Clark County, Washington, 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, Washington, councilors were split this week on whether to send a levy to voters that would pay for 30 new sheriff’s deputies.
The four county councilors who were present during a Monday meeting all said they are in favor of finding more money for the sheriff’s office. But they could not agree on how to do it while the county is facing an $11.7 million deficit next year.
Vancouver’s ongoing effort to build its police force could also complicate the ask to voters.
Vancouver’s Proposition 4 failed to pass during November’s election. It would have boosted the number of police officers at the city department which, according to the city, is among the lowest staffed in the state.
Clark County Undersheriff Jim Hansen echoed that sentiment when he told councilors his department is operating at well below the state average, with deputies frequently working more than 300 hours of overtime each year.
“We are ill-prepared for more than one emergency at a time,” Hansen said. “We have seen in recent weeks calls such as the shooting at the Vancouver Mall that required the response of every single deputy on duty in Clark County.”
The initial proposal would cost taxpayers $142 per year on average. It would raise money for 30 deputy positions, in addition to 10 positions that are funded but have not yet been filled. Hansen said the current staffing levels make it difficult to attract and retain deputies.
“We just keep kicking the can down the road,” said Council Chair Gary Medvigy, who supported the levy proposal. “We’re not doing our job as legislators to help the sheriff stay healthy.”
Medvigy and fellow levy supporter Councilor Karen Dill Bowerman are both leaving their positions in 2025. Councilors Glen Yung and Sue Marshall, who are staying on the county council, voted no. Councilor Michelle Belkot was absent Monday.
Yung and Marshall worried the plan would be unsustainable, given the looming budget deficit and ongoing funding needs for the county jail. They instead suggested working more closely with the city of Vancouver on a more comprehensive public safety measure.
“Nobody is saying 'do nothing.' A no vote here is not saying 'do nothing,'” Yung said. “We are still directing staff to work on this to get a better plan that will be successful for all of the law and justice services and not just the sheriff.”
If approved, the county’s levy proposal would go before voters during a special election in February.