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Resident urges Jefferson County to put larger transportation sales-tax measure on November ballot, and recommends permit fees to fund short-term rental program
Summary
A resident asked the commissioners—who serve as the county’s transportation benefit district board—to place a November ballot measure to raise the sales tax by 0.2% to boost road funding and argued that a permit-fee model could fund short-term-rental program staffing.
Tom Tiersch told the Jefferson County Board of Commissioners on March 10 that the county should prepare a ballot measure in November to increase the transportation sales tax by two-tenths of 1 percent and adopt a permit-fee structure for short-term rentals to fund program administration.
Tiersch addressed the county in its capacity as the transportation benefit district board and said the 0.1% tax increase set to start in April will not be enough to keep pace with inflation and rising construction costs. “I would just encourage the transportation benefit district board to put a measure on the ballot this November to increase that sales tax by the allowed 2 tenths of 1%,” Tiersch said, adding the increase would bring in “another $2,000,000 or billion some dollars a year” (speaker’s approximate phrasing).
Tiersch also urged adoption of permit fees for short-term rentals that would cover the cost of operating the permitting program. “If you simply apply a reasonable fee such as those imposed by Chelan or San Juan County, to each of those permits, you can raise hundreds of thousands of dollars in permit fees each year,” he said, and argued that revenue could support at least two full-time staff for enforcement and permitting.
Why it matters: additional taxes or permit fees would expand revenue for road maintenance and compliance programs; placing a measure on the ballot would require a commission/board decision and voter approval.
No formal action was taken at the meeting. Commissioners did not vote to place a measure on the ballot or set permit fees; Tiersch said he would submit written comments.
Tiersch’s remarks also addressed capacity concerns he attributed to county staff in the Department of Community Development, saying permit fees could convert the short-term rental program into an enterprise fund that pays for required staffing and enforcement.
