MARYSVILLE – Sexually transmitted diseases like syphilis and gonorrhea are on the rise in Snohomish County, due in part to social media websites like Tinder and Grinder where people call each other to hook up.

“It’s been seen around the country,” said Snohomish Health District spokeswoman Heather Thomas. “Not the app, but the activities it promotes.”

The public knows STDs are on the rise because of the health district. In the last five years syphilis is up 165 percent, and there were 447 cases of gonorrhea so far this year, up 22 percent.

“It’s the new crisis out here in Snohomish County,” Pete Mayer, deputy director of the district, told the Marysville City Council Nov. 7.

Because of a lack of resources, Thomas said the district is responding to the crisis rather than being able to reach out and educate the public about it.

“We’d rather do prevention,” Thomas said.

The health district is asking all cities in the county to pitch in $1 per resident as a stopgap so it won’t have to make cuts in personnel due to declining funds.

“It’s somewhat of a lifeline,” Mayer said.

Jeff Ketchel, the district’s environmental health director, said the district needs to develop better relationships with its cities, so they can better see how they specifically benefit from the district.

“One size does not fit all,” he said.

Mayer said cities used to contribute to the district, until in the 1990s the state stopped giving monies to cities for it, and put counties in charge.

Ketchel, who used to work in Grant County, said cities help fund the health district there.

“It’s a high priority on their budgets,” he said.

Other than government funding and user fees, the district relies on grants. But those often come with restricted usage.

About 80 percent of the district’s budget is labor related. In its preliminary budget, 18 positions would be lost.

“We can’t cut our way out of this,” Mayer said.

For long-term funding, they said they plan to convince lawmakers to fund core health district services statewide.

Ketchel said health districts perform functions that are not available anywhere else in communities.

One key area is tuberculosis. TB is highly infectious and in extreme cases it can cost up to $250,000 to treat patients, and isolate and house them for a long period of time.

The district also makes sure food and water is safe for consumption. It also works with local fairs and carnivals to allow temporary food permits, otherwise none would be able to afford them.

The health district leaders said they have 143 employees, while similarly sized Pierce County has 220. If all the cities pitch in, the district would be able to save nine of the 18 positions. Key on the list are a child care dietitian, policy analyst and an epidemiologist for data collection and analysis.

They said it is so important for the district to find the gaps in public health services and find the right interventions to solve problems.

“We don’t get to choose what we work on. It chooses us,” Mayer said.

They said the district was created in the 1950s and legally can’t pass levies for funding. They want to improve their governance and work with other counties to the north to improve services.

They said their staff has been cut 22 percent and funding 37 percent over the past few years. Their budget is $15 million and with the cities chipping in that would provide $650,000 more. To compare per capita statewide in county spending, Snohomish County ranks 34th.

In other council news for Monday, Nov. 14:

•There will be a public hearing on the biennial budget.

•There also will be a public hearing on property taxes.

•And there will be a public hearing on emergency medical services taxes.

•Funding awards for Hotel-Motel taxes will be made.

•A proposed amendment for fire protection will be considered.

•And parks fees also will be considered.