Committee backs resolution to reserve up to 25% of proposed public-safety sales tax for addiction treatment and recovery services

The Governance, Accountability and Economic Development Committee voted 5-0 on July 24 to recommend a resolution that would set public‑safety funding priorities should the city implement the 0.1% local option public‑safety sales tax authorized by the 2025 state legislature. Council President Sarah Nelson said the resolution would allocate up to 25% of the revenue to “create treatment pathways” for people with substance use disorders.

The measure matters because the state bill authorizing the local option is expected to let municipalities raise roughly $35 million to $40 million a year; at that estimate a 25% earmark would be on the order of $8.75 million to $10 million annually. Committee members and multiple public commenters said the money would be used to shore up existing treatment and outreach programs and to fund capital and staffing needs for new or expanded recovery services.

The resolution does not itself increase any tax. Rather, it sets committee priorities in advance of a potential proposal from Mayor Bruce Harrell to implement the state‑authorized sales tax. Ben…