Badger Club plans debate on making public safety sales tax permanent in Benton County
Ballots are arriving for us to decide races for school board, city council and other positions. In addition, Benton County voters are being asked to extend the Public Safety Sales Tax.
In 2014, Benton County voters approved a three-tenths of 1 percent sales tax for public safety improvements — or 30 cents on a $100 purchase. The tax is due to expire Dec. 31, 2024, unless extended.
According to the Voters’ Guide, the tax money, which does not apply to an automobile purchase, pays for 55 police officers and sheriff’s deputies, four deputy prosecutors, an added Superior Court judge and support staff. It also provides money for “special courts” like the successful drug court, with the potential for funding similar courts for veterans and those living with mental illness.
The Columbia Basin Badger Club is holding a one-hour online debate on whether to make the tax permanent that will be presented on Zoom beginning at noon Thursday, Oct. 26. The club’s mission is to promote civil discourse through public forums on important issues of the day.
On the face of it, this looks like a fairly simple proposition. Proponents are not asking us to raise the rate, just to make it permanent. Opponents say more analysis is needed.
Arguing for passing Benton County Proposition 1 will be Andy Miller, retired longtime Benton County prosecuting attorney. Proponents say rejecting the tax, which generates more than $19 million a year, would be tantamount to “defunding the police.”
Taking the other side will be Jerry Martin, who served on the original citizens advisory committee that recommended the tax in 2014 and is active in conservative politics.
His Voters’ Pamphlet statement states there is “no information on the effectiveness of past expenditures,” and that there has been no analysis on if a lesser amount would be effective. He also argues the tax should have a sunset clause to expire unless extended.
Miller is a Richland native. After graduating from Richland High School, he earned degrees from the University of Washington and Willamette Law School. He was hired as a deputy prosecutor in 1980, and elected Benton County prosecutor in 1986.
As prosecutor, Miller helped develop KidsHaven, a center for children who may have been abused. He also helped develop the Metro Drug Task Force, Mental Health Court, Veteran’s Court, and Drug Court.
Martin had a 50-year career in radiation safety and has served as president of the Tri-Cities Tea Party and as a Republican precinct committee officer. He currently serves as secretary of the We Want Accountability PAC. While he served on the committee that recommended the tax, he says there was no citizen input on this new measure.
There is no charge for Badger Club members to attend the forum, while nonmembers will pay $5 to attend. Immediately following the debate, audience members are invited to join us for Table Talk, a half-hour open-mic conversation.
To register for the forum, visit columbiabasinbadgers.com.
