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Council reviews proposal to place emergency-services sales tax on ballot to offset tourism impacts
Summary
Staff presented a resolution to ask voters to approve an emergency-services sales tax (staff framed the ask as a half-percent option) to help pay for fire, EMS, law enforcement, search-and-rescue and landfill impacts from tourism; staff estimated a half-percent could generate up to $15 million and council asked for final ballot language and revenue projections at the next meeting.
County staff presented draft language for a resolution to submit a ballot proposition authorizing an emergency-services sales tax to mitigate tourism impacts. Matt Lovett told the council the proposition can authorize up to 1 percent but the current proposition’s intent is a half-percent and he explained allowable exemptions: groceries, gasoline, and prescribed medicines would be excluded.
Lovett said the county estimated the tourism-related impact on county programs at about $15,000,000 and that a half-percent sales tax "could generate up to $15,000,000," a figure the staff used to structure the proposed ask. He added that collections would lag after a successful election because the state tax commission needs time to notify businesses and set rates.
Council members asked detailed questions about the resolution language and whether the ballot should ask for a fixed half-percent or the broader up-to-1% authority; one councilor observed the recitals referenced 1% while the proposition text references 0.5%, and staff confirmed the ballot body is written as a half-percent proposition. Several councilors said the sales tax is preferable to a property-tax increase to meet emergency-services and landfill needs and noted examples from other counties. Council discussed timing and outreach with municipal partners and whether the county should simultaneously initiate a truth-in-taxation process if the sales-tax measure failed; most council members urged against simultaneous truth-in-taxation because it could confuse voters.
Council asked staff to return at the next meeting with final ballot language and refined revenue expectations. Matt Lovett said preliminary collection estimates for first full-year revenues were in the $7 million to $8 million range depending on timing and seasonality; staff noted the measure would need voter approval and, if adopted, would run for 10 years unless the council returned the measure for a later vote.
No final vote to adopt the resolution to place the measure on the ballot was taken at the meeting; council members instead requested a follow-up with finalized language and revenue projections.
