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San Juan County tells staff to pursue verification for state public‑safety sales‑tax option
Summary
San Juan County instructed staff Oct. 21 to submit a verification form required under HB 2015 so the county can preserve eligibility for a new state public‑safety grant program and retain the option of a 0.1% local public‑safety sales tax.
San Juan County Council on Oct. 21 directed county staff to submit the verification and authorization materials required under state law (HB 2015) to the Criminal Justice Training Commission, a procedural step needed for the county to be eligible for the newly created state grant program and — ultimately — to impose a local 0.1% sales‑and‑use tax for criminal justice and public‑safety purposes.
Deputy County Manager Hillary Williams briefed the council on the bill’s timing and requirements. The law created a state grant program administered by the Criminal Justice Training Commission and also allows local jurisdictions to enact a 0.1% council‑manic sales tax for specified public‑safety purposes. Williams noted that application details for the grant program were not yet live but that the verification form (which confirms local law‑enforcement staffing and other statutory criteria) must be submitted and approved to make the county eligible for either grant funds or the local tax option.
Council members asked for more information about how funds could be used, how the verification process would work, and whether the grant program would cover recruiting and retaining entry‑level officers or programs such as co‑response. Staff agreed to seek further clarification from state agencies and to return with recommended use cases and fiscal scenarios. For Oct. 21 the council provided direction to proceed with verification submission — a nonbinding step that preserves future options; the body did not commit to imposing local tax at this meeting.
