Olympia board first to back tax plan

By Matt Batcheldor | The Olympian • Published August 21, 2007

The Olympia City Council unanimously voted Monday for an agreement to support the Family Investment Initiative, a county proposal to raise sales taxes .3 cents per $1 to improve crime prevention programs.

The proposal is an initiative that voters countywide will decide on the Nov. 6 ballot. But the agreement, among Thurston County’s six cities and the county government, establishes the details of how the county would distribute the $10 million annually the tax increase would generate.

The money would be shared countywide. Two-thirds of it would be earmarked for crime-prevention programs, and the rest would go to criminal-justice projects, such as a planned new county jail.

Olympia was the first of the city and county governments to approve the proposal.

Chief Administrative Officer Don Krupp said representatives of the cities and county previously agreed to the proposal.

If voters approve the tax increase, the details approved Monday would go into effect, including:

• How to spend tax revenue. A board would be created with one elected official from each city and the county to set policies and oversee budgets.

• How to vote. Each city representative would get one vote, but a supermajority would be required to make decisions. For example, if all eight jurisdictions were present at a meeting, six would have to vote in favor of something for it to be approved.

• Conflicts of interest. Board members are required to recuse themselves if they are members of the board of any entity the county and cities are considering funding.

• Sunset provision. The tax increase would go away in 20 years unless voters reapprove it.