FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Skagit County Adopts 0.1% Public Safety Sales Tax
The Skagit County Commissioners have adopted a 0.1% sales tax in Skagit County to be used for public safety programs and services. Washington State House Bill 2015 (HB 2015) provides local governments the ability to adopt a 0.1% sales tax to provide additional resources for improving public safety. The bill permits cities and counties to adopt the tax increase through approval by the local legislative body. In Skagit County, the legislative body is the Board of County Commissioners. The new tax will add $0.10 for every $100 spent in Skagit County.
The primary purpose of adopting the new sales tax increase is to support public safety efforts in Skagit County, and to help balance the 2026 budget. This new sales tax will generate approximately $4-4.5M in new annual revenue. The tax will be implemented starting April 1, 2026, so the revenue generated for the first year will be approximately $3M. The revenue will allow Skagit County to fund additional Sheriff investigation deputies, a park ranger, and mental health professionals to support crisis response in our community. The Commissioners are also evaluating the use of HB 2015 revenue to support current public safety expenses including: crisis response deputies, support for the Mount Vernon Police Department Integrated Outreach Services, Julota software for first responder agencies, and Skagit County Jail behavioral health services.
The Skagit County Commissioners are finalizing the preliminary 2026 budget, which will be published on Monday, November 17th. As previously announced, if 2025 levels of service and county programs are maintained for 2026, Skagit County will face a $19M deficit in the general fund. This deficit is primarily the result of increased operating and salary costs paired with revenues that are either flat or increasing at a rate much slower than inflation, as well as additional mandated county services by the state and federal government.
To decrease expenditures for 2026, the Commissioners will be reducing the workforce, implementing furloughs, continuing the current hiring freeze, and looking at more efficient workflows and organizational structures to ensure mandated county services continue as required. The County Commissioners have considered all available options to help balance the general fund budget for 2026, and new revenue opportunities, such as the House Bill 2015 sales tax, will help ensure budgetary reductions do not impact important public safety services.
For more details on the 2026 budget process, please visit the Skagit County Budget and Finance webpage. Questions or comments can be directed to the Commissioners’ office at [email protected] or 360-416-1300.
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