Amber Waldref, Harold Clarke III and John Nowels: Renew sales tax to fund juvenile justice, jails
By Amber Waldref, Harold Clarke III and John Nowels
Every 10 years, since 1995, our community has voted “yes” in support of a 1/10 of a cent sales tax to fund operations of our juvenile and adult jails. Our community recognizes the value of early intervention to get youth on the right track and reduce future crime in our community. And now we have a chance to show our support again by renewing the sales tax for another 10 years on our Nov. 5 ballot.
Voting to renew the current sales tax for juvenile justice and jails will ensure building operations and essential services will continue to be provided for Spokane County adults and juveniles who enter our justice system and jails. This measure will protect our community safety and support our youth younger than 18, providing accountability and helping them make better choices.
We must continue to invest in our youth for a safer community. Unfortunately, we are seeing a rise in juvenile violent crime. While overall detention numbers have gone down over the past 20 years, we are seeing more violent offenses and the need for more intensive support and services. From 2022-2023, felony offenses referred to Spokane County Juvenile Court increased by 25% and gross misdemeanor and misdemeanor offenses increased by 44%. ???
More than 140 staff members are funded through this sales tax measure, including detention officers and medical staff who provide direct programming and support to our youth while they are in detention. Our juvenile justice system is known to be very innovative in Washington state, providing many community-based programs and alternatives to incarceration funded through this sales tax as well as other sources.
Last years’ measure is not the same as Measure 1 before you this year. Measure 1 before you now has the word “construction” removed from the ballot language, as directed by a unanimous vote of the county commissioners. Funding will be used to continue funding essential staff, maintenance and operations of the current juvenile detention facility and adult jails.
Just to be clear – this is not a new tax. Voting yes for Measure 1 will not increase sales taxes you pay. Voting yes will continue the current 1/10 of a cent sales tax to fund essential operations of our juvenile and adult detention facilities for another 10 years
If the renewal is not approved by voters, Spokane County would need to identify other sources of funds to backfill the estimated $15.8 million annual budget gap/shortfall to continue these services required by state law. That would likely require cuts to discretionary programming services provided to individuals in our juvenile detention facilities and jails along with other county services and programs.
As a Republican county sheriff, a Democrat county commissioner and a former superior court judge, we don’t always share the same perspective, but we all agree that voting yes on this measure will help protect community safety, support youth and families, and continue funding essential services for our community. Please vote yes.
Judge Harold Clarke III presided over the Spokane County bench for almost 20 years. He provided 17 years of service on the Spokane County Superior Court, including hearing cases in Juvenile Court. John Nowels is Spokane County sheriff, elected as a Republican in 2022. He has more than 25 years of experience in law enforcement in Spokane County. Amber Waldref is a Spokane County commissioner, elected in 2022 as a Democrat in District 2. She previously served on the Spokane City Council and has developed strategic community initiatives and partnerships in Spokane for the past 20 years.