Long a tax-wary locale, Spokane Valley will now have higher taxes to boost policing

Yahoo

14 hours ago

Aug. 7—Two conservative issues — policing and low taxes — went head to head on Tuesday in Spokane Valley. Some are surprised at the one that came out on top.
With a City Council that has gone years without approving property tax increases that most cities consider routine, residents still voted by a wide margin to boost sales taxes by 0.1% to boost its police force.
Votes are still being counted, but as of Wednesday afternoon, Proposition 1 was approved with 59% of voters backing the tax for more law enforcement equipment and deputies.
One council member opposed putting the tax on the ballot.
"I'm glad the community is supporting the police. That being said, we did not need this tax, and we should have paid for the police out of our budget," City Councilman Al Merkel said Wednesday. "The council left the community with no choice. They made it pretty clear that without this tax, there would be no more police officers."
The percentage of votes for Proposition 1 was surprising, Merkel said.
Other city officials said the voter approval shouldn't be seen as a sign that Spokane Valley is walking away from its aversion to taxes.
Deputy Mayor Tim Hattenburg noted it's the first time the city has had a general sales tax increase.
It will bring the total sales tax to 9% in Spokane Valley. According to the city, around 48% of sales tax is paid by people visiting the city, not residents. The average yearly cost of the tax increase will be $12.43 per shopper and $28.48 per household.
The city estimates the new tax will raise at least $2.6 million in 2026.
Raising taxes to fund police is not a conservative way of thinking, Merkel said. The city contracts with the Spokane County Sheriff's Office to provide its police department.
As it stands now, police services make up around 63% of the city's recurring cost, Council woman Laura Padden said on Wednesday. Last year, the city cut 5% of the budget from other services to help fund policing.
"Our revenues don't go up fast enough to support policing," Padden said. "We still believe in lower taxes, which is why we let the people decide."
The city, along with the council, has typically been fiscally conservative with a tight budget as sales and property tax proceeds have stagnated and expenses have risen.
"I'm really pleased," Padden said. "I was surprised, I thought it would be close. 59% is a strong vote in favor of the proposition. People felt really strongly about this. They can see the growth in the Valley, and they know the consequences of that growth impact policing."
In the months leading up to Election Day, Spokane Valley police Chief Dave Ellis spent several days educating the public on Proposition 1. Dozens of people showed up to public forums and community events to inform the public on the upcoming election. He never had a resident approach him and say there wasn't a need for more police officers, Ellis said.
The new revenue could fund at least 10 more officers over the next two years, Ellis said. Right now, Ellis says the department has 118 officers.
That fills the need that was made clear two years ago, when the city hired Matrix Consulting Group to review the efficacy of the city's police department.
The group found policing in Spokane Valley has not kept pace with the city's growth and recommended the city add 25 deputies. Since that report, the City Council approved 10 additional deputies for the city's police force last year by pulling funding from parks projects and street maintenance, and by cutting some city positions.
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