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6 GROUNDCOVER NEWS WASHTENAW COUNTY MAY 17, 2024 Mental health advocates call for transparency, reduced funding for Washtenaw County Sheriff in Community Mental Health Public Safety Millage On Wednesday May 15, the Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners held a first reading of the proposal to restore and renew the Mental Health and Public Safety Millage on the November 5, 2024 General Election Ballot. This proposal, originally scheduled for earlier in April, was pushed back a month after mental health advocates and others mobilized against its renewal. Advocacy throughout the months of April and May spurred the updating of an ordinance that governs the millage. The May 15 meeting also included a public hearing on the ordinance and first reading on the millage renewal. 2017 Community Mental Health and Public Safety Preservation Millage A millage is a tax levied against taxable property; it is a common way for municipalities to raise money to fund specific projects or address certain issues. In November 2017, Washtenaw County residents voted two-toone in favor of an eight-year millage that would generate $15 - $18 million per year for mental health and public safety. Per the ballot language, “38% [of the funding] shall be allocated to Washtenaw County’s Community Mental Health Department for mental health services, stabilization, and prevention and to meet mental health needs in an appropriate setting thus reducing the burden in the jail and improving care; 38% shall be allocated to the Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office to ensure continued operations and increased collaboration with the mental health community; and 24% shall be allocated to jurisdictions in the County which maintain their own police force.” As written and implemented, the 38% allocated to CMH is guided by a Millage Advisory Committee. This 13-member advisory committee is a subcommittee of the Washtenaw County Community Mental Health Board and reports to the Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners as required. Although they meet during the workday and have low public attendance, MAC meetings are open to the public and include a forum for public comments. Many Washtenaw residents are familiar with this millage from the local “It takes a millage” marketing a great need for mental health services, but call for two main alternatives: split or slow down. The call to “split” suggests that the LINDSAY CALKA Publisher campaign, which has highlighted services funded and expanded by the CMH Public Safety millage. A 2022 Impact Report issued by WCCMH displays financial, demographic and human-centered testimonials of the impact of the dollars — and can be readily viewed online with a quick Google search. Yet, the CMH spending is only a minority of the millage expenditures. Neither the 38% allocated to WCSO nor the 24% to municipal police forces — totalling 62% of the millage budget allocation — have advisory / oversight councils or impact reports. Information about the expenditures of the Sheriff’s budget in 2024 had to be ordered via private FOIA (which cost $938) and will not be received until June 7, two days after the proposed second reading and vote to put the millage on the ballot. (53% of the County’s general four-year budget is already allocated to the Sheriff.) Mental health advocates spark public debate In County Commissioner meetings throughout the months of March and April, mental health advocates — representing people receiving community mental health services, community mental health workers, activists and formerly incarcerated and homeless people — spoke for and against the current millage, greatly calling into question the future of the millage if sent to ballot for renewal “as-is.” Supporters of the renewal spoke in favor of the programs the millage funded in and out of the Sheriff's department — such as SURE Moms and Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion and Deflection (LEADD) — citing the great need for maintained funding for mental health services. Those who oppose moving forward “as-is” are in agreement that there is Commissioners scrap this millage and run two new millages on the November 5, 2024 ballot: one for mental health and one for public safety. Even if both of these millages fail, the Commissioners could place the renewal of the 2017 Mental Health and Public Safety Millage on a ballot in 2025. If passed, no programs or services would lapse in funding. (Since the eight year millage began collection in 2018, the funding is able to be spent through December 2026.) The call to “slow down” is one for increased transparency and public communications around the budgeting, governance and expenditures of the millage from 2017-present. More time would allow design and execution of community-based processes to gather and utilize public opinion on the millage, and even grant the flexibility to rewrite the millage or an ordinance that improves millage spending priorities and guidelines. Many times commenters called on the BOC to be creative and not rush through a decision that will cement policy until 2033. Ordinance adds oversight not budget changes The Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners moved forward with a third option: ordinance guidance. The “Community Mental Health and Public Safety Preservation Millage Expenditure Policy Ordinance” was draft-updated to impose regulations on the “public safety” portion of the millage funds. One notable (draft) suggestion was writing in limitations on how the 38-38-24 breakdowns would be spent. The ordinance draft read, “50% of annual millage funding [allocated to the Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office] will be used in a proactive manner to provide services to help individuals with needs related to: Mental and Behavioral Health Services (20%), Housing and Homelessness Support Services (15%) and Community Violence Interruption (15%).” The ordinance also establishes a Public Safety Millage Advisory Committee, which would be a 16-member body and under this ordinance three (3) of the seats will be occupied by members of the Board of Commissioners. After both public comment held at the beginning of the meeting, and a public hearing later in the May 15 meeting, where commenters generally disapproved of the ordinance for entrenching social service access in the carceral system, the Commissioners debated on whether or not to further limit the Sheriff’s allocation in any way. Only Commissioners Yousef Rabhi, Annie Somerville, and Katie Scott voted in favor of keeping these sub-percentage limits. The majority voted to scrap the 20-15-15% sub-breakdown. This May 15 vote served as a reminder that ordinances can be repealed or amended at any time, and that placing budget protections in such a fickle type of policy is not a viable solution to ensure funding for social services. Take action Advocacy mobilizations at the Board of Commissioners meetings in 2024 have been defined by Shelter Now, Community Mental Health workers’ contract bargaining and now this millage: all of which call for a County budget that is better reflective of the needs of the community. Community members, coalitions and grassroots organizations have spoken passionately about the life and death impacts of these policies. At the time of publication, the vote determining whether the millage renewal will appear on the November 5 ballot and how the updated ordinance will govern it will be held on June 5 — during the next Board of Commissioners meeting (220 N Main Street, Ann Arbor and on Zoom https://washtenaw.me/BOCZoom). Call or email your District’s elected Commissioner and let them know what mental health and public safety looks like to you.

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