EVERETT — Over $120 million in tax hikes for roads and public safety are slated for vote by the Snohomish County Council at its Wednesday meeting.
The five-member council is expected to vote on three ordinances connected to tax increases aimed at collecting a total of $125 million over the next five years. The most expensive ordinance, 26-030, involves a 0.1% sales tax increase to fund public safety, including courts, the prosecutor’s office and law enforcement costs
Ordinance 26-030, would impose a 0.1% sales tax for criminal justice purposes. The Snohomish County Council proposed this dedicated sales tax hike after the Washington Legislature, with HB 2015, authorized jurisdictions to seek out the local tax hike option to fund their respective systems. The 0.1% sales tax in the ordinance is projected to generate $23 million a year in funding for Snohomish County public safety agencies.
King County, Pierce County, Whatcom County along with the cities of Bellingham, Lynden, Auburn, Renton, and Maple Valley are several of the individual jurisdictions that approved a higher sales tax since HB 2015 was passed in 2025 to tax themselves more to pay for law enforcement and courts funding.
Two other ordinances would raise an expected $11 million annually for Snohomish County roads.
Ordinance 26-031 would impose a 10-year 0.1% sales and use tax for county roadway improvements. The sales tax is expected to generate $5 million a year. Ordinance 26-009, would impose an annual $20 car tab fee for vehicles registered in unincorporated Snohomish County. Cars registered in city jurisdictions would not be subjected to this new $20 car tab tax. The $20 car tab tax is expected to produce $6 million a year, according to Snohomish County officials.
Snohomish County Council chair, Megan Dunn, tells the EverettPost.com, the cost to maintain and improve the road and transportation infrastructure is rising drastically due to inflation and increased state and federal mandates. She says revenue sources are not keeping up and points to the existing road levy funding mechanism that is capped annually at 1% which is lower than the rate of inflation.
All three ordinances are slated for action on tomorrow’s agenda for The Snohomish County Council meeting which starts at 10:30 a.m. You can watch the meeting by clicking on the August 12 meeting link on this webpage.