Tumwater council approves ballot measure to renew 0.2% transportation sales tax, expand eligible projects to sidewalks

The Tumwater City Council voted unanimously Jan. 21 to place a ballot measure before voters to renew the city's 0.2% Transportation Benefit District sales tax for another 10 years and to expand the range of eligible projects to include standalone sidewalk and other pedestrian-accessibility work.

The measure, embodied in Resolution R2025-001, would not raise the sales tax rate; proponents say the TBD spreads street-maintenance costs across everyone who shops or drives in Tumwater. "If you spend a $100 on sales taxable items, that's 20¢ that you're gonna spend for Tumwater streets," said Brandon Hicks, a staff member presenting the proposal to council. Hicks told the council the TBD has generated more than $19.2 million in the last 10 years, leveraged roughly $6.5 million in grants and produced nearly $26 million in total investments for street preservation to date.

The change the council approved would keep the existing 0.2% sales-tax funding in place while explicitly allowing the TBD to fund standalone pedestrian and sidewalk projects. Hicks said the added eligibility would help the city leverage pedestrian-focused grants and address barriers identified in the city's ADA transition plan, including missing sidewalk segments, heaved sidewalks and non-ADA curb ramps.

Why it matters: supporters told council the renewal preserves the city's pavement-management program and avoids a decline in overall pavement condition that would raise future repair costs. Hicks described the TBD as a way to spread maintenance costs beyond residents to shoppers and visitors and said, "this is not a sales tax increase. It is just maintaining what we have right now."

Council discussion and process: The council opened a public hearing on the resolution; no members of the public signed up to speak either in person or remotely. Councilmember Eileen Swartout moved to adopt Resolution R2025-001; Councilmember Angela Jefferson seconded. Councilmember Rothausen asked about the ballot-language drafting; Hicks responded that "our wonderful city attorney drafted it," and Karen, city attorney, confirmed she prepared the language included in the packet. Councilmembers indicated they would solicit their own pro- and con-committees if the resolution passed and, if so, a separate resolution to appoint those committees would come to council in February.

Vote and timing: The motion to adopt Resolution R2025-001 passed unanimously. City staff listed key dates in the timeline: council consideration in January, possible pro/con committee resolutions in February, a county submittal deadline in late February, and the election scheduled for April 22, 2025.

What the ballot does and next steps: If approved by voters, the TBD renewal would continue the existing 0.2% sales tax for 10 more years and explicitly allow the TBD to fund sidewalk and pedestrian-accessibility projects (with project selection continuing to follow the city's pavement management and capital planning processes). Hicks said projected TBD revenues over the next 10 years exceed $30 million on the TBD portion alone, and staff will continue pursuing grant opportunities to augment those funds.

The council noted staffing constraints in the engineering section that can affect project delivery timelines and said staff would return with materials for pro/con committee solicitation and an informational mailer if the council moves forward with forming committees.

Ending: With no public testimony and brief council questions, the council's unanimous vote puts the renewal and revised project eligibility before Tumwater voters in April.