Clark County Council Chair Gary Medvigy listens to Michael McCabe from the county sheriff's office about possible costs associated with the city of Vancouver's Proposition 4 on Oct. 23, 2024.
Erik Neumann / OPB
Clark County councilors and public safety department heads met Wednesday to try answering a question: What will happen to the county’s law and justice system if more police officers are hired by the city of Vancouver with the passage of Proposition 4?
Officials from the county jail, district and superior courts, and the prosecutor’s office presented estimates about how much it would cost their departments if an influx of police officers made arrests and wrote tickets.
Over the course of eight years, there could be an increase of 2,371 cases filed with the district court and potentially 27,000 more traffic infractions per year as a result of new traffic cameras, according to Brian Farrell, the county district court administrator.
Chief Deputy Clerk Charlene Huffman estimated that her office would need more staff to handle additional civil protection orders and domestic violence cases.
More Vancouver police would also increase demands on the county jail, according to David Shook, the director of jail services. He said they could see more costs related to records and booking staff to keep up with arrests, and contracts for food and medical providers for inmates.
On Nov. 5, the city of Vancouver is asking residents to decide on Proposition 4. If passed, the tax levy would add 80 new police officers, 36 non-sworn police staff and increase department resources for tools like camera-assisted traffic enforcement.
The levy, which is the product of a year-long citizen task force, is needed to help VPD keep up with population growth in their service area. Vancouver has the second lowest staffed department per capita in Washington cities over 100,000 people, according to the city.
However, in an explanation published on the city of Vancouver website on Thursday, officials noted that they are required by state law to reimburse Clark County for the costs of arrests, prosecutions and convictions of misdemeanor offenses within city limits. It said the city paid Clark County $5.25 million last year, and estimates that number will increase by an additional $6.6 million over the next six years to pay for jail, corrections and district court if Proposition 4 passes.
Clark County’s budget for law and justice services is approximately $89.5 million. The county estimates the passage of Proposition 4 would increase those costs by 13%.
The county’s investments haven’t kept up with population growth, let alone increased demands from Proposition 4, according to County Council Chair Gary Medvigy.
“Have we done enough? No. It’s going to take more resourcing,” he said.
One of the biggest factors behind both the county and city’s law enforcement struggles, Medvigy said, is lost tax revenue in Southwest Washington from residents crossing the border to shop tax-free in Oregon.
“We’re losing $3-10 million per year in sales tax loss,” he said. “No other county in the state is hobbled like that.”
Medvigy and the rest of the Clark County Council said their presentations on Wednesday were not meant to advocate for or against Vancouver’s Proposition 4, but to inform the public about potential costs if it passes.
Meanwhile, Clark County is considering two of its own funding requests to add 40 deputies to the sheriff’s department to bring staffing levels up to the state average. Those include a public safety sales tax or a levy “lid lift” which allows municipalities to pass a property tax increase above Washington’s annual 1% limit. Those options could come before voters as soon as February 2025.