After months of debate, Oak Harbor council adopts local business and occupation tax to fund marina repairs (5–1)

The Oak Harbor City Council voted 5–1 on Aug. 6 to adopt a local business and occupation (B&O) tax aimed at funding repairs and upgrades at the Oak Harbor Marina, including dredging and breakwater work.

The ordinance (No. 19‑98) adds a city B&O tax to Oak Harbor Municipal Code Title 3. Under the ordinance approved by council, businesses with annual gross receipts above $4,000,000 would be subject to the tax; the adopted quarterly threshold is $1,000,000. The ordinance’s effective date is Oct. 1, 2025. Mayor Pro Tem called the vote; Councilor Wigenstein cast the lone opposing vote.

David Goldman, deputy city administrator and finance director, led the presentation and reiterated the scale of marina needs and the revenue options the city has analyzed. Goldman laid out phase‑1 marina projects (dredging and breakwater work) and larger phase‑2 dock reconfiguration options, and he presented a range of cost and revenue scenarios developed with consultant Moffatt & Nichol.

Goldman summarized the capital numbers presented to council: a maximum dredging estimate of about $13.2 million (2026 dollars) and a minimum dredging scenario of roughly $10 million, with 20‑year debt service estimates shown in staff slides; maintenance dredging over the following decade was estimated at about $5.5 million; breakwater repair/renovation and wholesale replacement options were outlined on slides with multi‑million dollar price…