(The Center Square) – Tacoma voters will decide on tax increases to fund road repairs next spring after the city council approved a new ballot measure.
The ballot measure would increase the city’s property tax by 25 cents per $1,000 of assessed value for a maximum levy rate of $1.95 in 2026.
An average Tacoma property owner can expect to pay $72 per year in property taxes toward the levy, if passed by voters. The city would collect approximately $25 million in its first year.
The measure would also authorize a 2% increase in utility earnings tax that would cost a homeowner $20 more per year.
The original Tacoma Streets Initiative was passed by voters in 2015. It is set to generate $397 million over its 10-year life span. According to the city, it helped secure over $135 million in matching state and federal grants. Funding was mainly used for improving residential streets.
This new measure would replace the current levy which is set to expire at the end of 2025.
The Tacoma Streets Initiative II measure would focus on arterial road improvements, continue maintenance to residential roads as part of the current street initiative, and fund safety enhancements to reduce the number of traffic-related injuries and deaths.
Tacoma City Councilmember Olgy Diaz noted that the levy goes toward improving road conditions for the city’s main streets, which are often utilized by emergency vehicles. She emphasized the impacts of paved roads in allowing first-responders to get to emergencies in a timely fashion.
“I’m really excited for some of the infrastructure that this is going to help us create to get not just our goods, our people, and our transit moving, but also those who are moving in emergent fashion to save lives,” Diaz said during Tuesday’s city council meeting.
The new levy proposal focuses on arterial streets as a result of findings from the City of Tacoma’s 2023 pavement condition index rating, which found a decline in arterial street conditions. According to the assessment, arterial conditions have decreased by 22% and only 24.3% of Tacoma residents were satisfied with street conditions.
The Tacoma City Council unanimously approved Resolution 41588 on Tuesday. Voters will decide on the measure during the special election on April 22, 2025.
