Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Homelessness Housing Sales Tax topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Public commenter urges Spokane County to adopt 0.1% sales tax under RCW 82.14.530 to fund affordable housing
Summary
At the Oct. 21 Spokane County commissioners meeting, a resident urged the board to adopt the so-called 15/90 tax (RCW 82.14.530) — a 0.1% sales-and-use tax — with at least 60% dedicated to building housing for people experiencing homelessness.
Becky Dickerhoof, a member of the public, told the Spokane County Board of County Commissioners on Oct. 21 that the county should adopt the sales-and-use tax authorized by state law to fund affordable housing.
“I’m here today to ask the county commissioners to enact what is commonly referred to as the 15 90 tax,” Dickerhoof said, citing RCW 82.14.530 and describing the measure as “a sales and use tax not to exceed 1 tenth of 1%” to create more homes for people who are unsheltered. She said the law requires at least 60% of revenue be used for construction of housing and the remainder for operation or services related to housing.
Dickerhoof framed homelessness and drug availability as distinct problems, saying, “The only thing all homeless residents of Spokane County have in common is they cannot find available affordable housing,” and adding that criminalizing people without housing will not address the drug supply.
The comment was offered during the meeting’s open public forum; Commissioners did not take immediate public action on the proposal during the Oct. 21 consent-agenda meeting. Earlier in the record the board noted written testimony had been received for a separate agenda item (7d) and later moved that item to the Nov. 4 legislative agenda for further review.
The speaker cited state law by number (RCW 82.14.530) and identified programmatic requirements she said were contained in that statute: a 0.1% cap on the tax and a requirement that at least 60% of revenue go to construction with the balance used for operations or services related to housing. The transcript does not show any formal motion or vote by the board to consider enactment of the tax at this meeting.
No county staff presented a formal response or analysis of the proposed tax during the Oct. 21 meeting. The board later continued one agenda item to Nov. 4; the transcript does not indicate whether the 15/90 tax proposal will be added to a future legislative agenda for formal consideration.
Details that were stated at the public forum but not resolved at the meeting include whether the county will place the 0.1% sales-and-use tax on a future ballot or adopt it by ordinance and which departments would administer revenues and programs if the tax were enacted.
The county’s legislative agenda for Nov. 4, 2025, will include several continued matters; the transcript shows the board moved one public hearing item (7d) to that date. The record does not specify any staff analyses, revenue estimates, or timelines tied to Dickerhoof’s request.
