Potential sales tax measure would prevent devastating cuts to public safety --Zahilay, Dembowski urge swift action
Saturday, April 26, 2025
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| Councilmember Dembowski seeks to preserve funding for public safety and criminal justice services in King county |
In a letter delivered Friday, the councilmembers encouraged the Executive to submit an ordinance enacting a 0.1% sales and use tax — an option newly authorized by state lawmakers to help local governments address spiraling fiscal shortfalls.
The letter emphasized the dire stakes: without new revenue, King County faces a projected $160 million deficit in the next two-year budget. The consequences would be deep, including painful cuts to core services such as law enforcement, public defense, prosecution, courts, public health, and victim support services.
“The residents of King County rely on us to ensure their safety and well-being. Without decisive action, our communities will face unacceptable cuts to services that touch every corner of the justice and safety system — from emergency response to violence prevention,” Zahilay said.
“HB 2015 gives us the lifeline we need. I deeply appreciate the state legislature and the Governor for empowering local governments like ours to act. I fully support this new sales tax tool and look forward to working with Executive Braddock to swiftly implement it.”
Zahilay and Dembowski specifically thanked Representatives Debra Entenman, Kristine Reeves, and April Berg, as well as Senators Manka Dhingra and Vandana Slatter, for championing HB 2015. Their leadership, along with Governor Bob Ferguson’s support, will make this essential funding tool possible.
“As we have heard from our public safety leaders this year in my Budget Committee, King County’s General Fund is in serious trouble in terms of its ability to keep essential core public safety services adequately funded,” Dembowski said.
“Our ability to meet the rising costs of these services with our primary revenue source, property tax, has been restricted for over two decades, and the ticking time bomb is now detonating.
“For the cost of ten cents on a $100 purchase, as allowed by this new law, we can and will avoid $160 million in cuts to prosecutors, public defenders, sheriff’s deputies, our courts, victims advocacy services and prevention and diversion programs. I believe it’s a very reasonable investment and will be sponsoring legislation with Council Chair Zahilay to implement it as soon as possible.”
- Maintaining staffing levels for prosecutors, public defenders, and sheriff’s deputies
- Sustaining court operations and victims' advocacy services
- Supporting behavioral health programs and diversion initiatives
- Preventing gun violence and domestic violence through early intervention
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6 comments:
No new taxes we are taxed to death
No!! Too much!! Use what you have; you have plenty!! This is a reduction in the rate of growth not a decrease in what you already have so quit your whining and dooms day hollering!!
We're never taxed enough according to politicians like Dembowski. The choice is always presented as either we have to raise this regressive tax even higher, or critical services will be gutted.
Voters are never asked to approve King County's wasteful projects, like the $300 million + they've spent on hotels to house drug addicts with no strings attached. Nope, somehow there's always funding for that stuff without needing to come to the voters hat in hand.
There's no incentive for our elected leaders to develop fiscal restraint if voters keep rubber stamping every tax increase put before them. It's our job to ask the tough questions and to vote no until they develop some transparency.
tax and spend, spend like there's no tomorrow and waste public money , tax some more, business and consumers fall behind, less revenue, spend more tax more, when will WA state leaders ever try different
The light rail project is north of 142 billion. How about we trim that “nice to have” and not sack our necessities. Oh well, we can always raise car tabs again right? Still seeing if we can break the $1000 dollar mark for a $40,000 3 year old truck on tab renewal for fun.
Just once I'd like to see one of the big spender politicians announce how much the legislature cut.
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