Spokane County Commission to consider public safety sales tax that wouldn't need voter approval

Spokane County leaders will consider boosting the sales tax to help fund criminal justice efforts as budgetary woes deepen.

The Spokane County Commission is set to vote Tuesday afternoon on an application that would allow the board to enact a 0.1% sales tax without voter approval. The funding mechanism was introduced into state law in 2025, as part of an effort to increase public safety funding.

The county is facing another tough budgeting cycle, on the heels of closing an estimated $20 million deficit heading into 2026. The board opted to close the gap primarily by eliminating around 120 mostly vacant positions.

Jeff McMorris, senior director of finance and administration for Spokane County, estimated in May the county will need to close a roughly $23 million deficit as part of the 2027 budgeting cycle.

Last Tuesday, with that forecast in mind, the commissioners considered sending a strongly worded letter to department heads and elected officials throughout the county government reminding those leaders of their duty to stay within their approved budgets, and to collaborate with them on identifying potential savings.

The commissioners opted instead to set up one-on-one meetings to drive home the financial situation.

"We're going to have to make cuts all throughout the different departments," said Commissioner Amber Waldref. "So hopefully, because you can partner around solutions and what their top priorities are, we can work together."

Spokane County Sheriff John Nowels said in an interview Monday that cuts to his department to help close the deficit could impact services, particularly for more rural areas.

The sheriff's office is one of the largest county departments. Nowels said if he were asked to cut between $4 to $6 million in expenses ahead of next year, it could mean the end of rural traffic enforcement, fewer detectives and fewer school resource deputies in unincorporated Spokane County. Staffing levels would recede back to the lows following the Great Recession, he said.

"We've just now gotten back up to where we were staffed at the exact same level we were at in 2007," Nowels said. "And this would just roll us back into the stone ages."

The sales tax application is an effort to ensure the commissioners have all options available to them during the budgeting process, Nowels said.

"My understanding is, if they decided to do this, it would be to prop up public safety initiatives," Nowels said. "And to make sure that we're not losing significant ground in a system that's already understaffed and overtaxed."

The state's Criminal Justice Training Commission will consider the application for the sales tax, which is dedicated broadly to any criminal justice expense, and determine whether Spokane County can enact it. The board would need to gather again to vote the tax into effect, or they can choose to put it before voters, after the commission approves the application.

The county must be able to satisfy a few requirements to receive approval for the sales tax.

County law enforcement must be in compliance with state laws like use-of-force data reporting and the Keep Washington Working Act, which bars collaboration with federal agents regarding immigration enforcement, and have officers or deputies complete state trainings on crisis intervention, sexual assault, gender-based violence, behavioral health and first aid. There also needs to be agency policies in place regarding use of force, deescalation, agency volunteers and civil protection orders.

"For the past couple of weeks, we're making sure our policies have the things in there that need to be," Nowels said.

The county also must receive funding from an authorized public safety or criminal justice sales tax, and one that was not rejected or repealed by voters within the previous 12 months, according to state law. The county's failed criminal justice sales tax measure in 2023, which voters rejected by more than 60%, falls well outside the window.

Spokane County Sheriff John Nowels is expected to brief the county commissioners on the sales tax application at 9 a.m. Tuesday, which can be viewed publicly through the Spokane County YouTube page. The commissioners are scheduled to vote on submitting the application later in the day.

"I don't think it's a comfortable consideration for any of the county commissioners, particularly now," Nowels said. "But I think the public sentiment is, if you're going to have a tax, the public will accept that, if it's public safety."

The Spokane County Commissioners hold legislative meetings Tuesdays at 2 p.m. in the hearing room located in the basement of the Public Works Building, 1026 W. Broadway Ave.

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This story was originally published June 8, 2026 at 7:03 PM.