Snohomish County residents to vote on proposed criminal justice tax

In November, residents of Snohomish County will have the chance to vote on whether or not to approve a 0.2% sales tax increase that officials say would fund the criminal justice system and combat the opioid epidemic.

That increase translates to a two-cent tax on every $10 purchase made in the county.

“I mean I just spent $30 at the grocery store on plants that’s a drop in the bucket,” Jennifer Meyn said. “I believe in taxing for equality.” The county council voted unanimously to put the potential increase on the ballot for voters in November.

“So it’s property taxes or sales taxes basically and when we are looking at a system that we’ve recognized needs more investment there’s really you know not a lot of tools for us to use,” said Jared Mead, a county council member.

If it passes, the tax would generate more than $39 million annually.

Sixty percent of that revenue would go to the county, which plans to use it to bolster the criminal justice system and put more resources into fighting the opioid epidemic.

The remaining forty percent would be divided up among the cities to craft plans of their own.

“Looking at the balance of the proposal and understanding there is a strong element of criminal justice and accountability but it’s balanced with things like secure withdrawal management, a secure resource management, EMS needs,” said Jason Biermann, a senior policy advisor in the Snohomish County Executive Office.

Statistics from the Crime in Washington Annual Report show that reported drug and narcotics violations jumped from 1,467 in 2022 to 2,283 in 2023.

“We do not have enough beds for secure withdrawal, the opioid epidemic is hitting the entire country hard but Snohomish County specifically hard,” Mead said. “And so it’s going to be nice to be able to invest in that and people struggling with substance abuse issues.”