PORT TOWNSEND — Jefferson County will collect a tax for public safety enhancement starting in April.
Revenue from the one-tenth of 1 percent sales tax may be used for a range of eligible criminal justice and public safety services already supported by the county.
The board of county commissioners passed an ordinance on Monday authorizing staff to submit required documentation and notice to the state Department of Revenue.
The sales tax will only be collected in unincorporated Jefferson County and was made possible by state legislation adopted during the 2025 session, according to Amanda Christofferson, a grants administrator for the county.
The tax is expected to bring in $301,596 in revenue in 2026. Funds must be used for public safety and criminal justice services as defined in RCW 82.14.345.
“This includes domestic violence services, public defense services, diversion programs like our therapeutic courts, re-entry work for inmates, (and) local government programs that help with reducing homelessness and improving behavioral health,” Christofferson said.
The county ordinance defines allowable uses but does not commit the revenue to any specific program or department. Instead, it allows the revenue to be used for eligible public safety and criminal justice services through the county’s annual budget process.
The board authorized county staff to start pursuing the tax when, in annual budget discussions, public defense was singled out as an increasingly expensive service, amid changes to caseload standards.
The county’s 2026 annual budget, passed Monday, underwent notable cuts through a balancing process in November and December.
Defense attorney Richard Davies said he supported passing the new tax.
In public comment, Davies said he has practiced public defense in Jefferson County courts for 20 years and noted that the service of providing indigent defense is constitutionally mandated.
“It’s an expensive constitutional right,” he said. “Recently, the Washington Supreme Court passed an order which reduces the number of cases that a public defender can handle.”
The decision will come with increased cost to the county, because, while the Supreme Court passed the standard, the change doesn’t come with funding, Davies said.
Davies runs nonprofit law firm Jefferson Associated Counsel, which is currently contracted with the county to provide defense services for those who cannot afford them. He said the reduced caseload is a welcome change.
Christofferson said when she spoke with Sheriff Andy Pernsteiner, he expressed confidence that the county met the eligibility requirements to impose the tax, after the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office received Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs accreditation in May.
Funds from the new tax will flow through the general fund, said Stacie Prada, the county’s treasurer.
Commissioner Greg Brotherton asked what financial controls ensure that the money will be spent on its defined purposes.
“There is a tracking that (Finance Director Judi Shepherd) does each year in the budget process to show we are using the amount received or more for those types of purposes,” Prada said.
The county also must follow reporting requirements throughout the year for the tax, Prada added.
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Reporter Elijah Sussman can be reached by email at elijah.sussman@peninsuladailynews.com.
