The Okanogan County commissioners are holding a public hearing on a state-shared tax for affordable and supportive housing.
If the commissioners approve the tax, it wouldn’t increase the tax consumers pay nor change the tax rate. Instead, the county would get a portion of the 6.5% Washington sales tax back from the state to build or renovate affordable housing or for rental assistance. The option is contained in a 2019 state law.
The maximum tax rate the county can impose may not exceed 0.0146% or 0.0073%, depending on certain factors, according to the state Department of Revenue. Winthrop already agreed to opt into the program.
The tax expires 20 years after a jurisdiction first imposes the tax.
The public hearing is Monday (Feb. 10) at 2 p.m. at the commissioners’ auditorium in Okanogan. People can testify at the hearing or send comments to Laleña Johns at ljohns@co.okanogan.wa.us.
