The sales tax will increase by one-tenth of 1 percent and the money can be used to help pay for more law enforcement and for the city to face its shortage of public defenders

Paul Valencia
Clark County Today

Members of the Vancouver City Council voted Monday night to increase the sales tax for “criminal justice purposes,” a decision that should lead to additional police officers on the force as well as help with the shortage of public defenders.

The sales tax will go up one-tenth of 1 percent.

Vancouver Police Chief Troy Price noted this will give the city the ability to hire more officers in an effort to alleviate staffing inadequacies. He noted it also allows the city to address the shortages of defense attorneys, “which we sorely need.”

Earlier this summer, Vancouver police officers were told to stand down from making arrests or issuing citations on a number of misdemeanor crimes in an effort to “prioritize cases with the greatest impact on safety,” according to City Manager Lon Pluckhahn.

The shortage of defense attorneys led to the dismissal of more than 50 cases, including cases involving domestic violence.

Last week, when discussing the possibility of the tax increase, City Councilor Bart Hansen said the city needs to do a better job of communication. He supported the tax increase but wanted the public to know that this would not be the case of more police without allowing police to do the job.

“I would hate for this to be reported that we are simply going to hire more police officers and not have any public defense for any of the folks that they arrest,” Hansen said. “I don’t want to come across as simply hiring more police officers for catch-and-release.”

This week, there was a brief discussion before a vote.

The vote was 6-1 in favor of the tax increase, with City Councilor Diana Perez opting to vote no.

“I support law enforcement and responsible public safety investments,” she said. “Right now, I believe the responsible choice is to pause before starting another tax on our residents.”

Perez said it is bad timing, with so many working families who are struggling. Plus, county residents are about to be asked to fund renovations to the Clark County Jail. Then there is going to be the hiring of a new police chief. Price has announced that he intends to retire.

“My concern is timing and cumulative tax burden that continues to be placed on all of us,” Perez said.

City Councilor Kim Harless said she had concerns about the tax increase, but she appreciated that the tax will help pay for more than police officers. The money, she noted, can go to public defense, mental health crisis response, homeless response, and more.

Last week, Price told the councilors that the sales tax increase was part of a three-legged approach to issues the city is facing. That includes the passing of Proposition 5 last November, for police and public safety. It also includes the city’s recent application for a state grant that, if granted, will pay for 75 percent of a number of hires. The other 25 percent would come from this sales tax increase.

The ordinance becomes effective 30 days after adoption.

And according to the ordinance, this is an additional sales and use tax in addition to all other existing sales and use taxes currently imposed by the city. The City Clerk is directed to submit the ordinance to the Department of Revenue and take all steps necessary to implement and collect the tax imposed beginning on Jan. 1, 2027.