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Resident urges Spokane County to enact '15/90' sales tax to fund housing for people experiencing homelessness
Summary
At the June 10, 2025 Spokane County commissioners meeting, a Spokane resident urged the board to adopt a sales-and-use tax under RCW 82.14.530 (commonly called "15/90") to finance construction and services for people experiencing homelessness, citing Tacoma's Kingfisher Village as an example.
Becky Deckerhoefer, a Spokane resident, urged the Spokane County Board of Commissioners on June 10, 2025 to enact what she described as the "15 90 tax," citing state statute RCW 82.14.530 as the enabling authority.
"I am here today to ask the County Commissioners to enact what is commonly referred to as the 15 90 tax," Deckerhoefer said, describing the statute and how she said the revenue could be spent. She told the board that at least 60% of funds under the ordinance must be used for construction of housing and related services, with the balance used for operations or delivery of services related to housing.
Deckerhoefer cited Kingfisher Village in Tacoma as a local example of small-scale housing paired with supports, saying the project provided 60 tiny homes and case-management offices for less than $4,000,000. She contrasted that with what she called a "disastrous tract shelter" that, she said, cost about $20,000,000 over two years without lasting positive outcomes. Deckerhoefer also criticized what she described as previous local emphasis on criminalization rather than housing solutions and urged the commissioners to "think outside the box" and use available tools and resources to address homelessness.
Her remarks occurred during the board's open public forum; the board did not take any formal action on the request during the June 10 consent-agenda session.
Public comments mentioning policy or statute at Spokane County meetings are recorded on the public forum portion of the agenda and may prompt staff or commissioners to place an item on a future agenda for consideration, but no such referral or vote was recorded at this meeting.
