(The Center Square) – Spokane County voters will cast their ballots over 11 tax measures on the Nov. 5 ballot.
The county has 14 ballot resolutions listed on its website, three rescinded, leaving 11 for voters to decide. Four of those requests come from the local school districts, while the other seven, which this article will touch on, are from towns, cities and other municipal organizations.
SPOKANE AND SPOKANE COUNTY
The first tax measure on Spokane County’s sample ballot is its own Juvenile Detention and Jails Sales Tax renewal, which generates roughly $15 million annually. The one-tenth of 1% sales tax costs consumers approximately $1 per $1,000 spent and primarily funds Detention Services.
The next request comes from the City of Spokane and is also a one-tenth of 1% sales tax. The measure would cost consumers the same amount as the county’s renewal but would only generate roughly $7.7 million annually, with 15% of that going to the county.
Spokane intends to use that revenue for “new investments,” though some of those uses were previously supported by the city’s general fund, which is facing a considerable deficit. The county officials are worried voters will only pass one of the requests, and if it’s the city’s, Detention Services, which is used by both, would face a dramatic cut amid existing issues.
Notably, the county’s renewal is at the top of the ballot, near presidential picks, while Spokane’s proposal nears the bottom alongside the other tax measures. While some officials are skeptical, both can pass, each requiring only a simple majority.
TOWN OF ROCKFORD
Rockford wants its residents to pass an excess levy that would cost 51 cents per every $1,000 of assessed property value. According to the ballot resolution, it would raise roughly $35,380 to finance the town’s 2025 fire protection services.
“This levy replaces an expiring levy, which the Town has collected in past years,” according to the resolution.
TOWN OF SPANGLE
Spangle is asking its residents to pass two separate tax measures, one for fire and another for police. If passed, the Fire Protection Service Excess Levy would cost $1.40 per every $1,000 of assessed property value, while the Police Protection Service Excess Levy would cost 80 cents per every $1,000.
SPANGLE CEMETERY DISTRICT
The Spangle Cemetery District, which is related but separate from the Town of Spangle, hopes residents will pass a single-year operational levy. This measure would cost residents 20 cents per every $1,000 of assessed property value, estimated to bring in $20,000 for 2025.
ROSALIA PARK & RECREATION DISTRICT
The final request on Spokane’s County sample ballot is for the Rosalia Park & Recreation District, which, like Spangle’s asks, is for a one-year levy. The measure would cost residents 48 cents per every $1,000 of assessed property value, generating roughly $98,500 in a single year.
According to the ballot resolution, the levy is “for the Rosalia Park and Swimming Pool to help defray the costs of operation and maintenance.”
