Whatcom jail tax loses more ground in Thursday tally
The sales tax measure to pay for a new Whatcom County Jail lost ground and was still failing after more votes were counted Thursday, Nov. 5.
The measure, which had been failing by only 382 votes on Wednesday, was trailing by 891 votes Thursday, with 52,117 total ballots cast on the issue, according to the Whatcom County Auditor’s Office.
The Auditor’s Office estimated 5,000 ballots are left to count and planned to release the next count at 5 p.m. Friday, Nov. 6.
The office has counted a total of 54,606 ballots, representing about 42 percent of registered Whatcom County voters.
If passed, the measure would raise the local sales tax by 0.2 percent, meaning shoppers in Whatcom County would pay an extra 20 cents for every $100 they spend, in order to fund the building and operation of a new county jail. Half the tax would expire after the bonds are repaid in 30 years.
If the measure fails, it is unclear whether Whatcom County will be on track to build a new jail any time in the near future.
Either way, the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office plans to reduce the inmate population in the current overcrowded facility after contracts with the cities expire at the end of December.
Reach Samantha Wohlfeil at 360-715-2274 or samantha.wohlfeil@bellinghamherald.com. Follow her on Twitter at @BhamPolitics.
This story was originally published November 5, 2015 at 6:16 PM with the headline "Whatcom jail tax loses more ground in Thursday tally."