PORT ORCHARD — Shoppers across Kitsap County will pay an additional one-tenth of 1% in sales tax beginning Jan. 1, after county commissioners voted unanimously to adopt a new tax dedicated to the sheriff’s office, the jail and the courts.
The Board of County Commissioners approved the regional justice sales and use tax at its Oct. 12 meeting. The county expects it to raise about $7.7 million a year. For most residents, the county estimates the tax will cost about $20 to $40 more per year, depending on household spending.
The tax applies countywide, in both incorporated cities and unincorporated areas, according to a county staff report. If a city also adopts the tax, the two would stack inside that city for a combined 0.2%.
The Legislature authorized the tax in 2025 through House Bill 2015. To use it, local law enforcement agencies must meet standards set by the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission on use-of-force policies, training, reporting and accountability. Under the law, counties may adopt the tax by ordinance until June 2028; after that, it must go to voters, the staff report said.
The county said more than 76% of its budget goes to public safety, and costs are rising faster than revenue because of limits on property tax growth and growing demand for services. Without the money, the county said, it could face significant reductions in 2027 that could shrink jail capacity and delay court cases.
“This was a difficult decision, knowing how it affects all our families,” said Board Chair Oran Root. “Here in Kitsap, this funding temporarily sustains our justice system to keep our community safe, support victims, and ensure that our current level of service is not degraded.”
Root said the board found some efficiencies, “but nowhere near enough to cover the shortfall,” and blamed what he called the state’s unfunded mandates.
Interim Sheriff Kenneth Dickinson said the alternative would have been layoffs. “While the implementation of HB 2015 was not our preferred option, the loss of 12 corrections officers and nine deputy sheriffs is a catastrophic option,” he said.
Jail Chief Penelope Sapp said rising medical and mental health contract costs leave staffing as the only place to cut. “Increasing taxes is the last thing any of us want to do, yet we cannot ignore the growing gap between mandated obligations and the resources needed to meet them safely,” she said.
By law, the money may be spent only on law and justice purposes. The county said it will help maintain staffing in the sheriff’s office and jail, keep court and legal services running, replace essential equipment, and support crime prevention and reentry programs. A staff report projects $6.2 million in spending in 2027, with about $1.5 million carried into 2028.
More information is at kcowa.us/HB2015.
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