Grand Coulee voters boost sales tax for streets

When Grand Coulee leaders put Proposition 1 on the ballot, they thought a bump in sales tax would be the best way for the city to collect a little extra money needed for street repair.

Voters agreed, evidently, as votes tallied up last night yielded an 111-39 win for the idea.

The 74-percent approval will raise the sales tax in the city from 7.9 percent to 8.1 percent, with the extra money funding a transportation benefits district.

The money raised, which city officials expect to come to about $50,000 a year, will be levied against both residents and tourists, which made Mayor Paul Townsend and the city council think it was the most equitable solution to a problem that grew evident after the harsh winter of 2016-17 left the city’s street repair budget further behind than it already had been.

When voters approved Initiative 695 in 1999, the measure wiped out 7 percent of the state’s revenue, but also a dependable annual source of revenue in small towns that helped with street repair. Although the measure was later ruled unconstitutional, the state Legislature headed the voters’ wishes and passed a similar measure.

Ever since, small towns have found keeping up with street repairs more difficult; TBDs are a tool for making up the difference.

Then last winter took a high toll on Grand Coulee’s streets, leading city leaders to put the idea to the voters.

This story has been corrected with the correct yes vote count. An extra zero had been inserted due to a typographical error.