HomeMy WebLinkAbout7008ORDINANCE NO. 7008
AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF AUBURN,
WASHINGTON, AMENDING SECTIONS 3.60.010 AND
3.60.020 OF THE AUBURN MUNICIPAL CODE TO
AUTHORIZE AN ADDITIONAL ONE TENTH OF ONE
PERCENT SALES AND USE TAX FOR CRIMINAL JUSTICE
PURPOSES IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 201,
CHAPTER 350, LAWS OF 2025, PROVIDING FOR
SEVERABILITY, AND ESTABLISHING AN EFFECTIVE
DATE
WHEREAS, the Legislature enacted House Bill 2015 in the 2025 legislative
session to provide qualified cities, towns, or counties to authorize, by Resolution or
Ordinance, a new local option sales and use tax of one -tenth of one percent (0.1 %) for
criminal justice purposes; and
WHEREAS, the City Council seeks to enhance criminal justice funding; and
WHEREAS, the City's cost of maintain public safety services continues to outpace
the growth of general fund sources that directly support public safety operations; and
WHEREAS, the sales and use tax authorized will represent a significant additional
source of funding to address public safety needs in the City; and
WHEREAS, imposing the sales and use tax in furtherance of programs and
services allowed by Section 201, Chapter 350, Laws of 2025, including addressing high -
priority community safety needs; and
WHEREAS, the City Council finds that the city, through its law enforcement
agency, the Auburn Police Department, meets the requirements to receive a grant from
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November 10, 2025
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the Local Law Enforcement Grant Program created in Section 101, Chapter 350, Laws
of Washington 2025; and
WHEREAS, the city voters have not repealed by referendum the criminal justice
sales tax imposed pursuant to RCW 82.14.340 or rejected a ballot proposition to impose
the public safety sales tax authorized by RCW 82.14.450 in the previous 12 months;
NOW, THEREFORE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF AUBURN,
WASHINGTON, DO ORDAIN AS FOLLOWS:
Section 1. The City Council finds that the City meets the eligibility requirements
to impose the sales and use tax authorized by Section 201, Chapter 350, Laws of 2025,
and if there were any documentation deficiencies identified by the CJTC, such
deficiencies will be rectified.
Section 2. All portions of the Auburn Municipal Code in this Ordinance that are not
shown in strikethrough and underline edits or are not explicitly repealed herein remain in
effect and unchanged.
Section 3. Section 3.60.010 of the Auburn Municipal Code is amended to add a
new subsection C to read as follows:
C. There is hereby imposed an additional sales or use tax upon every
taxable event, as defined in RCW 82.14.020, occurring within the City, as
authorized by Section 201, Chapter 350, Laws of 2025. Money collected
under this subsection must be used for criminal justice purposes, as defined
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November 10, 2025
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in Section 201, Chapter 350, Laws of 2025 (or as may be amended in the
future).
Section 4. Section 3.60.020 of the Auburn Municipal Code is amended to add new
subsections C and D to read as follows:
C. The tax imposed under AMC 3.60.010 C is assessed on the
selling price in the case of a sales tax, or value of the article used, in the
case of a use tax. The rate of such tax imposed shall be one -tenth of one
percent, as allowed under Section 201, Chapter 350, Laws of 2025 (or as
may be amended in the future).
D. To the extent an additional sales tax imposed by the City
would cause the total rate of tax for sales of lodging to exceed the maximum
amount allowed by RCW 82.14.410, sales of lodging shall be exempt from
the portion of the tax that would be prohibited by Chapter 82.14 RCW.
Section 5. Upon approval of the City Attorney, the City Clerk is authorized to direct
the codifier to make necessary corrections to this Ordinance, including the corrections of
scriveners or clerical errors; references to other local, state, or federal laws, codes, rules,
or regulations; or ordinance numbering and section/subsection numbering and
references. The City Clerk is further authorized to direct the codifier to update any
chapter, section, or subsection titles in the Auburn Municipal Code affected by this
Ordinance, and to replace references to Section 201, Chapter 350, Laws of 2025 with
applicable RCW section references as such sections are codified.
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Ordinance No. 7008
November 10, 2025
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Section 6. If any section, subsection, sentence, clause, phrase, or word of this
Ordinance should be held to be invalid or unconstitutional by a court of competent
jurisdiction, such invalidity or unconstitutionality thereof shall not affect the
constitutionality of any other section, subsection, sentence, clause, phrase, or word of
this Ordinance.
Section 7. This Ordinance shall be in full force and effect five (5) days after
publication of a summary of this Ordinance in the City's official newspaper, the additional
tax imposed in Sections 3 and 4 shall apply to taxable events occurring on or after April
1, 2026. The summary shall consist of this Ordinance's title.
ATTEST:
Shawn Campbell, MMC, City Clerk
INTRODUCED:
PASSED:
APPROVED:
NOV 1 7 2025
NOV 17 2025
NOV 1 7 2025
NANCY BACtUS, MAYOR
APP ED T FO
J son Whalen, City Attorney
Published: N WWq,1( 20, U2 31 in Sea- k Tkma
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Ordinance No. 7008
November 10, 2025
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