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Residents urge Pierce County Council to rethink proposed sales tax, call for more school mental-health staff
Summary
During community forum on Feb. 3, residents criticized automated camera ticketing and a proposed tax (referenced as 2026-5001.501) as a revenue generator, urged action on visible homelessness and sanitation near courthouse areas, and a social worker urged the council to press legislators to revise House Bill 1637 to increase school mental-health professionals rather than defaulting to resource officers.
Public commenters at the Pierce County Council’s community forum on Feb. 3 raised sharp concerns about a proposed sales tax and local public-safety and mental-health issues.
Ken Paulson told the council automated traffic-camera tickets feel like a "revenue generator" and said he opposed the proposed tax he referenced as 2026-5001.501, estimating it could raise about "$20,000,000 approximately" if his reading was correct. "I think it's gonna raise $20,000,000 approximately, if I read everything right," Paulson said, urging officials to pursue government efficiency rather than additional taxes.
An unnamed resident described seeing drug needles and encampments within a block and a half of the courthouse and called on the council to do more on sanitation and homelessness. "These homeless people are getting out of control... You're not walking around town. You're not realizing what's here," the resident said, urging stepped-up local action.
Online, Adrianna Monroe, who identified herself as a social worker, urged the council to encourage state legislators to revise House Bill 1637 so schools add mental-health professionals rather than making school resource officers the default response to mental-health or crisis needs. Monroe argued that resource officers are trained for criminal investigations and not trauma-informed care: "School resource officers are not highly trained behavioral health care professionals," she said, and urged the county to better incorporate mental-health staff in schools.
At the start of the meeting the council approved its consent agenda (the set of minutes listed for final action). Vice Chair Herrera moved to approve the consent agenda; the clerk recorded seven ayes, 0 nays (Denson; Morell; Herrera; Kuver; Ayala; Yambe; Hitchens).
No county policy or ordinance was adopted during the public comment period; the items raised were appeals for council attention and for the council to use its influence with state legislators on education policy.
