North Bend considers sales tax increase to support road maintenance
July 22, 2011
By Dan Catchpole
With the cost of roads rising and tax revenue remaining stagnant, North Bend City Council voted to create a Transportation Benefit District, which has limited ability to collect taxes.
The Council wants the district to ask voters for a 0.2 percent increase to the city’s sales tax to pay for transportation infrastructure maintenance. The increase would be on the November election ballot. If approved, it would make the sales tax in the city 8.8 percent for 10 years.
The higher tax rate would mean residents would pay $10 more in sales tax on $5,000 of retail purchases, which does not include groceries.
Most of the revenue from the tax increase would come from the North Bend Premium Outlets, Public Works Director Ron Garrow said.
The new district’s board, which will consist of City Council members, is holding a meeting Aug. 2 to consider putting the measure on the ballot.
If the board approves putting the tax increase on the ballot, it plans on appointing people to pro and con committees to write arguments that will appear in the voter’s pamphlet.
The meeting will be at the Mount Si Senior Center, 411 Main Ave. S., North Bend, at 7:15 p.m. Aug. 2.
People interested in serving on either the pro committee or con committee need to submit their name, address, phone number, email address and which committee they want to serve on, to the city by Aug. 1. The information should be sent to Administrative Services Director Cheryl Proffitt-Schmidt at cproffitt@northbendwa.gov.
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