Would a planned public safety tax mean additional police officers in Bellingham?
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Council approved a 0.1% public safety sales tax to raise about $3.9M in 2026.
- City proposes police budget rise to $40.7M while freezing four officer slots.
- Opponents cite regressive impact on low-income residents and policing critiques.
As Bellingham seeks to ease a $10 million budget deficit with a new sales tax to boost public safety services, some critics are asking the city not to make its poorest residents pay more taxes, while others are saying that the police don’t need more money.
A new state law, HB 2015, allows local governments to impose a sales tax of one-tenth of 1% earmarked for a range of public safety purposes — including domestic violence prevention, public defenders, re-entry work for offenders and crime-reduction measures, in addition to police funding, according to previous Herald reporting.
City Council members unanimously approved a measure authorizing the tax on Sept. 15. Before it takes effect in 2026, the tax requires a third and final vote that could come as early as Monday, Oct. 6.
Such a tax would cost Bellingham shoppers about 10 cents on a $100 purchase. It would raise about $3.9 million for a range of public safety services in 2026, helping to plug an expected budget deficit of $10 million next year, Mayor Kim Lund said at Monday’s City Council meeting.
Sales and property taxes are higher in Washington because there is no state income tax. It’s a regressive system, meaning that most of the tax burden falls disproportionately on lower-income people.
“It does not fund new staff nor new programs,” Lund said. “It will fund current public safety services that our community has requested and appreciates, such as our downtown bike cops, nearly half a million dollars to support the GRACE alternative response program, support for our public defenders, support for our domestic violence services, along with resources for a portion of our newly launched community court and the officers dedicated to the Regional Drug Task Force to help address the fentanyl crisis.”
Several opponents of the tax also spoke Monday, during the open public comment part of the meeting.
Emma Pedro told the council that she is having trouble making ends meet in Bellingham, even with a full-time job. She also criticized the police.
“The reality of policing in Bellingham, regardless of whether their presence is increasing or remaining exactly the same, is problematic. Clearly, folks do not feel safe or comfortable with our police force the way it is,” Pedro said.
Other speakers, including an online participant identified only as Jessie, discussed broad issues such as the use of force by law-enforcement officers and new ways of thinking about criminal justice.
“Police and incarceration are built on bigoted hierarchies, such as white supremacy, misogyny, transphobia and ableism. This is not fearmongering. This is the past and present of our country. So, multiple scholars have noted that what we need here more than ever is support for processes that have been proven to make our community safer. More funding for services and infrastructure that will help community members safely resolve conflicts, regulate emotions, and reduce drug addictions. More development into services that rely on the transformation, not punishment, of people. We should always be working to make Bellingham a safer city. Not funding punitive systems will improve our safety.”
City Council member Lisa Anderson told The Herald that she and her colleagues have been receiving emails against the tax and that they understand that even a small increase will be a hardship for lower-income people.
Anderson pointed out that the proposed 2026 budget freezes four positions in the Police Department and eliminates one position.
“That’s the evidence that we’re not hiring more officers. If we don’t use this tax, we’re going to have to cut $4 million from the budget. And staff is all that’s left to count. It will be brutal. It’s going to be parks, it’s going to be the library,” Anderson said.
“We’re not going to be able to cut $4 million from police. What are our most essential services? That is public safety,” she said.
Indeed, the police and fire departments combined make up about about one fourth of the city’s proposed $543 million budget.
Bellingham spokeswoman Melissa Morin told The Herald that the city proposes to cut one support-services position that handles records, and freeze three officer positions, as well as the public information officer position.
The Bellingham Police Department has a proposed budget of $40.7 million for 2026, up from $38.2 million in 2025. In 2024, the police budget was $37 million.
This story was originally published October 2, 2025 at 2:55 PM.
