$21M for jail repairs. How will Pierce County spend rest of money from new tax?
Pierce County officials plan to spend revenue from a new one-tenth of 1% sales tax largely on renovations to the county’s minimum security jail.
The sales tax, which will go into effect on July 1 after county leaders finalized it in March, is the result of a state law that among other things allows local jurisdictions to impose a 0.1% tax to fund criminal justice without voter approval. Spokesperson Kari Plog said the county estimates the tax will raise about $27 million annually, $21 million of which will be allocated during the 2026-2027 budget to cover part of the total $95 million price tag of renovating the county’s minimum security jail at 701 Nollmeyer Lane in downtown Tacoma.
County officials planned to spend about 80% of the revenues on existing services within the county court system and Sheriff’s Office and 20% on new investments, The News Tribune previously reported.
Other big-ticket expenses for the “justice fund,” what the county is calling the revenue it receives from the new sales tax, include $1,137,000 for body-worn cameras for corrections officers and $43,080 on the same for detention officers under the county’s juvenile court. The investments include $1,100,000 on retention payments for corrections officers – covering the cost of the one-time $5,000 payments the county authorized for law enforcement deputies last year.
The investments come amid high demand for law enforcement officers in the region. The Tacoma City Council in September approved a $50,000 signing bonus to encourage officers in the region to join the Tacoma Police Department – a decision that has boosted the department’s staffing numbers, as the city hoped. But the president of the Pierce County Deputy Sheriff’s Independent Guild later warned that the county lost several officers to the Tacoma Police Department given the bonuses and could lose more if it doesn’t boost deputies’ compensation.
As part of the sales tax, the county also launched a justice fund advisory board, which is responsible for guiding the use of the revenues raised from the tax. The board had its first meeting on June 11, Plog told The News Tribune in a statement.
Pierce County Council members approved the sales tax in a 5-2 vote in March, with council members Paul Herrera and Amy Cruver dissenting. Sheriff Keith Swank, Prosecuting Attorney Mary Robnett and finance director Julie Demuth all supported the tax, The News Tribune reported at the time.
Pierce County is one of several other jurisdictions in the region that have implemented the public safety tax. The cities of Ruston, Lakewood and Tacoma all voted to do so this year.
