Auburn considers 0.1% public‑safety sales tax and mid‑biennial budget adjustments to cover rising criminal justice costs

Summary

City staff presented ordinance 7008 to authorize a council‑levied tenth‑of‑one‑percent public‑safety sales tax under HB 2015, estimated to raise about $2.7M/year; staff said compliance with multiple RCW requirements and CJTC review is required before collections could start April 1, 2026 if adopted by Jan. 15.

Director Thomas presented ordinance 7008 at the Nov. 10, 2026 study session, asking council permission to proceed with a council‑imposed point‑one percent (0.1%) sales and use tax for criminal justice and public‑safety purposes under recently enacted state law (House Bill 2015). Thomas said the option is now councilmanic (not voter‑initiated) and that the law allows a broad set of permissible uses including hiring/training/retention of officers, domestic violence services, public defense, diversion and reentry programs, behavioral‑health supports, crisis response and juvenile community placements.

Thomas summarized the statutory eligibility requirements cited in the presentation and said the city must demonstrate compliance with multiple RCW provisions and related policies (presentation cited RCW references in the application materials). The city must apply to the Criminal Justice Training Commission (CJTC)…

Auburn considers 0.1% public‑safety sales tax and mid‑biennial budget adjustments to cover rising criminal justice costs

Summary

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