. I-729 is the charter school proposal. It would allow school districts and public universities to sponsor chartered public schools which would be run by non-profit corporations accountable to their sponsors for financial and academic performance. These would operate independently of school districts. I-732 is usually described as a cost of living adjustment for all teachers. I-732 says that annual cost-of-living adjustments would be provided to school district employees, academic employees of community and technical college districts and other certain employees of technical colleges. The increase will be based upon the CPI compiled by the US Department of Labor for the State of Washington. I-745 deals with transportation funding. This is the second proposal sponsored by Tim Eyman. It would require 90% of all transportation funds to go to road construction. This appears to be at the expense of mass transit and other pedestrian projects. Whether it impacts the ferry system is unclear. It also requires performance audits of government transportation agencies. If all six of the initiatives that have been filed qualify, we will exceed the five ballot proposals which were on the ballot in 1997-which is the current record for the second most measures ever to be on one ballot. ************************************** MOTOR VEHICLE LICENSING FEE PRODUCES MAJOR REVENUE FOR COUNTY CURRENT EXPENSE Recently, a survey was done by WACO to determine approximately how much money was collected annually by the county auditor's office on vehicle and vessel transactions. A $3.00 filing fee is collected for the county on each license transaction, raises $28,000,000 statewide, and goes to the county general fund budgets. You can see below how much each county collected in 1999. During the last legislative session, WACO and WSAC were successful in their effort to stop the Department of Licensing from collecting the $3.00 filing fee on future transactions that would be done over the Internet. The County Auditors and the Department of Licensing are now working collaboratively to create the Internet Payment Option (IPO). This is an online system where the public can license their vehicle, pay for it by credit card, and choose to receive their vehicle license tabs one of two different ways: either by mail or going to the County Auditor's office or a subagency to pick up their vehicle renewal tabs. The $3.00 fee would go to the county where the vehicle is registered; not to the State. Governor Lock confirmed the license fees would be retained by the county during his speech at the WSAC summer meeting held in late June. County Auditors are currently participating in committees to create the business requirements and architecture of the IPO. ADAMS $99,700 ASOTIN $100,754 BENTON $700,000 CHELAN $380,000 CLARK $1,600,000 COLUMBIA $26,500 COWLITZ $540,000 DOUGLAS $135,000 FERRY $31,000 FRANKLIN $200,000 GARFIELD $14,700 GRANT $360,000 GRAYS HARBOR $375,000 ISLAND $310,000 JEFFERSON $135,000 KING $8,000,000 KITSAP $991,000 KITTITAS $193,000 KLICKITAT $104,300 LEWIS $390,000 LINCOLN $64,000 MASON $300,000 OKANOGAN $210,000 PACIFIC $101,602 PEND OREILLE $72,000 PIERCE $3,000,000 SAN JUAN $70,221 SKAGIT $625,688 SKAMANIA $43,842 SNOHOMISH $2,800,000 SPOKANE $2,440,000 STEVENS $187,494 THURSTON $1,250,000 WAHKIAKUM $17,500 WALLA WALLA $203,401 WHATCOM $800,000 WHITMAN $147,500 YAKIMA $1,100,000 TOTAL $28,119,202 ************************************** HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES ************************************** DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH ANNOUNCES COMMUNITY-BASED TOBACCO PREVENTION AND CONTROL FUNDING FOR COUNTIES The Washington State Department of Health is about to expand its statewide tobacco control and prevention efforts. In 1999 the Legislature allocated $100 million to establish a Tobacco Use Prevention and Control Account. The 2000 Legislature allocated $15 million from this account to support the expanded program for the period July 1, 2000 through June 30, 2001. There is $2,530,474 available for county implementation of community-based programs through a non-competitive, Request for Application (RFA) process. Community-based or governmental entities may apply for these funds. Statewide organizations, as well as local health jurisdictions, substance abuse coalitions, community mobilization contractors, and members of the Washington State Hospital Association, Association of Washington Cities and Washington State Association of Counties are all encouraged to consider this invitation. Funding is allocated on a per county basis. ONE application per county will be accepted. Multiple counties may choose to submit a single application. DOH strongly encourages community collaboration. DOH hopes that community partnerships will be forged, dollars leveraged and activities built on successful efforts already in progress. It is anticipated that these initial contracts will begin September 2000. Although first-year contracts will be for less that a 12- month time period, they will reflect a full 10 months of funding. Qualified applicants must meet criteria in the following areas: ú Fiscal and Contract Management ú Planning ú Collaboration ú Community Mobilization ú Training and Technical Assistance ú Assessment and Evaluation For more information or for a copy of the application, contact David Harrelson at (360) 236-3685 or Tom Wiedemann at (360)236-3643 or e-mail at David harrelson@doh.wa.gov or tom.wiedemann@doh.wa.gov. ************************************** KING COUNTY SIGNS INTEGRATED MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES CONTRACT WITH UNITED BEHAVIORAL HEALTH (UBH) King County has recently announced the selection of UBH to manage the integration of outpatient, inpatient, crisis and residential mental health services for King County beginning January 1, 2001. A technical evaluation board selected UBH following a Request for Proposal process. UBH is expected to enter into a risk-based contract close to $80 million per year to coordinate treatment services for children, adults, and older adults with mental illness. "This step brings us closer to our vision of creating a truly comprehensive system of care for mental health services in King County," said King County Executive Ron Sims. "By placing our focus on the individual needs of clients and families and seeking ways to improve and strengthen our community connections and opportunities for collaboration, we open doors for recovery and hope for individuals and families. The proposal also advances the county's policy direction to serve individuals who have a history with the adult criminal justice or juvenile justice systems and individuals with a history of violent behaviors." While UBH will assume management responsibility for the mental health treatment system, King County will retain responsibility for system oversight and direction, monitoring the performance of UBH, and system evaluation. Key elements of the UBH proposal include: Improving continuum of care services for all age groups; Strengthening coordination of care between mental health and other systems; Improving access to culturally competent care; Creating a single, countywide crisis system for all clients and improving the quality and consistency of crisis care; Encouraging and accommodating movement of clients through a recovery process; Enhancing consumer/family involvement; Providing a broad range of residential options; and Enhancing King County's commitment to coordinated services for mentally ill offender populations. UBH is a wholly owned subsidiary of United Health Group, one of the nation's largest healthcare management companies, with annual revenues of over $19.6 billion. They have over 20 years experience in the field. They currently contract with San Diego County, California and Clark and Spokane County RSNs here in Washington. They have served as the Administrative Service Organization for King County's mental health system for the past five years. ************************************** LAW & JUSTICE ************************************** FEDERAL GRANTS AVAILABLE TO COVER JAIL COSTS FOR CRIMINAL ALIENS The federal Bureau of Justice Assistance has $585 million available for states and local jurisdictions to help reimburse the cost of incarcerating certain criminal aliens being held as a result of state and/or local charges or convictions. Aliens claimed must be accused or convicted of either a felony or two misdemeanors that occurred prior to or resulted in the current custody. States, counties and cities with correctional or jail facilities that incarcerate or detain, for 72 hours or longer, persons accused or convicted of crimes are eligible to apply for the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program (SCAAP) funds. The application and payment processes are being managed through a Web-based electronic system. Applicants will apply, transmit inmate data, and receive payment via the Internet. An applicant's final claim amount is calculated by multiplying the total number of days served by qualifying aliens in the applicant's facility by the applicant's actual average inmate cost per day. The sum of the final claims for all applicants is divided into the available appropriation to determine a payment percentage on the dollar of each claim. In the past, payment percentages have ranged from 16 percent to 60 percent. Jurisdictions may use the SCAAP payments for any lawful purpose. The Web site link and timeline for the FY 2000 funding cycle are available at www.ojp.usdoj.gov/BJA/html/scaapup.html . For more information about this program, call the U.S. Department of Justice Response Center at 1-800- 421-6770. Staff are available Monday - Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern Time (6 a.m. to 2 p.m. Pacific Time). ************************************** WSAC CONVENTION ADDENDUM ************************************** SUMMER CONVENTION PANELS ON MENTALLY ILL OFFENDERS AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE TREATMENT NEEDS DRAW GOOD CROWD As an addendum to last week's Journal article on the WSAC convention, two other panels at the Summer Convention also drew good crowds and provided timely information. Every county is faced with serving the mentally ill in their jails. King County has developed a continuum of care for providing services both inside the jail and in lieu of incarceration for the seriously mentally ill offender. The panel entitled "Mentally Ill in Jails and Prisons: Successful Transition to the Community" described the system that has come into place in King County which might serve as an example of what other counties might try. Councilmember Dwight Pelz did an excellent job as moderator in both introducing the panelists, providing some of the background information, and responding to audience questions. Karen Spoelman, Coordinator, Crisis Systems and Treatment Services, King County Mental Health, Chemical Abuse and Dependency Services Division, provided the outline of King's system of care beginning with diversion from incarceration, care during detention, and treatment upon release from jail. Kari Burrell, Manager, King County Mental Health Project, described the creation of the mental health court and its operations. Larry Smith, Administrator, Psychiatric Services Correctional Program, King County Adult & Juvenile Detention, discussed the needs of those who were incarcerated and his ability to provide treatment and medication. And finally, Declan Wynne, Seattle Mental Health, presented information on the mentally ill offender pilot from SB 6002 for which Seattle Mental Health is the primary vendor. The pilot is testing the success rate of treating seriously mentally ill offenders with extensive case management and housing services upon release from the State Department of Corrections. Information gathered will feed into the processes developed to continue implementation of SB 5011, the dangerous mentally ill offender bill which has a statewide impact. The other panel was entitled "Getting to Healthy Communities: The 78% Solution". It dealt with the failure of revenues to keep up with the demand for substance abuse treatment and some of the innovative strategies counties have developed to serve some of the populations impacted by substance abuse. The panel was moderated by Commissioner Bill Hinkle, Kittitas County, who passionately described his interest in this area and the impact substance abuse had upon him both within his own family and during the course of his employment as an Emergency Medical Services Technician in King County. Ken Stark, Director, Division of Alcohol and Substance Abuse, DSHS, described the statewide situation and the shortfall in services. He very kindly provided county specific data in specially prepared packets of material for each county in the state. (Four counties were not available to receive these packets and WSAC staff will forward them on to the respective counties' human services staff to share with other interested parties.) Senator Julia Patterson covered her areas of interest in the legislative arena - children impacted by drug-abusing parents and methadone treatment. She also noted that some of the money generated by welfare reform could possibly be made available to provide treatment services. Commissioner Diane Oberquell, Thurston, provided information on how Thurston County is creatively dealing with the children found at methamphetamine lab sites both in treatment of the children and in prosecution of their caretakers. Also from the local level, Cleve Thompson, Chemical Dependency Coordinator, Clark County, presented information about some of the creative work going on in Clark County including residential facilities for drug impacted youth. There was a good crowd of commissioners and staff at both panels and a variety of excellent questions for the panelists. Thanks to all the presenters and moderators. ************************************** WSAC MEMBERS HONORED FOR SERVICE TO COUNTIES Ten WSAC and Affiliate members received Association recognition and hearty applause in appreciation of their service representing counties on various boards and committees. Many have served in this capacity for years. WSAC President Bettie Ingham presented Certificates of Appreciation during the full membership meeting Friday, June 30, at WSAC's annual convention. Following are the award recipients and their area of service: Cowlitz County Commissioner Joel Rupley, state Forest Practices Board Jefferson County Commissioner Glen Huntingford, state Department of Natural Resources Board of Natural Resources Whitman County Commissioner Nora Mae Keifer, state Public Works Board Snohomish County Public Works Director Peter Hahn, state Public Works Board Kitsap County Commissioner Charlotte Garrido, state Pubic Works Board Franklin County Commissioner Neva Corkrum, state Board of Health King County Councilmember Rob McKenna, state Transportation Improvement Board Pierce County Public Works Director John Trent, state Transportation Improvement Board Walla Walla County Commissioner Pam Ray, state Transportation Improvement Board Benton County Commissioner Leo Bowman, state Transportation Improvement Board Thurston County Commissioner Diane Oberquell, state Forensic Investigations Council Skamania County Commissioner Ed McLarney, state Forensic Investigations Council Island County Commissioner Mike Shelton, Washington Counties Risk Pool Executive Committee and Past President Mason County Commissioner Mary Jo Cady, Washington Counties Risk pool Executive Committee and Past President Grays Harbor County Commissioner Dick Dixon, Washington Counties Risk Pool Past President Thanks to these and all WSAC members who serve on outside boards, committees, councils, task forces, etc. Their continued service to WSAC and individual counties is much appreciated! ************************************** ENVIRONMENT, LAND USE & RESOURCES ************************************** STORMWATER COMMITTEE MEETS The Stormwater Policy Advisory Committee (SWPAC) met July 11, 2000 in Lacey. SWPAC advises the state Department of Ecology (DOE) on current and emerging stormwater issues and is composed of over 60 members. County representatives at the meeting included Ross Dunfee, Benton County, Brenda Sims, Spokane County, Jeff Monsen, Whatcom County, Luanne Coachman, King County, and Heather Kibbey, Pierce County. WSAC staff Paul Parker and Stacy Connole also attended. Ecology briefed committee members on the stormwater manual timelines, "budget adds", and an upcoming study of stormwater management issues. The Western Washington Stormwater Technical Manual is slated for release at the end of the calendar year. The final draft will be released in August and the comment period on the final draft will last until sometime in October. DOE has not yet determined if there will be a formal hearing on the final draft. DOE will hire a consultant to propose an Eastern Washington Stormwater Technical Manual. Rather than writing the Eastern Washington manual in- house, the department will charge the consultant with pulling Eastern Washington groups together to work through Eastern Washington stormwater issues and gather input and commentary on the manual as it is prepared. The organization and planning stage will last through December 2000, and the technical manual development will continue through March 2003. DOE presented a stormwater budget add for the next biennium. The proposal includes $5 million capital for local government and $2.4 million for pilot projects, additional staff, and contract work. SWPAC discussed the merits of the budget distribution and focused on the roles new staff should take, emphasizing the need for regional technical assistance. The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) received funding to conduct a study of stormwater management issues. The study was requested by Legislators who want clarification on the relationships between existing stormwater activities and suggestions for improvement. WSDOT decided to collaborate with Ecology and SWPAC on the study, and announced the consultant for the Stormwater Management Study. Michelle Girts of CH2M Hill will conduct the study. She offers over twenty years of experience with stormwater issues. Her initial undertaking will be a survey of selected agencies, utilities, businesses and stakeholders. This survey will result in a summary of stormwater regulations and programs, on which suggestions to the legislature will be based. WSAC and County Governments are listed as interviewees for the survey. The consultant will work with WSAC to compile a list of counties to participate in the survey. The survey solicits information ranging from what stormwater activities each interviewee implements and/or enforces, to what gaps or barriers to implementation exist. The final report to the legislature will be structured on survey responses. DOE and WSDOT appointed an 11-member steering committee to work with the consultant and actively contribute to the study. Ross Dunfee, Benton County Public Works Director was named to the committee as county representative. The meeting schedule for the steering committee has not yet been finalized. SWPAC next meets in September. ************************************** COUNTY NEWS ************************************** AUDITOR'S AUDIO LOCAL VOTERS PAMPHLET WINS NATIONAL AWARD In recognition for significant innovation in county government in the United States, the Thurston County Auditor's Office was selected as a recipient of the 2000 National Association of Counties Achievement Award for it's creation and production of the Audio Local Voters Pamphlet. The award is designed to give national recognition for innovations that contribute to and enhance county government by promoting responsible, responsive and effective county government. "The City of Tumwater also deserves recognition for the outstanding contributions it made in making the audio pamphlet a reality," Reed pointed out. The pamphlet is an audio version of the Local Voters Pamphlet mailed to each residence in Thurston County. The Auditor's Office worked with the City of Tumwater to produce a pamphlet that utilized the city's interactive phone system. Candidate statements were recorded and organized in the telephone system for easy access by the user. Voters were able to choose the candidate statements in which they wanted to listen. The system was operational for the November 1999 General Election. Over 100 people accessed the system during its first year. Due to the success of the audio version of the pamphlet, the Auditor's Office has plans to create an Audio Pamphlet for the 2000 General Election. More information about the pamphlet can be received through the Thurston County Auditor's Office at (360) 786-5408. More information about the award can be obtained on the Internet at or contact Peggy Beardslee at (202) 942-4279. ************************************** MASON COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT DIRECTOR DIES Mason County Emergency Management Director, Joseph W. Murray passed away on Wednesday, June 28, 2000 from injuries sustained in a single vehicle accident on Highway 101 in Mason County. Mr. Murray was a retired U.S. Army Colonel. He served his country from 1955 to 1990. He was a member of the American Legion, Boys Scouts of America (Eagle Scout), Rotary Club and Veterans of Foreign Wars. He also served in numerous emergency management associations and was chairman of the National Telecommunications Service Priority System (TSP) by presidential appointment. He was hired by Mason County in 1995 after working for the State Emergency Management Office. In the past 5 years he created an outstanding Emergency Management Department. He was a good friend to many of the Mason County employees and volunteers; and will be greatly missed. Joe, 62, lived with his wife Helen in Olympia. Memorial donations can be made to the Boy Scouts of America Tribute Fund, 4802 South 19th Street, Tacoma, WA 98405. ************************************** FYI ************************************** OFM POPULATION ESTIMATES RELEASED The Office of Financial Management has released the official state population estimates for the year 2000. Even though the state's population grew by 46,000 people over the year, this reflects a continuing slowdown in the number of people moving into the state. Since 1997, the percentage increase has been 1.6%, 1.4%, 1.3%, and finally 0.8% for the year 2000. In terms of people, the increases have been 90,000; 78,500; 72,100; and 46,000 for the same time frame. The five counties showing the greatest increase in the number of people are, in declining order: Snohomish, King, Clark, Pierce, and Whatcom. The five counties showing the greatest percentage increase for the year are: Clark, Franklin, Snohomish, Skagit, and Douglas. Seven counties show no change in population while nine counties show a loss ranging from 100 to 600 people. In decennial census years, OFM's estimates have always served as interim population figures until the Bureau of the Census counts are available, in December. The year 2000 estimates and rankings for all counties and cities are available on the OFM web site at: http://www.ofm.wa.gov/countypop/countytoc.htm ************************************** NEW! SURPLUS EQUIPMENT AUCTION FOR WASHINGTON GOVERNMENTS (Submitted by Faith Trimble, The Good Government Group) A new partnership has evolved that will benefit Washington governments statewide. The Good Government Group, a new non-profit with the goal of restoring civic pride has requested an internet company, eCitydeals, to host on-line surplus equipment auctions for Washington governments only. The first Washington Surplus Equipment Auction is scheduled to be launched the end of July. The auctions will be available solely to Washington public agencies for 30 days, or other limited time period. What doesn't sell between Washington governments will be auctioned nationally. Bidders in the auction participate at no cost. A 3 percent transaction fee is charged to sellers. The Washington auction is supported by the Association of Washington Cities, the Washington State Association of Counties, the Washington State School Directors Association and the Municipal Research and Services Center. The press release is attached to the Courthouse Journal. If you have any questions about how to participate in the auction, contact Dominick Rappa at eCitydeals, (213) 623-8484 ext. 204 or drappa@ecitydeals.com. ************************************** NEWS FROM MRSC ************************************** PIPELINE SAFETY: AN ISSUE THAT SHOULD NOT BE IGNORED After the 1999 Olympic Pipeline disaster in Bellingham, a number of communities in Western Washington have delved into the issue of pipeline safety and been surprised. Some cities found that their franchises with Olympic Pipeline had expired. Some found that the pipeline ran through schoolyards or traversed areas where a pipeline spill would jeopardize their aquifer. In many jurisdictions the fire department was unaware of the pipeline location and had no plans in place to respond to a pipeline emergency. A Washington City and County Pipeline Safety Consortium has been formed. That group has been sponsoring forums where representatives of cities, counties, the industry, and the federal Office of Pipeline Safety (OPS) can get together to review the crucial issues. The local government consortium is inviting all concerned counties to participate in this process. For further information on the Consortium call Tony Perez, City of Bellevue, 425-452-6139. Following the Bellingham tragedy, the legislature passed the Washington Pipeline Safety Act (ESHB 2420, covering hazardous liquid and gas pipelines). The Act requires the Utilities and Transportation Commission to adopt rules for pipeline safety standards, coordinate pipeline safety information for local governments, coordinate a training program aimed at prevention of third-party excavation damage to pipelines, and assist local governments in obtaining pipeline location information. The act also creates a citizen committee on pipeline safety and a single statewide toll- free telephone number locator service. New rules were adopted for excavation near pipelines. The Municipal Research Council is to develop a model franchise agreement for new hazardous liquid and gas pipeline construction and a model ordinance. Municipal Research & Services Center will be involved in drafting the ordinance and franchise. The issue of pipeline safety raises questions for both county and city officials. Do you know the location of the liquid fuel and gas pipelines in your county? Are your fire districts aware of pipeline locations? There are four major interstate liquid fuel pipelines in Washington that cross several counties. Olympic runs from the refineries in Whatcom County to Portland. Yellowstone Pipeline runs from its refineries in Montana through Spokane to Moses Lake. Transmountain brings crude oil from Canada to Washington refineries. Chevron Corp. pipeline runs from Salt Lake City through Tri-Cities to Spokane. There are also many natural gas pipelines lines crossing Washington's counties. Do your fire districts have emergency response plans for pipeline spills or explosions? Though pipelines frequently traverse rural areas, don't assume that there aren't populated areas that could be devastated by a rupture until you review the pipeline locations. Is information about the one-call underground locator service program well publicized? Municipal Research has created a Web page on pipeline safety that links regulations, agencies, studies and reports. The address for the page is: http://www.mrsc.org/pubsafe/pipesafety.htm ************************************** UPCOMING MEETINGS & CONFERENCES ************************************** July 14-19 National Association of Counties' (NACo) Annual Conference, Charlotte, N.C. 23-27 National District Attorneys' Association (NDAA) Annual Summer Conference, Spokane. ************************************** JOBS ************************************** LAN ADMINISTRATOR FOR MASON COUNTY ER&R DEPARTMENT - $3,022 to $3,502/month tentative salary, subject to union negotiations. Provides operation, maintenance and administration of the County's Local Area Network in support of approximately 225 PC users. Minimum qualifications: 1 year formal education in computer science or related field, 3 years experience in LAN operation as a system supervisor including at least 2 years of Novell Netware 4.X (or newer) operations and 3 years experience in the configuration, operation and upgrade of PC's. Open until filled. Application required and available at Mason County Human Resources, 411 N. Fifth Street, Shelton, WA 98584, or call (360) 427-7265. ****** ADMINISTRATOR OF A REGIONAL SUPPORT NETWORK MANAGED CARE ORGANIZATION SERVING ADAMS, GRANT AND OKANOGAN COUNTIES. Supervise contracts for outpatient, inpatient and residential public mental health services. Office located in East Wenatchee. Clinical or administration Masters degree required. Five years of public mental health management experience required. Salary range: $45,410 - $59,336 DOQ. Send r‚sum‚ and three references c/o Human Resources, P.O. Box 37, Ephrata, WA 98823. Open until filled. EOE ****** COMMUNITY HEALTH & WELLNESS SERVICES MANAGER, (PUBLIC HEALTH NURSING DIRECTOR) WHATCOM COUNTY HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES DEPARTMENT, Bellingham, WA, seeks an individual to direct the administration of the Community Health & Wellness Services Division. This position is responsible for planning, organizing, staffing, directing and controlling the efforts of staff, and other work and community groups to accomplish the work, mission, goals and vision of the department and the County in the assessment and delivery of a variety of nursing, social work, nutrition and medical services to individuals, families, groups and communities. Requires a bachelor's degree in nursing, including study in public health nursing AND a master's degree in nursing, public health or an allied health field AND 5 years of progressively responsible public health nursing experience in a health department INCLUDING 3 years of supervisory experience, OR equivalent. Hiring range: $4,401-$4,944/month, DOQ. The application period for this position will remain open until filled with priority given to applications received by 8/1/00. For required application contact Whatcom County Human Resources, 311 Grand Avenue, Suite 107, Bellingham, WA, or call (360) 676-6802. For detailed job announcement visit our website at www.co.whatcom.wa.us or call the jobline at (360) 738-4550. Equal Opportunity Employer. ****** TACOMA-PIERCE COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENT HAS AN OPENING FOR COMMUNICABLE DISEASE CONTROL NURSE EPIDEMIOLOGIST. The salary range is $43,929 - $56,222/annually. Applications will be accepted until a sufficient pool of applicants has been established, but guaranteed consideration will be given to application materials received by close of business July 21, 2000. The Communicable Disease Control Program within the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department is seeking to fill a regular, full-time Nurse Epidemiologist position. Functions of the job include performing epidemiological studies of all communicable diseases known in the Pierce County population; responding to communicable disease outbreaks with appropriate control actions; conduction of field investigations as needed; etc. Education And Experience: BS degree in Nursing with core training that includes epidemiologic methods and descriptive and inferential statistics and a minimum of five years experience in public health and/or community-based health with an emphasis in communicable disease control required. For more information or to apply, contact the Office of Human Resources Monday through Friday from 9 AM - 4 PM at 253-798-6486. ****** KITTITAS COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENT HAS AN OPENING FOR A PUBLIC HEALTH NURSE III SUPERVISOR. This is a full time, 12-month appointment exempt from FLSA. The Nursing Supervisor manages public health nursing services for two clinic locations in Ellensburg and Cle Elum. Assists the Administrator, Health Officer, Community Organization and Outreach Specialist and Environmental Health Director in assessing community needs and developing, managing and implementing annual and long range Department programs to accomplish Department goals and policies. Supervises nursing services staff. Qualifications: Experience and Training Requirements: Bachelors Degree in Nursing from a university program approved by the National League of Nursing and three years experience in community health or public health nursing. Application: Apply to Kittitas County Human Resources, 205 W. 5th, Ellensburg, WA 98926. (509) 962-7082. Review process will begin August 14 and continue until the position is filled. **** END ****