Under the provisional agreement, the city agrees to a sales tax increase and of .3 percentage points which will be the city's portion of the cost of the new jail. The agreement allows the county to collect the sales tax county-wide, if approved by voters in August. The cities of Mount Vernon and Burlington have also signed on to the agreement. Sedro-Woolley is set to vote Wednesday night.
City attorney Brad Furlong briefed the Council on the agreement, saying it has been the "subject of a lot of negotiation." He said the agreement is a "big first step that will get the ball rolling to allow the tax measure go forward for voters.' The agreement creates a framework for an inter-local agreement which would cover specific funding issues, jail construction and operation.
The tax vote will go the voters in August. If it fails, the county has an opportunity to put it on the general election ballot in November. Should the tax increase fail both times, the county and cities would need to get together and figure out how to proceed.
Saying, "I don't think anybody wants to build a new jail," but said there are needs that are not currently being taken care of and the current jail is overcrowded. He called the jail problem a "really, really big issue."