Snohomish County sales tax for public safety trailing

EVERETT — A county sales tax measure to fund public safety on Tuesday’s ballot was behind in the initial tally of results.

With nearly 250,000 votes in Tuesday, about 56.4% were against the measure, with 43.6% in support.

Snohomish County Executive Dave Somers proposed the sales tax to help the growing county keep pace with growing public safety needs, in policing, the court system and drug treatment.

The additional two-tenths of 1% would equal about 2 cents for every $10 spent on retail in the county. Under state law, counties can ask voters for up to three-tenths of 1%.

The tax would have brought in about $40 million per year to help. The county would get 60% of that, a predicted $24 million annually. It would distribute the rest, about $16 million per year, among cities based on population.

Opponents argued taxes were already too burdensome in the county.

At 9.38%, Washington has the fourth highest combined state and local tax rates in the United States, according to the Tax Foundation. Sales tax rates in Snohomish County range from 9.1% to 10.6%, higher than the state’s rate of 6.5%. Lynnwood, Mukilteo and Mill Creek are tied for the highest sales tax in Washington.

In a joint statement Wednesday, Somers, county Prosecutor Jason Cummings and Sheriff Susanna Johnson said “the voters have spoken, and we respect their decision.”

“Public safety remains our top priority, and we will continue to do all we can with the resources we have to help those in need and hold people accountable,” the officials said. “We will also continue to look for resources from the state and federal governments to help us with our public safety needs.”

In 2016, the county brought a similar measure to voters, who rejected it. Officials attributed that to a poor messaging campaign that didn’t educate voters enough.

For law and justice efforts, the county predicts, if passed, it would have spent:

• $4.25 million to hire about 33 patrol deputies, corrections deputies and park rangers;

• $2.7 million to hire about 22 attorneys, paralegals or other staff at the prosecutor’s office;

• $2.34 million to hire about 15 attorneys, paralegals or other staff at the public defender’s office;

• $2.34 million to hire about 19 managers, coordinators and other staff at the courts; and

• $500,000 to expand medication-assisted drug treatment at the county jail.

For other public safety efforts, the county predicted spending:

• $4.5 million to create a 48-bed involuntary detox facility;

• $2.5 million for a new resource center, similar to the one at the Carnegie Building in Everett;

• $1.65 million for a nurse emergency call line and more Emergency Medical Services staff;

• $1.4 million to remove graffiti and abandoned vehicles;

• $1.4 million for youth violence prevention programs; and