PORT ANGELES – Clallam County’s sales tax will be going up a tenth of a percent.
County commissioners yesterday approved the increase to pay for affordable housing efforts.
Commissioners held a public hearing, before voting on the resolution. Most people spoke in favor of the tax. However, those opposed said they thought the timing was bad considering inflation and coming out of the pandemic. Others suggested a sunset date attached to the tax.
In the end, commissioners agreed the one and half million dollars expected to be raised each year by the tax can be used to help leverage projects to deal with homelessness and those driven out of housing by skyrocketing prices.
The city of Port Angeles started collecting a similar increase two years ago. The state legislature passed a bill in 2019 allowing cities and counties to increase sales taxes a tenth of a percent for affordable housing.